Hi all,

I've been studying the evidences for the Trinitarian view of God and have good answers, as far as I can tell to many of the common Unitarian objections. For example:

1) "The Trinity is essentially polytheism."

- This seems to be easily dismissed by many Trinitarians by simply saying that the doctrine of the trinity affirms a singular being called God who has the requisite faculties to qualify as three distinct divine Persons.

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2) "The Trinity is incoherent and defies the laws of logic"

- It doesn't seem to me that this argument stands. The only way that the Trinity would defy logic is if it asserted that the Godhead was composed of one person and also three persons. Or, if it asserted that the God was made up of one essence (or substance) and also three substances. I have never heard a trinitarian affirm either of these. This means there is either 1) no argument to be made about this, or 2) the trinitarian is not fully aware of the consequences of their doctrine though it has been studied for centuries.

3) "Jesus did not claim to be God in the New Testament"

- Again, John 1:1 seems to affirm that very early in the history of the church, the disciples of Christ believed he was divine. If Jesus did not teach this (or even outright denied it as many unitarians believe) then why do we have passages that are at the very least ambiguous as to the validity of this fact within the christian scriptures?

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There are more but I was just wondering if there are some good arguments for these before I continue. Thanks for any responses!

Anyone else part of a Soul Matters circle? What do you think of it? The quality of one's experience in a small group format like this greatly depends on the facilitator(s) and other participants and I'm grateful to have good folks. Only recently joined in but so far, so good.

I’ve been feeling a pull towards god for about the last year after spending my whole life as an atheist. I’ve looked into Islam and Christianity but just recently had the Unitarian thing recommended to me. Any info or insights into it would be super helpful.

I’m completely new to UU. I started going to a church less than a year ago and decided to take their adult OWL program so I can know first hand what they teach about sex and what my son would be learning someday. Last week they talked about relationships and for some reason there seemed to be a lot of focus on polyamory. Is that because it’s common in UU communities?

For some reason it makes me uncomfortable and it feels like the first red flag I’ve experienced in a community I otherwise have really enjoyed. I’m waiting a whole year before I decide to join and I’d hate for this to be a deal breaker. I can’t say I’d feel ok with my son learning about or being encouraged to get married to more than one adult and raising a family that way.

Can anyone who has been in UU longer talk about how common polyamory is in their fellowships? Are a lot of people in these communities swingers or have polygamous families? I guess it’s just something I’ve never been around or understand.

I used to go to one when I lived in Westchester County, NY. I first went out of curiosity. I kept going because it was nice enough. At a session for new people, they told me a lot of the members were atheists like me. But that got me thinking - why go to this place every week while being atheist? I can be exactly as atheist in the comfort of my own home AND not have to give money every week. So I stopped going.

So…why go at all? I can be atheist, recycle, and have coffee at home. Why go to this one particular place every week to do all that?

The 1979 book published by UUA’s publishing arm Beacon Press is still used against trans people, particularly trans women, a group UUA allegedly claims to support. I went to a UU church in Westchester County, NY and some trans people brought up the fact that UUA published the book via Beacon Press, but no one made any comment on it.

Have they ever apologized for publishing it and causing harm to the trans community?

More specifically, I'm wondering how many of you are excited about the ideas of Daniel Schmachtenberger, particularly what he has to say about emergence.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a taste: https://civilizationemerging.com/media-old/emergence/

I am interested in starting off pretty light with Christianity, I don’t want anything super “hardcore” but I still want it to be Christian, would a UU church still reference the Bible and Jesus? If not, which church that is “light” but still teaches Jesus and the word of God through the Bible would I be best at? Thanks!

Recently, I was trying to remember the water brother ceremony from Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Stranger in a Strange Land (pub. 1961) and googled ‘Water Communion’ and was interested to see that is a practice in the UUA, started in 1980. Stranger in a Strange Land is a very spiritual book (the central message of which—or at least the message of the protagonist if not the author—is ‘Thou art god’) about which had an enormous influence on new age and ‘hippie’ (meant without pejorative) culture, and one of the central features is the ceremony of sharing the water of life (ie just water) , which establishes brotherhood (a term explicitly glossed in the book as being without gender due to the Martian language—one of the first water brothers of the protagonist is a woman). In other words, it’s plausible that people interested in the UUA would be reading and influenced by this book.

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However, sharing water is hardly unique to Heinlein, and I don’t know anything about the history of Water Communion in the UUA beyond a cursory googling. Does anyone know if those who created the practice were inspired by Stranger in a Strange Land? Or is it just one of those coincidences, perhaps the two being cousins influenced by the same longer traditions about water?

Hello - Atheist here, 47f married, 2 kids. I zoomed into my local UU church service after reading Reba Riley's Post Traumatic Church Syndrome. It's a funny memoir where the author endeavors to attend 30 churches before she's 30. She experiences everything from a day with the Amish to a Native American sweat lodge. It was fascinating! I ended up tuning in to UU's service out of curiosity.

I didn't grow up religious.

I find the I-love-Jesus-types cringey. I mean, why? He died for our sins and now I'm supposed to owe him? Whatever. I won't get off track. I just wanted to post to say that the UU service was surprisingly un-cringey. I liked it.

All of this has me wondering... should I attend church? If so, why? What do you get out of it?

I could always use more friends, but my life doesn't really lend itself to a lot of free time. If I decide to pursue this, it will be for me. My husband, also an atheist, isn't interested. We have a firm belief that children shouldn't be brainwashed into believing anything until they are capable of choosing for themselves. It's unlikely I will take them. Although I didn't find anything about the service that I objected to with that regard. Still, I'll probably wait on exposing them to a church-like setting.

Is it worth the time/effort to invest in church?

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**EDITED TO ADD: WOW! These responses are amazing. There seems to be a theme of overwhelmingly positive. In my personal life, I recently changed professions from working in dull offices to pursuing a fulfilling job with special needs children. It's been life changing! I've never been a social activist, but I can see how adding that layer to my life could be equally life changing. While I won't be rushing my children off to any services, I can tell by your responses that -- should I gain the confidence and trust to do so -- they would benefit in a way that my atheist* heart would appreciate.

*Side note: I am an atheist first but I do have interest in Paganism because the religion is so simple and some interest in meditation. Maybe I'll discover more about myself than I originally thought?

It saids in the wikipedia that there is a problem of racism within the unitarian church

Internal controversy over the hiring of the UUA's Southern Region Lead (a white man from outside the region was hired rather than a Latina woman who resided within the region) led to resignations and apologies in 2017. UUA President Peter Morales, the denomination's first Latino president, resigned amid criticism of his failure to address the diversity controversies.[122][123] The three co-presidents who took over commissioned a "racism audit" to address white supremacy within the denomination.[124] In April 2018, The Washington Post reported that the UUA "in the past year has been asked to help resolve 15 congregational conflicts involving religious professionals of color".

I just want to know if is true...

Hey, I've become interested in spirituality and UU particularly (due to the pluralism/syncretism, rationalism, and lack of creeds) recently and came across these articles detailing some things that seem problematic to me - was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on them?

The first is at https://whyevolutionistrue.com/2024/01/02/the-uus-go-woke/ which links to https://news.fairforall.org/p/the-ideological-takeover-of-the-church

Hi, I've found I really agree with most of the points of Unitarians after discussions with a denomination that solely focuses on the Bible and Wow is it refreshing. I'm planning to go to my local chapel on Friday to ask a few questions with the pastor but what should I expect from the actual service itself?

Hi, I'm Em/Eli and I'm new here and to Reddit. I came here from a UU discord. I go to UUYO. They/Them please.

Do people have good examples or stories of digital forums to create connection and improve communication within a UU congregation? Any lessons learned to share? Open social media isn't cutting it. The idea is to have a closed, curated membership forum where people will be more open to sharing and discussion.

I'm presently advocating for a Discourse forums, or similar, in my own church. Here is a UUA example https://discuss.uua.org/.

Thanks.

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I, 18M, just started reading the book of mathew today, and i was always leaning towards unitarianism anyways, i just wanted someone to talk to about the beliefs and interpretations of a unitarian, this is coming from someone who is more or less agnostic

I (30F) have known about Unitarian Universalism for years but finally taken the time to look into it and attend a couple services at a local congregation. I love it, it speaks to my values and wish I knew about this religion/association earlier. I’ve also made connections with some congregants and have kept in touch. I’ve never really sought out a spiritual community church before so I’m kind of curious about how it works to become a member. How long do guests attend before they commit to a congregation?

Does anyone know if the CUC holds any summer programs like SUUSI where I could meet more young adult UU followers like myself?

After asking ArguablyCanadian if I could expand on their poll as I have been interested in this question of what our general beliefs are. I have went to Google Forms and have made a form for people to fill out if they so wish. If you have any feedback on things you'd like to see on another poll like this please let me know. But I will post the general results after a week is up.

Here's the form https://forms.gle/tc7HQqLmghuEdUAH8

We've recently been getting a lot of questions about the non-trinitarian aspect of our faith. Someone made a comment about talking about this even though some of us aren't Christian, but I've always been under the impression that Christians make up a minority of UUs, and that most UU christians aren't partcularly concerned about non-trinitarianism. To that end, I'd like to poll you about your beliefs.

I do apologise for lumping in a lot of categories together. I only have six categories, these include the one's I expect to be more common while reflecting the fact I'd like to know about how Christian UUs feel about the trinity. If you feel like your beliefs aren't well-represented in this poll (mine aren't either), choose the closest option and tell me in the comments. I can always make more polls.

View Poll

Hello guys! What are some verse that actually imply God our creator being the only God?

I (25m) have been an agnostic/atheist who has received a Christian upbringing, and after some soul searching I started a spiritual journey of sorts. I tried to convert to Reform Judaism, a very progressive branch of Judaism, but geography and other reasons prevented me from doing so.

I felt a little defeated but that was until I found out about UU. I was in love with the idea of being united by the shared 7 principles, rather than scripture, traditon or religious law. This way I still get to explore my beliefs and such without worrying about whether or not am I violating the core beliefs of my chosen religion, and I still get to celebrate the Christian holidays with my family.

I "attend" UU online as I live in a European village with only a Catholic Church and a fundamentalist Baptist congregation. I love that there are no formal requirements in order to convert to UU, but I also feel that I lack something this way.

So my question would be: is it possible to get certificate that I'm now UU? Like a certificate of conversion? Like not even a physical one, just a pdf or something. Would a UU Rev grant me one if I were to contact one?

Happy New year btw!

I'm a lifelong Unitarian Universalist, sometimes video game developer, and lifelong writer. I think video games are one of the most unique forms of entertainment because they ask for involvement from the consumer in a way most others don't. Recently, I've played a few games that haven't just resonated with me on a ludic level, but on a spiritual level as well. Games that, while not overtly UU to my knowledge, reflect our values, principles, and philosophies. Two in particular stand out: Outer Wilds and Chants of Sennaar. I'll do my best to put spoilers for these games under spoiler tags in case any of you want to play them yourself!

First up: Outer Wilds! It's a very hard game to talk about without spoiling, since player knowledge is the only indicator of progression. It's also my favorite game of all time. (At the moment) I feel it's particularly resonant with the 7th Principle, especially when you realize that all the travelers are playing the same song despite being on completely different planets. At the end of the game, you learn that you exist towards the end of the heat death of the universe, and you have the opportunity to influence the creation of the next universe based on your relationship with your friends. I really love how the first 7 Principles start with the individual and branch out to the whole universe. The same thing happens in Outer Wilds, as the player's knowledge and perspective starts with themselves, grows to encompass their starting village, then their starting planet, then their moon, etc.

Chants of Sennaar looks like a story about the Tower of Babel, but it's actually closer to the parable of the blind men and the elephant. You climb a tower, searching for whatever is on the top. Along the way, you encounter five different civilizations, all with a different, unique language that you need to learn to progress. You also need to translate between each civilization once you've figured them out. Each culture is drastically different, venerating God to the Devotees, Duty to the Warriors, Beauty to the Bards, (Chemical) Transformation to the Alchemists, and Exile to the Anchorites. As you make these connections, a three-dimensional object slowly forms. At the end of the game, you see that same object at the top of the tower. It twists and moves, making the glyphs for God, Duty, Beauty, Transformation, and Exile in each respective language. I cried, and am obviously still thinking about it.

Have any of you played these games? Are there any other games that spoke to you on a spiritual level?

I have had a wild ride in terms of religion. I was born Christian and then somehow my family turned Atheist, though I always maintained I believe in God in prayer. I always turned to God in my darkest moments.

I met my ex who is Muslim and ended up converting because a lot of the things I’ve read about Jesus not being the son of God and Jesus, not being God made a lot of sense to me .

However, there were still some parts of islam that I did not necessarily agree with .

I still have a very strong belief in God, and one God. I believe that praying to God is very important, and I do believe in evil as well, but I believe there’s many methods and ways to protect yourself from that evil, and to connect with God, not necessarily one specific religion .

I also believe in energy and I believe in the soul and I’m learning Reiki and I don’t believe that it’s satanic .

I’ve been rejected by the Christian community for that reason, I also don’t really fit in with the Muslim faith or community. Now that I’m divorced.

But I do want a sense of community for my kids. I went to church with my friend and I couldn’t get over how they kept saying Jesus was God so in my search for answers I came across Unitarianism.

And then I saw that there’s a church near me and I’m really considering bringing my kids there !!!

I don’t know how my ex would feel about that because he wanted the kids raised Muslim. But I guess he doesn’t even have to know?

Anyways, that’s besides the point it seems like they have a great program for kids which teaches them all about religion and different religions .

Anyways, does it sound like I would be a good fit for this ministry or religion ?

Hey everyone 👋🏾

I am a bipoc and would like to find people within the UU community to possibly date.

Does anyone have any advice on how I could find others to connect with?

Hey guys! Since the holidays are almost done, which ones did you celebrate? As someone who has ties to the UU Christian Fellowship, Advent Sunday marked the first day of a new year and the beginning of the holiday season. If you don’t necessarily celebrate them in the traditional sense, how do you? Thanks and have a happy end to 2023

Since my previous post was apparently not clear enough, I'm looking for something closer to the now defunct Fellowship for Secular Humanist Unitarian Universalists (FSHUUN). Since this is no longer an option and my beliefs differ slightly, what are my options? A single fellowship is what I'm looking for, or perhaps two or three, that are more focused on deism and historical (18th ish century Unitarian/Universalism).

Can someone point me to UU congregations that are deist-friendly? I had a list but alas, I lost it. Even if they aren't explicitly Deist, add them! Free-thinking congregations, members of the UU Christian Fellowship, and other fit my rather broad definition of deism. Streaming is important by the way

has it been mailed out yet? I don't have mine. I know they stopped publishing once a season and now just 2x year, right?

Has anyone else undergone a rebalancing of the sources in their lives or a change in faith?

I am recently finding myself transitioning away from a "Pagan" identity and moving on to a more ecclectic practice that retains a lot of the earth centered elements. Previously, I did a similar thing with Buddhism. I was a temple affiliated Buddhist practitioner for a period of time and now I just think of myself as having an ecclectic mindfulness practice. At the same time, I am finding myself drawing more from Abrahamic sources recently but also (opposite that in a sense) a lot of pop science stuff like Carl Sagan. I'm also begining to incorporate acadmic philosophy and social science info more mindfully into my spiritual practice.

Has anyone else undergone a transition in sources like that? I'm optimistic but it feels a little daunting trying to maintain a sense of flexibility in the face of uncertainty and where previous practices feel less satisfying and offer less insight.

Part of it, this time around, is that I feel like I'm having more of a UU awakening both in the sense that I'm framing it more as a transition within my individual path and also because I spent some time learning more about UU's specific history and theology.

I think most other religions would conider this converting to a different faith. It makes me appreciate the value of the UU approach.

I grew up in a community where kids were treated based on how well they met society's standards. Those at the bottom were slapped around and often humiliated and those at top received universal validation. This was promoted as a sort of meritocracy, where cruelty was seen as socially useful, for example fat shaming is seen a public health measure. Also, this hierarchy is defended as being natural/ inherent and criticism of it is derided as whining and pointless. I was often told I was being 'too sensitive' with the implication that if I wanted to be treated better I should simply do better. I began to internalize this harshness in the way I treated myself and I thought it was necessary to keep me a responsible functional adult. But this harsh internal shaming is too much. It actually makes it harder to function and it fills me with self-loathing, despair, and anxiety. I don't like being this way. I want to believe in the inherent worth of every person even though our society certainly does not treat every person as valuable. How can I believe in my own inherent worth while living in a society where worth is very conditional. This is especially hard since I am very precariously employed, facing racism from my manager, and dealing with chronic health issues and cannot afford healthcare. I understand religion plays an important role for many people but I am an irreligious agnostic and I don't see that changing. Could anyone suggest some books or any other means to help me believe in the inherent intrinsic worth of all humans?

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Llike really, two words as the name for this ideology? When someone asks my view on religion I don't wanna say "oh I'm a Unitarian Universalist" it's super long.

Hi there,

My partner (M32 Agnostic) and I (NB31 Pagan) have recently been interested in finding community and the UU church seems to fit our values very well. With that said, we both had a rough time in our Christian churches growing up, and this has made us hesitant to participate. We’re worried about the similarities with the Christian church, like attending service on Sundays, the way the church leaders dress, etc, and how that may be somewhat triggering.

Does anyone have any experience with similar feelings, and/or advice on how to work past these feelings? Or is participation in the UU church not really that similar and shouldn’t be something to worry about?

Thank you for your help.

Final update 12/21: We are married!!! Our minister and honestly the whole congregation was so supportive, we couldn’t have imagined a better way to start our marriage :) I’m so, so grateful we found UU when we did so that we can continue to grow together within this community. Happy solstice!

Update 12/19: thanks so much to everyone who’s read our story and given suggestions! Please keep them coming, we love to grow our UU knowledge :)

Worship Web was a total game changer, what an incredible resource. I won’t go into the nitty-gritty of everything we’re deciding between but my favorite thing we found so far is this poem by Elizabeth Lerner Maclay:

“As drops of rain that find each other and build to become a track, a rivulet, a stream, a river, a sea, so are we drawn together; so are we fortunate to find each other; so are we bound together, on this shared passage toward an unknown ocean and eternity.”

Our minister’s script has a lot of emphasis on preserving individuality within a marriage, which is also very good and important, but we think adding this poem to our covenant helps highlight our interconnectedness as well :)

Original post:

Hello! I’m new to both UU as a whole and this particular sub, so I apologize if I'm breaking any community norms/re-asking something common. I did a quick search and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I did what any UU would and decided to convene a committee in reddit thread form :)

Long story short(ish): We decided yesterday (12/17/23) that we're getting married in our UU church on Thursday (12/21/23). Our minister wrote a beautiful plan, and we'd like to contribute with ideas or suggestions to personalize it a bit if possible. We're very new to UU though and not super familiar with all the literature/hymns yet. Any advice for music to include, essays/short pieces to read that might inspire some vows, and also any general wisdom on building a successful and happy UU life and marriage are welcome <3

Info that might help:

— We won’t have a live musician but there is a nice sound system, so if there’s a particularly good recording/version of a song we’d love to get a link :)

— My favorite hymn of the ones we've heard so far is My Life Flows on in Endless Song

— All 7 principles resonate with us in different ways, but we've connected most deeply with #7 (respect for the interdependent web of all existence)

Long story longer:

My fiancé and I have been attending our local UU church since early September, so a little over three months. Though that seems like so short a time written out, we've really found a home there and have become quite involved in various ways. We became official members of our congregation at the end of November, and we had already been thinking about how to incorporate our new faith community into our fall/winter '24 wedding.

We got word yesterday that my fiancé is part of a mass layoff, effective today. We're very privileged to have solid financial footing through my salary and our emergency savings, plus my fiancé was actually already in the process of a career transition and has good prospects to land on his feet soon (knock wood!)

That being said, I work in local government and have excellent benefits. We had already planned to add my fiancé to my health insurance when we got married next year, and had even discussed the possibility of having a courthouse ceremony a few months early if his career change might mean a lapse in coverage. I had done a bit of research on getting a marriage license in our county and even asked our minister if she might be able to officiate a small ceremony, but all on the assumption that we had many months to prepare.

That timeline is no longer feasible since my fiancé's last day of work is today and his benefits end on 12/31. Theoretically we could get married as late as 12/29 and get him on my plan in time, but with the bureaucratic standstill that is the last week of the year we’d rather not risk it. So, these overthinking hyperplanners need to act fast! We called the minister in a panic yesterday afternoon, and she graciously agreed to help us make our pseudo-shotgun wedding special and meaningful despite the circumstances. This Thursday has a nice numerical date (12/21, I like the symmetry) and it's the Winter Solstice, which is both a spiritually resonant day for us and means the sanctuary at Church will be decorated with pretty winter greenery. So, Thursday at 2pm it is!

A few family members are feeling some type of way about the whole situation, but we're trying to make the most of it and I'm excited to have UU play a bigger part in our wedding. We'll still be doing the "traditional" wedding as planned in late '24 to celebrate with all our loved ones, but we had already asked a close family member to officiate that ceremony before we even discovered UU, so I feel like now we get the best of both worlds.

We are so grateful to have found both UU as a whole and our local congregation in particular at the perfect time, and I hope this will be the first of many milestones and celebrations we will share with our beloved community :)

Thanks so anyone who read this far, and to anyone who has suggestions or advice as we catapult into this new chapter!

I would most accurately describe my present beliefs as agnostic pantheism. I believe that everyone and everything is God expressed - that we, as a part of one infinite whole, contain the whole - though, we cannot prove or disprove that as we cannot comprehend the totality of all things, therefore this belief is held primarily for its philosophical utility in a metamodern sense. I've been attending my local UU for a few months now, and the beliefs of the community seem to be at least somewhat aligned with this. Anyone else here have pantheist views or thoughts on the philosophy?

Hello! I found this subreddit literally 15 minutes ago, so I apologize if I'm breaking any community norms/re-asking something common. I tried to do a quick search and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, so I did what any UU would and decided to convene a committee in reddit thread form :)

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Long story short(ish): We decided today (12/17/23) that we're getting married in our UU church on Thursday (12/21/23). Our minister is writing up a plan tomorrow, and we'd like to contribute with ideas or suggestions if we can. We're very new to UU though and not super familiar with all the literature/hymns yet. Any advice for music to include, essays/short pieces to read that might inspire some vows, and also any general advice on building a successful and happy UU life and marriage are welcome <3

​

Info that might help:

• My favorite hymn of the ones we've heard so far is My Life Flows on in Endless Song
• All 7 principles resonate with us in different ways, but we've connected most deeply with #7 (respect for the interdependent web of all existence)

​

Long story longer:

My fiancé (29M) and I (24F) have been attending our local UU church since early September, so a little over three months. Though that seems like so short a time written out, we've really found a home there and become quite involved in various ways. We became official members of our congregation at the end of November, and we had already been thinking about how to incorporate our new faith community into our November '24 wedding.

​

We got word today that the company where my fiancé has worked for the last two years is completely shutting down, effective tomorrow. There are definitely some potential labor law violations/general workers' rights issues that remain to be worked out, but that's somewhat besides the point for now. We're very privileged to have solid financial footing through my salary and our emergency savings, plus my fiancé was actually already in the process of a career transition and has good prospects to land on his feet soon (knock wood!)

​

That being said, I work in local government and have excellent benefits. We had already planned to add my fiancé to my insurance when we got married in November of next year, and had even discussed the possibility of having a courthouse ceremony a few months early if his career change might mean a lapse in health coverage. We knew his current employer was somewhat on the rocks, but the management made a big deal this week about how they got new investors who were going to keep the place running at least into January, with a good possibility things might stabilize in the Spring. I had done a bit of research on getting a marriage license and even asked our minister if she might be able to officiate a small ceremony, but all on the assumption that we had at least a month to prepare, if not 3-6 months.

​

That deal with the investors fell through in dramatic fashion this morning, so my fiancé's last day of work is tomorrow and his benefits end on 12/31. Theoretically we could get married as late as 12/29 and get him on my plan in time, but my department has an HR team of 2 who are notorious for slow processing times, so we'd rather not risk it. After having literally just emailed her on Wednesday that we were probably in the clear, we called the minister in a panic this afternoon, and she graciously agreed to help us make our pseudo-shotgun wedding special and meaningful despite the circumstances. This Thursday has a nice numerical date (12/21, I like the symmetry) and it's the Winter Solstice, which is both a spiritually meaningful day for us and means the sanctuary at Church will be decorated with pretty winter greenery. So, Thursday at 2pm it is!

​

A few family members are feeling some type of way about the whole situation, but we're trying to make the most of it and I'm excited to have UU play a bigger part in our wedding. We'll still be doing the "traditional" wedding as planned in November '24 to celebrate with all our loved ones, but we had already asked a close family member to officiate that ceremony before we even discovered UU, so I feel like now we get the best of both worlds. We are so grateful to have found both UU as a whole and our local congregation in particular at the perfect time, and I hope this will be the first of many milestones and celebrations we will share with our beloved community :)

​

Thanks so anyone who read this far, and to anyone who has suggestions or advice as we catapult into this new chapter!

Hi. Is there something like Unitarian Universalism but specifically for monotheists? I believe Unitarian Universalism admits within its ranks, so to speak, atheists, and of course polytheists. Theologically, I do not feel fellowship with such people. Each to their own beliefs, of course. I am looking for a Post-Christian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postchristianity) monotheism is perhaps the best way to put it. Does anybody know of anything like that? I've scanned the entire New Religious Movement Wikipedia article and found nothing that fits this mold. Perhaps such a thing does not exist yet. I think such people just exist without any formal community - or they're here, of course.

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Peace!

EDIT: I'm in Britain and so not all suggestions will be a thing here :) I should have mentioned this first.

Hello, I have a bit of a long and twisted story/background with my local UU church in Bellville Ohio, called All Souls. I started attending services in Aug 2019 and met with the minister there during coffee hour a few times in the first several weeks. Then I ended up in the psych ward for the very first time in my life. I was 29. I've now been diagnosed with bipolar w/delusions/psychotic features. At the time, I thought I was on a spiritual journey but after years of therapy it is now treated as mental illness. I still have a lot of trouble differentiating the two.

Anyway, I ended up being kicked out of the church January 2020 because I pushed too many boundaries, I was told. (I've got BA in psych but still don't understand the language they use to explain why I was actually kicked out. Maybe I'm just too stupid to get it, but the pastor is tired of explaining it to me.) I feel like it was because the pastor made a move on me (from my honest perspective) and then I returned the advances. Maybe he didn't think he made a move on me and thought I was just coming onto him. That is totally a possibility in my eyes. However, I've told members of the church about it, and have never had a real conversation with anyone about it to resolve it. The pastor himself never brings it up in plain language, anyway, and no one else has mediated the relationship to my satisfaction yet.

Fast forward, I was welcome back a year after being kicked out and officially joined the church as a member like last year or the year before. I can't remember when exactly, but I stopped going to services for a while or it was very far and few between for some time due to life circumstances.

Skip ahead to this fall, I had stopped taking medication because I was exhausted with trying so many meds and none of them working. I lost hope, but believe me, I tried for years before I stopped. I tried so many, I couldn't list them all even if I tried. I've now been hospitalized something like 12+ times and they change the meds almost every time I've gone.

So in September I had a manic episode, pretty extreme one where I was awake for 4 days with something like only 3 hours of sleep, thanks to NyQuil. I had tried asking for some sleep meds just to knock myself out because I know bad things happen when humans don't sleep for days, but they would only give me Risperdal (a side effect is drowsiness, it's not a sleep med).

I went to church with no sleep on Sept 17 and was considered to be rude and disruptive. Then I was hospitalized later that same day.

The following week, I went to the next service, and was asked to leave and not return to any services until someone contacted me.

I'm pretty sure it was the minister himself that told me I had to meet with their Right Relations Committee, a week after they had their own meeting to discuss their decision on what to do with me. They ended up putting me on hiatus for a year until October 10, 2024.

I asked if I could go to a different UU church. The minister said I had to meet with the pastor there first, so that's what I did. At the meeting between me, the Bellville pastor and the Wooster pastor, the Bellville pastor tried to explain the situation and ended up accusing me of assaulting a police officer, which is untrue.

I've tried for several weeks now to understand why he said that about me when it's not true. He is unwilling to explain himself. He says I'm just arguing with him.

Why? Why lie? If he lied about something that serious in front of me, what is he saying about me at these meetings I'm not allowed to attend? How am I supposed to get fair treatment when he's telling people rumors and gossip like that?

I just want to attend the church like a regular church goer. I've admitted and apologized for my mistake of going while manic with no sleep and have offered to not go to church if that ever happens again. Like, I'm trying to behave, I'm just mentally ill, but not a threat like he's making me out to be a violent, abusive person with the accusations of assault.

I've reached out to the Wooster pastor and the primary contact for the region, Rev Sunshine, but I don't expect a quick response with it being so close to the holidays. People are busy.

Does it sound like I'm seeking pity? I hope not. I'm just asking for help with being treated with dignity and respect. No one likes untrue rumors spreading around, especially when an authority figure is the one perpetuating them.

Why does each nation define their own principles and values rather than collaborating across imaginary lines on a map and having a global outlook?

Does any other religious tradition grant that level of prinacy to national organizations?

I brought this idea up before and a few people were into it, so seeing if I can get a handful of people to start this thing. It seems like many of us are feeling left out due to the congregations skewing older. I thought it may be nice to have an online UU group where we can reflect on our spiritual practices.. and whatever else we feel like. Maybe even make some friends. I had a Discord group I was in where we shared voice notes daily reading whatever had touched us that day and our thoughts on it. I thought something like that may be nice for us “younger” members.

EDIT: I made one! There’s another larger one in the comments too, but as I said below, I’m hoping for this to be more like a chalice circle. Hope you’ll join and help get it going! https://discord.com/invite/2nm8aNBr

EDIT2: There is a Discord community for young adults mentioned in the comments. But if you are an older Zoomer who doesn’t really relate to the 18-25 crowd anymore please join us! Anyone who wants to join is welcome.

Genesis 1:1-2 Genesis 1:26-27 TRINITY is there before Genesis. All uncreated.

Every time God creates something (which is created by sending His distinct Spirit) he expresses "Let there be" and there was. In any case, when God created ADAM (MAN in HEBREW) he changed it for the sole time and said "Let us" and "Let them" (Adam is "THEM" they're plural,) Adam images God just like a divine plurality and solidarity, that work divinely as multiple persons, 3, make 1.

Genesis 1:26. “And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after our likeness: and let THEM have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

WHY WOULD THE FATHER SPEAK IN PLURALITY IF ITS JUST HIM?

-Genesis 1:26-27 God made man in "OUR" (plural God is an "us" and an "our") image then in Genesis 1:27 he made God in his "own" (singular God is a "He") image. in the image of God, he created him. Which is them.

-How is Adam a "him, (male singular,) " however at that point becomes a "them" (Male and Female) in

-Genesis 5:1 the context is this is the generational book of "Adam" (both male and female are called "ADAM") the creation of a man who is a finite temporal, created being, two genders with the in flesh bodies, and they're created by an infinite, uncreated, genderless divine God with nobody, who can go into creatred flesh or whatever he needs, whenever he needs. That is the way we reflect God, by being a finite multiple persons with the same inseparable nature working together and united.

. In Genesis 5:2 HE HIM (ADAM single) the Male and Female made (HE THEM PLURAL) Both Male and Female are "HE HIM"

• Genesis 2:23 If Eve came out of Adam her flesh was made from his flesh, that should mean she has the same nature as Adam. If she's made from Adam's flesh then she can't be inferior to him., because it's " my flesh, my bones" That is the very thing she's called "WOMAN" because she was formed and taken out of the (Womb) of man.

-Genesis 2:24 the connection of God, "cleave unto one flesh."

-"ONE" in Genesis 2:24 is the same word in Deuteronomy 6:4 to describe God being one. "God is ONE Lord." ONE=ECHAD

-Male and Female are two separate in flesh beings, two separate genders and persons, yet they are the same flesh since one came out of the other, they are the same nature. and when they "cleave unto one flesh" (Genesis 2:24,) they become united as one. A divine relationship is used to show the likeness of God being the Divine trinity. FATHER, SON, HOLY SPIRT = 3 different and distinct persons, yet all the same divine nature and are united as one as God.

-Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus elaborates that God made 2 separate genders (in flesh) yet when united they make one flesh. Like the Trinity, each of the 3 are divinely united so don't say there are 2 or 3 Gods. There's 1 God, who is multiple persons

-John 1:1 The Word (Revelation 19:13) with God before creation, and was with the Father, and the Word was God. Sent, distinct, yet same nature as God because the Word was God. After creation and after the creation of Adam there was Eve, and Eve was with Adam (the male,) and Eve was Adam in nature.

-Jesus is the Word and the Angel of the Lord commander of Yahweh who is sent, is distinct, fights for Yahweh, all while being Yahweh who speaks as sharp as a sword. For example Numbers 22:31-32 Angel of the Lord with the SWORD was JESUS before created flesh.

Revelation 19:13-15 John 1-3 Zechariah 3:8

John 11:41-43 to John 5:30 to John 5:17 to John 18:6 to Revelation 19:15 to Hebrews 1:3

Joshua 5:13-14 Wisdom of Solomon 18:13-16

Genesis 18:

Trinity has been there since the beginning.Abraham encountered God in 3 persons, sent & distinct from God, but all God. That’s why he BOWED when he saw THEM (plural, not when he saw HIM,) & was amazed & claimed “My lord” in verse3. The Father, The Angel of the Lord, & the Holy Spirit. In human form, then into created angel form.

He Bowed just like Moses in the burning bush, etc when they encountered the Angel of the Lord they bowed and hid their face, but I though that was only for The Father John 1:18

Jesus in the OT

Angel of the Lord is God and became Jesus in flesh Angel of the Lord is always a big “A” until Matthew 1:20 why? Because Jesus was now in flesh.

Bowed down and hid face verses:

Exodus 23:20 24:16&33

Matthew 17:1 Mark 9:22 Numbers 22: 32-34 Judges 13:13-22

Acts 7:37-38 Genesis 32:24 (Jacob wrestles with a “man” created God in flesh)

Hosea 12:1-5 (God is created “angel” just like Genesis 18 in Sodom and Jacob in Genesis 32:24)

John 14:24

God sent as messenser but is God.

https://www.ft.com/content/ec58bccb-668b-445f-ba7c-824297eb885d

Hi. I have been attending a UU Church since October of this year. I was invited to attend a BIPOC meeting but I don't know what to expect. I am a person of color, latina to be exact.

What do you think will make our church thrive and succeed in the next 5, 10, 15 years?

I was just reading Rev Debus's Hold My Chalice. She's asked by congregation leaders to come up with a plan and, she jokes, " I’m not sure they got what they were hoping for, because I think they were looking for the practical ideas they could implement." and then goes on to list out broader minsterly ideas the group could think about.

But it got me to thinking, if you were to write out practical, implementable ideas - what would you like to see change? It can be pie-in-the-sky ideas.

A few things I'd like to see

- the UUA to be as serious about reparations as they said they were last General Assembly. Live your values. I'd personally like to see a portion of that go to divinity school scholarships to diversify our pool of ministers.
- with the congregational minster shortage, more and meatier tools for congregations that are lay-led.
- more collaboration between churches, facilitated by regional staff. Let's stuff the newsletter with ideas and inspiration from members (not just think pieces by ministers or workshops by staffers). I want to know where i can find a CUUPs program or a Death Cafe. I want to know what different churches do for music, for social enrichment, for social justice. I want to think "Oh, that church down the road is good at ____ while the one two towns over is really strong in the ___ area" instead of each UU church being its own island.

What else?

Are there any places of worship that follow more to the Unitarian side than Universalist? At least in America ?

EDIT: New Lyrics!

​

God rest ye Uni-tarians let nothing you dismay

We come together in this space to celebrate our way

The Christmas songs and stories may our beliefs betray.

Oh tidings of peace and harmony, harmony

Oh tidings of peace and harmony

This story talks about a babe through many wonderous songs,

Folks traveling from far away to join a reverent throng

To see a birth that gave them hope and help them to belong

Oh tidings of peace and harmony, harmony

Oh tidings of peace and harmony

We may not all agree to all the details and their worth

But lately hope’s in short supply around this planet earth

Together we can celebrate each day as a new birth.

Oh tidings of peace and harmony, harmony

Oh tidings of peace and harmony

Thanks everyone - I truly appreciate your input.

Original post:

We are probably 75% agnostic/non Christian, 15% atheist, and the rest Christian, Buddhist or Jewish. Our minister is Christian and Buddhist.

I am doing the service this Sunday 12/17 - Title is Practicing Christmas as UU and it focuses on how many of us celebrate Christmas as a cultural holiday, like thanksgiving, not a religious holiday. We'll sing Christmas songs, not hymns. I found a funny version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman that other UU churches have used and rounded up a group to sing it on Sunday.

However, I have gotten feedback from 3 three people that it could be offensive. My opinions are 1) why are people so serious?, 2) if non Christians 'put up with' Joy to the World and Silent Night at UU churches, why can't the very few Christians 'put this in a box' and not be offended.

What do you all think? I do plan to offer some words in the welcome of the service to make sure people understand that this service is to honor the non Christian, but not to 'bash' Christian.

Ugh. TIA

Hello! Quick thought dump for anyone with a few minutes to read:

Background: mid-30s. Grew up in a mostly non-practicing Catholic family. Mostly Atheist myself. Found a nearby UU church and this is my second year going. My disposition is that I love people, real conversation, helping others, but I am not a social butterfly or mingler (coffee hour is very unpleasant for me). I like growing weed, heavy music, raunchy humor, but also like, spreading positivity and acceptance wherever I go, however I can. Just to paint a picture, haha!

Started off just sitting in the back, being healed and spiritually renewed by the music and words (love the reverend at this church). People are of course very friendly. Encouraged to join. I did. Have helped with services a few times, and even joined a small committee this year.

But it seems the more I get into it, the more detached I'm feeling. The church is generally older and, as is the town it's in, what I would consider quite affluent and educated. I'm, like a lot of people my age, married with no intention of having kids, and doing okay enough.

I've felt this way for a little bit now, but thought being more involved would shake that. So here are some thoughts that keep surfacing.

-I just need to try other UU churches and find one I feel more at home in.

-Maybe I'm just not someone who needs a community at this point in my life OR maybe my feelings on that will change if I find the right one.

-Is it just the age thing? I am wary of being ageist, but I can't help think about the fact that a lot of these folks are retired and that is impacting how things are run. Like, I feel SOMETIMES (not always, to be very clear) these committees, meetings, business side of things, are a little stretched out because folks are looking to fill their time. And that's totally fine! I understand a church doesn't run itself, and that collaboration is important. Please understand I'm talking about nuances of approach.

-Different religion a better fit? I kind of like the meditative, rooted in the current, joyous but socially focused ideals of this church, but sometimes I really want to be, hmm... Filled with the spirit, if that makes sense. It's almost like I feel it teeters in this middle ground. Like, I am craving something more transcendent and joyous OR something deeper and more contemplative.

I try not to have regrets, as they're not useful. However, I can't help but think if I had continued to just come and hang in the back, politely stated what I'm like in some way, I wouldn't be considering finding something else. But then again, maybe it's not a bad thing that I leaned in and discovered it's not a perfect fit. And maybe my community is out there somewhere! I'd love to come and go, try other churches, but at this point I almost feel it would be weird to just start showing up way less frequently... Like I'm cheating on them 😅

Any thoughts or been through something similar?

How much overlap is there between this community and players of table top roleplaying games?

I’m slowly starting to put together the idea of using the Wanderhome game (by Possum Creek Games) as a vehicle to have fun teaching children the 8 Principles (or the article 2 reframing of the language). So I’m wondering if anyone else has had similar ideas or started any similar frameworks with other games.

Besides the charming setting, what’s drawing me to Wanderhome for this is that unlike a lot of other TTRPGs, there are no combat mechanics (so fighting isn’t even a direct option for conflict resolution).

Thanks!

https://www.religiousforums.com/threads/no-unitarians-on-rf.274107/

Looks like we need more representation there!

I live in Michigan and when I get my license I'd love to find a church to go to. Preferably within the Lapeer, Flint, and Pontiac triangle.

What church do you go to? And what is it like? Does it lean Christian? Does it lean Pagan? Does it lean Atheistic? Is it completely neutral?

Hi I’ve been trying to understand what exactly UU is. The lingo seems to be Christian at least but what do you guys believe? Do you see yourself as Christian? Do you believe in Jesus? I know the answer may vary but I want to hear your personal opinion.

I (19 trans male) have labelled myself an atheist since I was 14. Recently I've found myself leaning agnostic. However, I've also somewhat realized that the only thing I hated about Christianity was the bigotry and dogma. I told this to a friend and they pointed me here. I know nothing, but from what I've been told you guys are basically a progressive branch of gnostic Christianity. I've been told UU embraces science, human rights, and does away with any dogma/doctrine. No homophobia, no transphobia, no misogyny, etc. Which is something I love to hear (if what I've been told us correct).

I'd like to learn more. Most of my time is spent in class or at work, so a podcast would work better than a book. Any suggestions?

Can anyone share suggestions about how to have a more diverse congregation? Like many UU congregations in the US, we are mainly aging baby boomers who are mainly white people and educated middle class. (I qualify for this label.) We tend to be very liberal in outlook - we do not have the scary reactionary factions I have read about here. We seem solvent financially for now and I know many congregations struggle with that - this is not about money. I am talking about age, ethnicity, economic, cultural, etc - all of it! Are there programs, events, service projects, changes in policy, etc that have actually worked for others to welcome and serve those who are not of this group? Forgive me if this offends people - we may be blind to what we are doing wrong! I would like to hear about what works, what does not, etc. We moved our congregation from a pricy suburb to a larger, more economically and ethnically diverse community and we have members who live there, too. We built it and they did not come. It may go without saying that we are doing something wrong! How to turn it around? MANY of us would like it to be different.