Alexandra Varney McDonald UUA Executive Vice President Carey McDonald answers questions about proposed changes to the Principles, Purposes, and Sources.

 For the service on 19th February 2023

Learn how congregations are making a difference in the life of an asylum-seeking family and the kind of support and guidance we can offer.

                                     The first authenticated photo of Abraham Lincoln as a Springfield Lawyer in 1847, Note —Yesterday in the first entry in this blog series we noted the removal and vandalism of statues of Abraham Lincoln, charges that he was a racist and white supremist and traced his background and life from his log cabin birth through his formative years in New Salem, Illinois where he established himself as a man of local consequence.  Today, we trace his steady climb as a lawyer and politician. In 1834 Abraham Lincoln was elected to the Illinois legislature and served four terms as a Whig gaining Prominence as one of the Long Nine who brokered the move of the capitol to nearby Springfield .

Yesterday, a new employee—a white guy—walked into the bakery where I work. “Hi,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve met you yet.” He told me his name. “I’m Jabari,” I replied. “Are you American?,” he asked. I hesitated. “Yeaaaaaaaaaah.” “Well, it’s just that your name is very esoteric! Well, it was nice to meet you.” And he left. I’ve been called lots of things because of my name, but never “esoteric.” It’s awkward and frustrating to be othered in this way. I keep telling myself that it has nothing to do with me. Maybe he’s actually really nice but socially […] The post A Story Inherited appeared first on BeyondBelief.

“Let us give thanks for a bouquet of people…. For funny friends, silly as snapdragons, And serious friends, complex as chrysanthemums. For comfortable friends, their gentle presence as soothing as the sweet smell of lilacs. For stormy weather friends, who stand by us in hard times, like lily of the valley that cannot be deterred … Continue reading Silly Friends

  SIDING WITH LOVE Rev. Kit Ketcham, Feb. 12, 2023               The story of Unitarian Universalist advocacy for civil rights for sexual minorities and Marriage Equality for all couples started many years ago, in the 70’s, as we began to question many of traditional religions’ homophobia and outright discrimination toward sexual minorities---and our own shortcomings in that area.              One Source of UUism is the one that states that we draw from Jewish and Christian teachings, which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.              However, as we considered this deeply, it became abundantly clear that we as a religion were NOT loving our neighbors as ...

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "29 January 2023 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "22 January 2023 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "15 January 2023 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Religion News Service (RNS) reports that a recent poll finds that 10% of United States residents are hard-core Christian nationalists, and another 19% are fellow travelers. On the other hand, 29% of U.S. residents reject Christian nationalism. Another 39% are skeptical of Christian nationalism. You can read a detailed report of the PRRI survey here. … Continue reading "Christian nationalists in the U.S."

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "8 January 2023 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "1 January 2023 Worship Livestreaming Video"

In the light of a recent decision by several British museums to begin referring to "mummies" as "mummified remains," TWH's editor-in-chief Manny Tejeda Moreno argues that the practice of displaying human remains requires a deep reconsideration. Continue reading “Mummification was to bestow upon her a gift” – agency and colonialism in displays of human remains at The Wild Hunt.

Leona will discuss key considerations that were both left out of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, and mostly missing from public discussions of the abortion issue. From a perspective of women's health and from research about the religious objections to abortion that have entered the Dobbs decision, she has found much that counters the common narrative. A Santa Fean, Leona is the author of The Fog of Faith: Surviving My Impotent God. She is a Unitarian Universalist community minister and psychotherapist, as well as a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother.

There is usually a way through if we keep looking for it. Trees can fall into a stream, creating an obstacle for the water as it journeys toward the sea. The water has to go around, or over unless it is strong enough to break through the log jam. That happens sometimes, it can take […]

We continue our journey down "The Path of Love" with a detour into caritas - charity.

                                            The Emancipation monument removed from Boston. Note — It’s Lincoln’s Birthday, occasion for a three part inquiry.   Although buried in Christmas excitement and rising Coronavirus Omicron dreadthe removal of an iconic monument to Emancipation in 2021 from its prominent location in Boston by the city shocked many, offended some, and caused waves of hypocritical hysteriaacross the racist right wing media echo chamber.   The statue depicting a standingAbraham Lincoln and an unchained former slave was a copy of one by sculptor Thomas Ball erected in Washington, D.C. and paidfor by mostly small donations from ex-slaves and Black veterans of the Union Army.   After a...

New York Times conservative columnist Ross Douthat is right: spiritual experimentation is dangerous. I join him in encouraging everyone to be careful and pay attention. But I have no misgivings about the direction spiritual experimentation is taking.

When dust bunnies abound, when dishes are in the sink, when I have coffee breath, I let my friends in!  For whom do you step away from the fear of judgment, knowing that you will still be loved? That is a true friend. -Beth Murray (CLF) Who do you have in your life who will … Continue reading No Judgment

I finally watched the BBC’s video clip showing the moments when the Republicans heckled Democratic president Biden’s “State of the Union” speech. Looks like heckling has now become a normal part of the “State of the Union” speech. What interests me is the hecklers shouting about lies and lying. The first such heckler, if you … Continue reading "Theatre"

If I’m lucky, they’ll tell stories of the journeys they take across landscapes as alien as anything in Oz. “I ended up in someone’s garden,” they explain. “Only they were a sort of - scarecrow accordion? I apologized, and they let me cut through their house.” “Why did you need to go through their house?” I ask, and they pause, thoughtful. “Because that was the easiest way to get to you.” Continue reading Dreamworld Visitations at The Wild Hunt.

        Recalling the Consecration of Barbara Harris as the first woman to serve as a bishop within the Anglican Communion Barbara Harris was consecrated as suffragan bishop for the diocese of Massachusetts within the Episcopal Church on this day, the 11th of February, in 1989. From her election on September 24th, 1988, […]

Please join us on Sunday (12 February 2023) at 11:00 AM for “How Ought We to Live?  Stars Within Constellations” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (12 February 2023)"

Building and Grounds Work Day Moving to Next Saturday (18 February 2023) 2023 Pledge Drive — We Need Your Pledge Now

Children and youth will attend the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes and then are dismissed to their classes. After the holiday break, we are now discussing the wisdom of the world’s religions that is one of the six sources of our Unitarian Universalist faith. It’s important that we gain an understanding of teachings … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Classes — 12 February 2023"

Please join us on Sunday (12 February 2023) as we continue our our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is still meeting via Zoom. We are now reading and discussing the book God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Mirabai Starr. This … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 12 February 2023"

For this month only, we are moving our second Saturday of the month building and grounds work day to the third Saturday of the month. Our monthly building and grounds work day will happen on Saturday (18 February 2023) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will have tasks available for all ages and abilities … Continue reading "Building and Grounds Work Day Moving to Next Saturday (18 February 2023)"

Please join us next Tuesday (14 February 2023) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Our weekly Zoom lunch is going dual-platform — join us from home using Zoom or in person in the social hall. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Note:   Interest in the long life of labor agitator and anarchist Lucy Parsons has been rising for some time as the labor movement has begun re-embracing its radical roots and during the spontaneous mass actions around the country represented by the Occupy Movement a few years ago.   Despite her purposefully obscured racial identity, she has also inspired Black women of the Black Lives Matters movement.   A 2017 biography, Goddess of Anarchy: The Life and Times of Lucy Parsons, American Radicalby Jacqueline Jones ramped that interest even higher.   The book, based on new research and discoveries, challenged the commonly accepted story of her origins with mixed Mexican, Native American, and mulatto Texas roots and identified her as or...

A Black Bear (source)   A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation   (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— Like all of you, I awoke on the morning of Monday 6th February to hear the shocking news, and see some of truly disturbing footage and photographs, of the huge earthquake in Turkey and Syria. As I publish this piece five days later, 24,208 people are dead and many, many more thousands are injured, and these numbers will only continue to rise. After such horrific events, priests and pastors in theistic religions are often expected by their congregations somehow to “justify the ways of god to man

Sara and I are finally back with our list of our favorite shows from the past year! We had hoped to get this to you in mid-January, but the year new year didn’t quite cooperate with us….Still, even a few … Continue reading →

Oh Honey, Stop pretending you are small Just because you are terrified Of your enormity.

When my husband and I were first dating, he expressed to me his desire to have a life not just of memories and hopes but of shared experiences in the present moment. We forged a friendship, and then a partnership, in those shared experiences, and now we get to revisit them in a completely different … Continue reading Shared Experiences

Josiah Royce, in his 1913 book The Problem of Christianity (pp. 213-214, 2001 reprint edition): “No religion can survive unless it keeps in touch with men’s [sic] conscious needs. In the future men’s needs will be subject to vastly complex and rapidly changing social motives. In the future, religion, as a power aiming to win … Continue reading "Noted with a brief comment"

Following my recent inquiry, I thought it might be helpful to survey what Universalist Christian and Unitarian Christian online worship options exist. I’ll start with “mainline” churches, but if you (dear readers) know of others, please leave them in the comments.  I was inspired by the online worship opportunities list from Ohio Yearly Meeting (Conservative). I’m not sure how … Continue reading "Universalist and Unitarian Christian services online"

It was unsurprising to find an article written for new seekers, indeed even targeting people who were exploring astrology, Witchcraft and manifestation, warning them to be cautious as they begin exploring spiritual dimensions. What was surprising was that it was in the New York Times opinion section, written by Ross Douthat, a conservative Catholic. Continue reading NYT prints advice for new Witches – from a conservative Catholic at The Wild Hunt.

I needed this winter afternoon at the beach. We went to Kettle Cove, where it was windy, sunny, and warm–well, in the forties anyway. So now my heart is calmed and refreshed. There is a quiet that comes from the sound of waves and wind, the feeling of our feet walking on sand. We always […]

        Zen, a New Universalism, and Politics James Ishmael Ford Since the nineteenth century, more or less the word “Religion” has come to describe that part of a culture concerned with meaning and purpose. It has two principal expressions. One is about defining and reinforcing the boundaries of a culture. This has […]

A Q&A with Jasmine Brown | In college, I dreamed of becoming a physician and a national leader who would make a positive impact in many people’s lives. But I was acutely aware of how few Black women there were in senior positions within the medical field, such as the dean of a medical school or chair of a medical department. Black women physicians are even underrepresented at the level of professorship in many medical schools. So, I worried that my career would be severely restricted by a glass ceiling imposed upon me due to my race and gender.

Beloveds, In their recently-released draft of the new Article II of our UUA bylaws, the Article II Commission writes, “The purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Association is to actively engage its members in the transformation of the world through liberating Love.” I’ve heard many folks ask, “What do we mean by ‘liberating Love?’” The A2C writes: Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. At its core, the work of Side With Love is to be a hub for connection, growth, nourishment and action that allows Unitarian Universalists and our partners to live out our valu...

One of the strange things about researching someone who lived a century ago is that sometimes the very things they worked hardest to keep secret in life have become known, while at the same time, that which would have been easy for his contemporaries to find out has become forever opaque. In 2023, I know […]

Latest mistake by the U.S. government takes two steps back for the movement to hold Burma’s junta accountable for its crimes.

  Bill Pickett bull dogging a steer.. Somewhere in Texas on May 4, 1903 a young cowboy spent a hot afternoonwatching how ranch bull dogs could isolate and take down a longhorn steer who wandered away from the herd.   The dog would “worry” the steer and most would head back to the herd.   But the occasional obstinate onewould keep trying to dodge the dog.   That’s when the dog would close in , jump up, and bite down on the sensitive nose or lip of the steer then bring it down to the ground.   The dog would hold on until the steer stopped struggling. The cowboy, Bill Pickett told the other hands, “If a dog can do that, so can I.” The next time he chased a stray on horseback instead of throwing his lariat around the hornsand ...

A Prayer for Courageous Love Love whisper in our hearts, to help us hold on through trials and tribulations. Love whisper in our hearts and call us back to our essential wholeness, our essential generosity, our essential joy, our essential gifts to bless this world. Love sing to and rock...

After my Father died suddenly, my Mother’s health began a steady decline. This is not unusual for people who lose their long-time life and love companions. After a heart attack, her cardiologist recommended a cardiac stent to prevent further attacks. … Continue reading →

For the next spell, I’m going to write small items and not dwell on UUA business (it makes me unhappy) and spend that time in prayer, reading Scripture and digging into the works of the “new Universalists.” Their thoughts and arguments remind me of what I’ve read for decades, particularly from the nineteenth century. I’m … Continue reading "Certification numbers, Article 2 thoughts"

Sometimes I need to shut my brain off. One way I can do that is by writing. But writing can also act as a stimulant, making my thoughts go round even faster. People tell me meditation will shut my brain off. I meditated seriously for years, until I realized that I really disliked meditating, and … Continue reading ""

This month, the United States honors Black History Month, understanding that the history of Black Americans is the history of the nation. We learn this month of creativity and struggle, of perseverance and inspiration, of brilliance and hard work. We learn also that history lives right here among us in the relationships we have right … Continue reading History is Here

Sunday, February 12  Measure Your Life In Love With our friends at First Parish Northborough; Rev. Misty-Dawn Shelly presiding Martin Luther King Jr. writes,  “Power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best  is   [ … ] The post Sunday Worship: February 12 at Northboro ~ Measure Your Life In Love ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

  “The priest Xiangyan (Kyogen) said, ‘It is as though you were up in a tree, hanging from a branch with your teeth. Your hands and feet can’t touch any branch. Someone appears beneath the tree and asks, ‘What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?’ If you do not answer, you evade […]

Alumni Pagans and Witches of New College react to Governor Ron DeSantis' shocking and unprecedented changes at the institution. Continue reading Pagan Alumni react to DeSantis’ disruption of New College at The Wild Hunt.

In January, Climate Justice Organizer Rachel Myslivy hosted the Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration. The event spotlighted the amazing work UUs are doing through the Green Sanctuary 2030 program. We heard from about twenty Green Sanctuary 2030 congregations on their successes, challenges, and everything in between.  It was inspiring and exciting to hear all of the great things happening in our congregations.  Thank you all for your excellent work! Did you miss the celebration?  Or wish you would’ve taken notes on that one awesome presentation?  You’re in luck!  You can watch the recording of the Green Sanctuary 2030 Celebration or review the slides .  Get inspired! Join the GS2030 Community! Each month, we hold  Green Sanctuary 2...

                                               There was no mistaking the heroes of  The Birth of a Nation  in the most widely used of several posters. The premier of D.W. Griffith’s epic The Birth of a Nation on February 8, 1915 was just the beginning of its vast influence for good and mostly bad.  One of the most celebrated films in cinema history it has been lauded and reviled.  On one hand the schizophrenic flick was a stunning technical and artistic breakthrough from America’s most accomplished director—an epic on a scale never before seen chocked full of camera and editing techniques that exploded the visual vocabulary of the medium, made long-form cinema viable, and raised the ante on the low-...

Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments . . . Sonnet 116, by William Shakespeare  There are rocks on the Path of Love. And being a Kentucky hillbilly, I hate wearing shoes. But I will not … Continue reading →

Red Flags, a novel by Juris Jurevics, was originally published in 2011, and reissued as a paperback in 2021 by Soho Crime. Soho Crime typically publishes mysteries, but this isn’t exactly a mystery. Maybe it’s a thriller, thought it’s not one of those thrillers that raises your blood pressure and keeps it high. I’d say … Continue reading "Reading list: Red Flags"

Friendship at different times of life. The grade school best friend who held all my secrets. The high school and college friends who held all my dreams. The career and mama friends who held my fears and triumphs. Then came the sister friend who held them all. -Christina Rivera (CLF) Who are the friends that … Continue reading Friends Through Our Lives

Today was a rough day: oral surgery and then rest at home. All I wanted to do was read, and there was this newspaper from the 1880s I found online. How could I resist? The Atlanta Universalist ran from 1879 to 1882, first under the editorship of Universalist minister William Clayton Bowman then under Daniel … Continue reading "Reviewing the Atlanta Universalist"

Today in the Clear Spring School wood shop we made table decorations in advance of Valentines Day. But first thing first. How do you drill a hole straight up and down easily without using a drill press? The simple cylinder of wood on the drill provides both a way of assuring the drill is held vertical, and that it drills only to the desired depth. This simple set-up was to allow me to quickly drill into pieces of wood to serve as bases for our Rainbow Group to make table decorations in advance of the much loved holiday. Photos of the kids follow. To make the Valentines hearts I made a template of a half heart. The kids were able to draw a whole heart by drawing one side, and flipping it over to draw the other. It was a great way to demon...

The intersection between conservation and spiritual practices may offer yet another avenue for protecting the environment. Continue reading Religion and the protection of wild and sacred places at The Wild Hunt.

Tania Márquez Food carries the love, wisdom, and stories of survival of a people. Continue reading "Communion and Sustenance"

People have said, “Don’t cry,” to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is “I’m too uncomfortable when you show your feelings. Don’t cry.” I’d rather have them say:“Go ahead and cry. I’m here to … Continue reading →

                                                          Robert Smalls was just 23 years old when he stole the  CSS Planter  and delivered her, the crew, and his family to the Union. At the risk of being crude, and perhaps irredeemably sexist, there are some acts so audacious that the English language seems inadequate to describe them without resort to certain old vulgarities.  The word I have in mind today is balls as in big fat hairy balls.  That is certainly what it took for Robert Smalls,then a 23 year old slave to calmly sail away in a Confederate side-wheel Steamer under the guns of at least one fortress and a Rebel flotilla to deliver the ship, cargo, crew, and passengers to the welcoming ar...

We can honor our Gods and ancestors on our own. Some magic is best worked in solitude. But other magic is best worked in community. And sometimes, what’s most important is to be reminded that whatever we face, we do not face it alone.

Friendship is one of the most important things in life and also one of the hardest things to explain.  It’s not something that can be taught. We all need it.  We all value it.  We all need someone in the world who loves us and values us like a true friend does. -Judy DiCristofaro (CLF) … Continue reading True Friends

UUSC and our community are in solidarity with the people of Turkey and Syria and the first responders and community activists mobilizing support for communities impacted by the devastating earthquake on February 6, 2023. We know that this is a time that global solidarity can strengthen mutual aid on the ground and support long-term movement-building […]

A Q&A with Gayle Wald | It’s fantastic to see Tharpe getting all kinds of recognition, especially from young people and artists like Lizzo. I should also say that there are musicians and people in the gospel world who always cherished her, so the world is catching up with them.

Taken with a Fuji X100F Just click on the photo to enlarge it.  Taken in December 2020. I remember that at the time I was very absorbed in (and hugely impressed by) the work of the Czechoslovak philosopher, Jan Patočka (1907-1977), and this photo somehow reminded me of photos taken there (and in Eastern Europe in general) during the 1950/60s.  My worry is that the similarities I see in this image are not only aesthetic, but only too real. After all, here in a post-Brexit UK we find ourselves increasingly impoverished, being led by a government showing definite tendencies towards enacting repressive and regressive legislation and also experiencing a time of increasing hypernormalisation . And what, you may ask, is hypernormalisation ? ...

Or maybe you won’t. The prosecuting attorney in the Lizzy Bordon case was Hosea Morrill Knowlton, a Universalist and the son of a Universalist minister. He also bicycled and was president of the Madrigal Society, which would be a nicer way to be remembered than being associated with, well, you know. “A Portrait of Hosea … Continue reading "You’ll be shocked how this Universalist was tied to famous murders"

Children in Kindergarten through 6th grade will start in the Great Hall for the first part of the service. Afterwards, they will meet in their own rooms: Wonderful Welcome (K-3rd grade) in the classroom next to the dining room Love Connects Us (4th-6th grade) in the second ... read more . The post This week in Religious Education: Feb 7 – Feb 13 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

UUSS Covenant Groups are small groups of people who will meet six times between late February and early April to have conversations about some of life’s big questions. They provide an opportunity to reflect and share our thoughts and feelings, to get to know some fellow ... read more . The post Covenant Groups Begin Soon! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The outing to Saratoga Spa State Park on February 20th begins at 1:30PM at the park. We spoke with a park administrator to confirm there are indeed bathrooms, the skating pond is not open yet this year, but the warming hut is open. They rent ... read more . The post Green Sanctuary lecture Feb 15 & park outing Feb 20 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

New excavations and research in Egypt provide new insight into ancient funerary practices. Continue reading Unleash the Hounds: Archaeology edition at The Wild Hunt.

By Jeff Milchen Reverend DC Fortune and Sara Phinney Kelley, Director of Religious Growth and Learning at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Susquehanna Valley in Pennsylvania, were looking for inspiration as they brainstormed developing a multigenerational, interactive service preceding Martin Luther King Day this year. They discussed incorporating New Year’s resolutions into the sermon but sought to find a way to make the discussion something that would involve UU justice priorities and stick with participants, rather than just spark momentary ideas. The resulting project had an unlikely source of inspiration: a 1972 Playboy magazine interview with Buckminster Fuller, the architect, inventor, and philosopher (among other ...

I knew I shouldn’t go to the Registry of Motor Vehicles right after lunch. I knew there would be a long line. I knew I’d have to wait forever. I was there 3 hours. A 30 minute drive each way made it 4 hours total. And before you ask, no I couldn’t use a runner. … Continue reading "RMV"

Since May 2021, the Burmese military has attempted to exert control over Karenni State through rapid militarization. Military reinforcements are routinely deployed across townships in Karenni State and neighboring areas. At the same time, the Burmese military has ruthlessly employed its counter-insurgency strategy known as the ​​“four cuts.” This deliberately targets civilians, viewing them as the […]

When our three  kids were growing up they each had a dog. Three kids and three dogs. The house was full to capacity with arms and legs and paws and tails.  We were walking over toys and clothes and snacks … Continue reading →

                                             Woodrow Wilson vetoed the 1917 Immigration Act only because of its Literacy mandate.. On February 5, 1917 Congress overrode President Woodrow Wilson’s veto making the Immigration Act of 1917, also known as the Asiatic Barred Zone Act, the law of the land.  It was the most restrictive legislation yet enacted and banned immigration from most of Asia and the Pacific Islands. China was not included only because the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 already barred entry from that country and the Gentlemen’s Agreement with Japan in 1907 restricted immigration from there.  The act was aimed at potential new reservoirs of immigrants like Korea and especially India which wa...

          Today, the 7th of February, in 1497, caught up in a madness of regret and purification stirred by preaching of the Dominican Friar Girolamo Savonarola, the people of Florence gathered together what they and the good friar considered temptations into sin, piled them up, and lit them as bonfires. These […]

We dedicate ourselves to the children. We dedicate ourselves to the good of the earth, from which the trees come and to which we all return. We seek to move and to make friends. We seek creativity. May our lives be blessed by the joy of play and the connections of friends. -Adapted from words … Continue reading Joy in Friendship

Here we are gathered as a Unitarian Universalist congregation. We worship in an evolving tradition – a living tradition, as the title of our hymnal says ("Singing the Living Tradition"). Certain themes run throughout: freedom, reason, tolerance – and critique of the trinity. Unitarianism in Europe goes back 450 years. And then it started – almost independently – in America – with William Ellery Channing, born 1780. The Unitarian ideas were bubbling up from a number of places. It was Channing who consolidated them and gave them their most forceful presentation, who developed them in some new directions which became deeply influential on the Unitarianism of his time and thereafter. Ralph Waldo Emerson called him “our bishop.”...

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Museum of Magic, Fortune-telling & Witchcraft is set to open, Iemanjá statue, ConVocation and other upcoming events, the green comet, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of February 6, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

      A Critique of Centering Prayer: Text and Commentary Francis Tiso (I shared online a reflection by the lay Catholic spiritual director Carl McColman regarding Centering Prayer and some of its critics. In a response Fr Tiso noted he’d also written a reflection on Centering Prayer in response to an extensive critique. I […]

Source of healing and wholeness we call by many names, Ground us in gratitude. May we find our way back from the brink of anger or fear to a foundation of thanksgiving and gladness and praise. Praise be for diversity. Different people have different experiences of the world. We have different stories we tell to make sense of our world. Some stories about reality feature a creative force that knows and desires. Other stories depict the forces of the universe creating and destroying without anything that could be compared to knowledge, intentionality, or purpose -- rather, and beauty, awe, and majesty-compelling reverence are the products, not the source, of unfolding creation. Still other stories tell of a creative force that metaphorical...

Join us as we have fun and raise funds for FUUN!

We've ordered our plants! Check out what you can expect to see here.

Information on the plants we're selling in 2023.

Some have said that love is not a feeling. I disagree. I have a warm, glowing sensation in my chest when I sit and cuddle with or hold hands with my beloved. Or when I pet my cat. Or when … Continue reading →

Learn from Burmese civil society activists about the atrocity crimes being committed in Karenni State and what needs to be done to hold the military junta accountable.

The founding convention of the Colored National Labor Union in Washington, D.C. in 1869 as depicted in  Harper's Weekly.   Note the presence of women delegates. Isaac Meyers did not want it this way.  Neither did William H. Sylvis.  Myers was a 34 year old Black marine caulker from Baltimore who had organized a union of Black caulkers in the Chesapeake shipyardsand a cooperative association to market their services to ship builders and dry docks.  Sylvis was a white 40 year old Philadelphia iron molder who was the founder, visionaryleading light, and President of the National Labor Union (NLU), American labor’s first stab at a national federation uniting existing trade unions.  In the wake of the recently concluded Civil War and ...

          Joseph Priestley died on this day, the 6th of February, in 1804. Me I think of it as a holy day, a feast for a radical saint. Priestley was a scientist, political radical, and one of the more influential founders of the modern English speaking Unitarian movement. He was born into […]

I grew up hearing the refrain, freedom isn’t free. I also heard, “If you is what you ain’t, then you ain’t what you is.” What do these aphorisms have in common? They both shed light on how one navigates systemic racism. Systemic racism depends upon tacit agreement with established power and fear of perceived consequences if that power is not obeyed. Throw in laws that limit freedom and one begins to scratch when you don’t itch and grin when there’s nothing funny. Our national culture is consumed with power, sometimes demonstrably violent. We citizens are told, “just stay in your […] The post Freedom appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "25 December 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "24 December 2022 Xmas Eve Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "18 December 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"