I'm not exactly sure how to start this, so I'll begin with some background and share what I'm hoping to find in a spiritual community.

I'm a 34-year-old white, cis, gay man, married to a brown, immigrant, cis, gay man. I was raised in a liberal, non-religious household, but growing up in rural Colorado, I spent a lot of time attending evangelical churches with friends; that was the dominant faith community around me. My parents avoided religion altogether, so I was left to piece together my own understanding of faith, which eventually led me to a kind of Unitarian outlook.

I deeply identify with William Ellery Channing’s vision of Unitarianism and feel a strong connection to the works of Emerson and Thomas Paine. I read the Bible regularly, say the Lord’s Prayer every night, and see Jesus as a saintly teacher rather than a deity. I believe all sacred texts should be read metaphorically, as cultural expressions of the divine rather than literal truth. I also value the traditional Unitarian ideals of freedom, reason, and tolerance, along with both the older seven principles and the newer values like love, justice, equity, interdependence, pluralism, generosity, and transformation (though I don't always agree with how the UUA interprets them).

Politically, I’ve long considered myself a liberal Democrat, but over the last few years I’ve felt increasingly out of step with progressive spaces. The current emphasis on identity politics often feels reminiscent of the evangelical mindset I grew up around: rigid, moralizing, and unforgiving. In some circles, it can feel like being white and male is treated as an original sin, with no path to redemption.

Spiritually, I feel Unitarian Universalism is my home, but I’ve struggled to find a congregation that truly resonates. Of the four UU churches I’ve attended, most felt very secular; more like self-help sessions or spaces of collective guilt than anything spiritually nourishing. There's often little use of God-language or genuine engagement with the divine. As someone who still finds value in Christian language and metaphor, this can feel alienating.

So, I’m wondering: does anyone else relate to this experience? Have you found a congregation or community that embraces a more classical Unitarian spirituality? Something that honors the divine, welcomes metaphorical readings of scripture, and encourages open-minded, moderately progressive conversation without the ideological extremes?

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Where Two or Three Are Gathered Bringing UU Christians Together, Right Where You Are Thursday, August 28, 8:30 PM eastern Hosted by Rev. Jake Morrill, Exec Director, UU Christian Fellowship unitarianuniversalist CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Freely following Jesus Ready to Launch a Local UUCF Chapter? You don't need a crowd to begin. You need courage, creativity, and commitment to sharing (or at least exploring) the good news. This annual start- of-the-year webinar will guide you through the process of forming a local UUCF chapter, from initial discernment to facilitation skills to growing in grace. If you're longing for deeper faith in beloved community, this is your invitation.

Hello everyone. I have recently discovered UU and from what I've been able to look up online it seems as though you are very non judgmental and accepting in your beliefs and the beliefs of others. I think that's amazing. I've been looking for a church that embodies those things for a long time. Every time I go to a church it seems like they talk down about "others". I'm so sick of hearing things like that. To me religion/spirituality should be more about someone's personal journey.

I'm a very complicated person and my relationship with religion/spirituality has been quite a ride so far. I grew up non religious- my mom was raised Lutheran my Dad was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They had a hard time getting married because everyone told them they were going to hell and/or just refused to acknowledge their relationship spiritually (they are still together btw). Obviously they were bitter about that for a while and that rubbed off on me in my childhood. I never saw the point of going to church. When I was in high school my mom had a heath scare and became EXTREMELY religious (Baptist/Non-denominational). All of a sudden I was expected to go to church/pray/read the Bible/etc. I checked out quite a few religions/churches but was always put off when they started downtalking people who might pray or live differently than they do. I kept an open mind. I tried reading the Bible just by myself, non denominational Christain churches, etc. Eventually I joined the LDS church and married a man who is very faithfully LDS (I would never want him to change because of my beliefs/lack thereof).

Now, many years later, I consider myself a spiritual agnostic; I attend the LDS church service a couple Sundays a month with my family; I'm bisexual and not interested in having to hide it anymore or be shamed for it; have some paegan leanings sometimes; a strong feminist; I do not believe in hell and am unsure if I believe in heaven; and I still really want to find a spiritual gathering/church of some kind where all of my family would feel safe attending (or at least not be judged unfairly). Would we be accepted by UU's?

We’re having a summer community dance/potluck at our church and I was wondering if people had any suggestions for danceable songs with some message that fits in with UU value vibes.

And not breaking any stereotypes we’re trying to have a diversity of era and genres. Just a song that slaps lol.

From UUA….register here!

https://www.uua.org/worship/lab/virtual-hymnal

Hello! I left the LDS church ~5 years ago after being born and raised in it. Since then I've considered myself to be spiritual, but religion has since left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't really know how to define my own spirituality as I don't have a true outlet for it.

I'm looking to attend a UU congregation near me which I'm excited for but I'm also nervous! After reading this congregation's website, I definitely agree with everything they stand for and love the diverse spirituality approach of UU. I think it will be a good fit for me, but I wanted to ask- is there typically any sort of pressure for participation from members or leadership? I look forward to attending service, but I plan to just sit towards the back and feel it out until I'm comfortable to participate more. I think I may just be a bit "traumatized" from the intense missionary work and pressure for constant participation in every Mormon congregation lol. I have a hard time saying no, and will be attending by myself, so I just want to get an idea of what the culture is like for new-comers :)

TIA!

I’ll be visiting my local UU congregation, hopefully next week. Little background about me:

I grew up very religious and raised fairly conservative, but it never meshed with me. I didn’t appreciate the way churches claimed to love everyone then put down half of the people I loved (gay, trans, etc) saying that their “choices” were wrong. I also hated the systemic racism that I felt in every church my mom made us attend. I’m also childfree, and always knew I didn’t want them, so I hated people assuming I should want to have a church wedding and be a mom one day.

As a teen, I realized I don’t necessarily believe in a “god”. I believe in energies and putting out what you want to get back, but I don’t think we were all created by a single deity. I think Jesus was a teacher and did some great things and taught good messages, but nothing more.

I haven’t attended church in over 10 years, and never intended to again until I learned about this group. I really hope to meet some lovely, welcoming, like-minded people.

I've stumbled upon UU and I'm pretty interested, but I guess I don't really understand? I myself would consider myself more spiritual than religious. I believe in a God, but not necessarily the way Christians portray it.

There's a few UU churches in my city, but I haven't gone yet. I guess aim just kind of confused? Confused but intruguied.

We sang the tune "Standing on the the Side of Love" in the service today, but we were asked to sing it changing the words to "Answering the Call of Love". I like both phrasings, and it was explained that the songwriter approved the change. We were even invited to cross out the original words in the hymnal and write in the new ones if we wanted. I'm bothered by the idea that saying or singing "standing on the side of love" is seen as ableist. I told my husband, who doesn't attend, and he said, "what about deaf/hard of hearing people?" as a sarcastic comment about the alternate way of singing it. I think what bothers me is that we can't see the word stand as having a meaning other than to support oneself on the feet in an upright position, as Merriam-Webster says. I would so much rather we address ableism in a different way. It seems counter productive to raising awareness of ableis. There are so many situations in which language needs to be thoughtfully changed, but in my opinion this is not one of them. Anyone else care to share your opinion?

I find Unitarian Universalism appealing (and intellectually stimulating) but I always struggle with how overly political some of these movements become.

I don't mean that we shouldn't stand up for human rights, I mean that I take issue with both sides of the political spectrum and lean post-modernist (i.e. distrusting of the government's inherent desire for power and control).

Most philosophically liberal-leaning people I know are hardcore Democrat, but I personally have my concerns about their agendas as well as the Republicans (albeit in multiple ways I find the Republicans worse than the Democrats).

Maybe someone could help me out on this. I would appreciate it.

Are the gods mentioned or prayed to in CUUPS rituals, or are they talked about more nebulously? I like the nature part of paganism too, but what really makes pagan faiths special to me is polytheism when the premise of Abrahamic monotheism is so ubiquitous. I would love to find a space where people openly venerate multiple gods.

I was raised Catholic, converted to fundamentalist evangelicalism, then have been an atheist for about the last decade.

My recent bout with cancer and the birth of my daughter has had me reconsidering my atheism and looking again at community and some of my spiritual inklings. I'm a big fan of Alan Watts for a point of reference. And i still study a lot of secular academic biblical scholarship for fun.

I Finally listened to a CLF service. The recent one on holy wholeness. The whole thing was very good, but I think I realized I'm just too much of an anti-nature atheist to be UU or any kind of humanist or progressive Christian.

Specifically the portion about 3 dimensional living which was very well delivered and a great message, but it helped me realize I don't actually believe in identifying the web of being with love or interconnectedness or wholeness. I see nature as inherently hostile and something we thrive in spite of not because of.

Like don't get me wrong i fully support the social political point of UU. If I had a stronger desire for community, I'd probably join anyways.

But it was helpful for me to recognize that my flirtations with things like progressive Christianity require me to suppress how i actually think about the history of the church and what i believe to be the shortcomings of the historical Jesus himself. I don't think I can authentically embrace Jesus as a moral teacher.

And my attraction to something like deep ecology or pantheism or Buddhist dependents arising and identifying God with love or the whole of humanity or all the universe requires me to suppress how I actually feel about natural evil, human evil, and what I see as pointless but unavoidable suffering.

I guess I'm something like an optimistic nihilist who narrowly (perhaps selfishly) wants to focus on my family and my minimal sphere of influence in doing the best I can, but have little desire for connection or impact beyond that.

Love everything y'all are doing but not for me personally no offense at all and thank you for the hospitality.

I don't know quite what I am. I'm a bit agnostic, secularist, and pluralist... but I'm also Christian. Is this last one acceptable to UUism? :)

Well, I live in a country with NO UU Churches whatsoever (like, I checked the map and there's no Churches in THE ENTIRE REGION), and I'm neither in the economical situation to either move countries nor fund my own Church locally (one of the legal requisites here for doing so is having a physical place for meetings, which I can't afford rn).

However, UU is the closest thing I attune to Spiritually, so I want to join a Community. Is there like, a Discord server or anything like that where fellow UUs do online meetings? I wanna see if that's a possibility in the short term.

Thank you very much, and have a wonderful day! ^^

So in my early years the church was a big part of my life. My Grandmother was very involved and by extension my family was. After I was born I even lived in an apartment owned by the church and was raised there for a little while. I was "baptized" UU and the church was part of my life until I was about 11-12.

I'm 33 and just getting back in, but in a different part of the country. Over the years I've forgotten a lot and would like to reconnect with my faith and raise my children in it, but I've been to a couple services and I don't care for it.

The first presentation I attended was some pretentious writer reading from her memoirs about her struggle to save her boyfriend's family farm and get it recognized as protected land. My wife and children are native and I was so embarrassed listening to this woman talk about how after 4 generations it was a travesty they might lose their huge patch of land without a single mention of the suffering that made that land fall into their hands in the first place. She had given us enough context to understand she was from settler blood as well and when she said, "I could feel my ancestors rejoicing for us saving the land." I could about feel the soul leaving my body. Then she read us like 4 pages about buying a fucking car. It was awful.

My third visit was a sermon from a guest Minister. She seemed nice enough, but she basically gave a whole sermon on labor justice, liberation, and equality without a single honest criticism of what it is about our society and economic system that makes these things rampant. Nothing meaningful said on class or on the history of the labor movement. She made it seem like if immigrant produce pickers were given the protections and pay that most American blue collar workers have that that would be that. No more exploitation. No reason to think past a system that has benefited her tremendously and has caused untold suffering through war and imperialism. She wrapped this sermon up in revolutionary language and even added a nice white washed quote from a black revolutionary artist.

If I start on my first meeting with the Social Justice Group I'll be dropping like three more paragraphs about how problematic that was.

I say all this to ask if this is an experience you all are having? How do I reconnect with my faith when the church is so right wing? How do I get past the performative, white liberal, bullshit? Why have the politics of the church not expanded left of liberalism, especially since it's absolutely not compatible with our principles?

Thanks. I know that some of you may feel a little called out on this post and I'm genuinely sorry.

Basically I live out in the middle of nowhere, there’s a UU church at my nearest city but there’s no transport on Sundays and I don’t drive. I’d love to visit and I’m starting to feel UU may be a good fit for me, but I kinda realise that part of joining a religion is about the community, which is what I don’t have. I’m also kinda introverted and get some social anxiety so it’s difficult anyway to make myself go to events, so maybe it’s just an excuse. But yeah basically can I identify as UU and just do my own thing? I am still learning about UU but so far I seem to agree with everything.

Been feeling really at home in my local congregation since joining this year and so have my children.

Threw together a plan for an all ages video games club to pitch to our fellowship planning meeting today.

I can tell that the under 65 members of our congregation are craving activities that are much more casual (and air conditioned - we’re in the south).

Wish me luck yall.

I’ve been going to a UU church for about a year now, but I just found out today that an elderly member who passed away recently wanted the church to help her donate a large sum of money to a local food pantry, but our reverend met with the bereaved family members and convinced them to only give half of the money to the food pantry, and the other half to the church. She was presenting it as a big win in the board meeting, even though it goes against the wishes of the person who passed away.

I’m just curious, is this normal behavior for a UU church?

———————

UPDATE:

Sorry I don’t have all the information, or if I didn’t explain something the right way, but what I do know for sure is that the person who passed away really cared about the food pantry, her family knew that she wanted the money earmarked specifically for the food pantry. People who knew her well at church knew that it was her priority too. The church works closely with the food pantry and even has a fund set up for it so that the congregation can donate directly, so it’s reasonable to think that she left the money to the church for that purpose.

I also discovered yesterday when I went to the food pantry website that she was actually on the board for the food pantry too, serving as their secretary.

The reverend must have been aware of her wishes, since she actually negotiated with the family to undermine her wishes, then bragged to the board in yesterday’s meeting that half of the money is going to go to the church now (which I assume means the general fund, as though it was a pledge). Another board member mentioned that they would need to check on the legality of this, and then they also decided to appoint a committee to do some research about how the money should be used. Unless they decide to go ahead and donate it to the food pantry, it seems pretty unethical to me.

Why would anyone want to leave money to a church if they can’t trust that their wishes will be honored? This lady had been a member for over forty years. I understand that corruption can happen in any denomination, but I’m still disappointed to find out that this is happening in MY church.

The reason I asked the question the way I did is to see how many people have the same initial reaction of disgust that I did, or if it doesn’t surprise them, or if some people will even be apologists and act like it’s ok, and that will help me decide if I want to find a different UU church, or maybe church just isn’t for me.

Edit: Changed pastor to reverend when I realized my mistake. The church I grew up in up in had a pastor.

The third source is "Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life," but then numbers four and six seem to just be specific examples of wisdom from the world's religions.

Am I missing something?

30F, going solo to my first UU service to see what it’s like. What would be appropriate to wear?

I’m Jewish, and I know there’s a certain “dress code” for a synagogue so I figure I should ask about UU fellowships.

EDIT: Nevermind! Apparently, I can’t just go to a service without being a member. I have to complete an introductory learning series first. So I’ll be starting that on Sunday instead.

I guess I’m speaking mostly about the music, but as much as I liked what I heard being said at the local UU conversations I’ve visited, one thing that turned me off is that the presentation felt even MORE like church than evangelical churches I’ve been too. I’m not a fan of singing in church in general, but songs in a traditional-hymn style, with the only instrumentation being a line piano being played with no syncopation feels like torture to me. I supposed I could show up late to skip the music, but that feels wrong somehow.

Hi :) recently got to have a weekend away with a lovely bunch of UU people and before dinner, they'd light a chalice and share things they were grateful for. Kind of like prayer, but just to each other and the world. it just left the sweetest feeling for me. I'd like to incorporate this into my life, but I'm wondering about some other things I can do to feel more connected to my faith. Any suggestions?

I’ve looked into this and would love to go to a church or congregation or whatever it would be called. I feel like I’m missing something and would love to find a community of like minded people because where I live I’m kind of an outcast for being a liberal, non Christian person. The problem is that I will need to travel about an hour to find a congregation(?) and that’s fine, but I need to get over the idea that it feels like I’m joining a cult?? I believe that the right cult can suck anyone in, and while Christianity has never had potential to be my cult I have a worry in the back of my mind that if this is a cult it is one that could??

I’m not sure if this makes any sense, but I just want to discuss this with someone because I really need a community and don’t want to join something out of desperation that could be culty. I’m also not trying to say anyone here is culty, because I don’t think that but I also believe that for the right cult I WOULDNT think it sounds like one??

Edit: in the cesspool the internet has become, I expected at least one reply that was upset about my questions but I love the fact that it seems like people understand my concerns! I don’t think I would expect that of a cult and I will definitely be checking out some online services next time :) thanks for the wonderful answers, I’m really hopeful that I have found my people!🩷

(This is rambling thoughts of spiritual seeker) I'm just beginning to read and learn about Daoism and it's a nice fit for me. For a while now I've gone to my local UU church (not regularly) and feel like that fits as well. I like the activism part of UU but as I listen to more and more people speak on Daoism the more they follow the way the less they care. Do they fit?

My wife and I finally made at to a UU service. We’re both pretty religious averse but it was overall pretty good. We met some nice people afterwards. Overall, we’ll be back,

I want to become a member of UU. I have two groups (congregations?) near me. One has about 50 members and the other has 400. Can you tell me the pros and cons of member size? I've never been to a church and not sure what to except. What I want and need is to belong to a community and help others.

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Recently while exploring my local UU churches I noticed at least one ( if not most of them) have had an interesting stance on religious pluralism. One has basically said that UU Faith is a constant journey to grow and that the journey is never complete. It was at least implied that along those same lines, it was expected that personal religious beliefs would be constantly evolving. Another implied as much while not directly stating it.

In my mind UUism was all about having a place that was accepting of all paths, whatever that may look like ( as long as they don’t harm others or infringe on their or other’s rights). To me that meant that people who have a sort of concrete belief system ( for example Christianity or Buddhism or Hinduism, etc) but are still open to supporting others in their journey no matter how different it is from their own would be accepted and supported just the same as those on a constant journey for their own truth.

Is my understanding wrong? Is UU a place of constant journey or is there a place for people who have a sort of accepted “end point” faith but are accepting of all other approaches as equally valuable and valid?

I know the easy answer will be “if you have a set of beliefs that coincide with any one religion then go there for your services, don’t go to a UU church” but I like to think that I can learn and grow better in my own beliefs by supporting others on their own unique journeys too. My path isn’t going to look like someone else’s and that’s not a bad thing.

If I’m simply looking in the wrong place for my spiritual support I can pivot and I am prepared to—but I don’t want to (nor do I feel like I should have to). The core values of Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, Generosity, and Love are all incredibly important to me and I personally can relate to the pagan priestess or the Jewish Buddhist or the Christian mystic( just a few examples of the different religious groups I’ve run into in UU circles) just as well as I can fellow Buddhists.

I appreciate any perspective you can give as I try to navigate and find a place that nurtures my need for community as well as my spiritual growth.

1) I know that Unitarian Universalists don't see Jesus as God.

This could just be a Catholic & Orthodox claim but what do you think about church fathers who had lived very near to Jesus' time think that he was God?

But on the other hand, Arian Christians for example, think that those claims are wrong and Christians should turn back to the 1st or 2nd century beliefs of Christianity since there were some corruption after those times and they don't believe Jesus was God either.

2) I am a former Christian. I also have religious OCD/scrupulosity. I am scared of the possibility of the mainstream Christianity might be the real religion and that I might end up in its hell.

So, what are your opinions? Thanks.

I grew up within the Baptist denomination, and it's hard to shake some preconceptions that come with terms like "outreach" and "missions". There was usually an ulterior motive attached - everything was done in hopes that people would hear about Jesus and do the "personal savior" thing. I put those notions away decades ago along with that theology. Now we are part of a lay-led UU church and I'm interested in and involved with coordinating some things labeled "outreach" or "missions" - relief agencies, Pride festivals. Just wondering if anyone has found alternate terminology. I'm collecting thoughts/ideas for an upcoming sermon on the topic.

A big reason we became involved in our UU group (right after the November election) was that we wanted to be engaged in our world - from our neighborhood/family level on up - and represent an alternative to the de facto "Christian" perspectives that permeate a lot of activities and relationships. I'm especially troubled by the pseudo-apocalyptic undercurrents that are present in conservative political thought. So there's not a goal of "saving souls", but there is a notion of wanting to make it known that you don't need an ulterior motive for being and doing good in the world.

1. Do Unitarian Universalists believe in an eternal damnation in hell?
2. As far as I know, Unitarian Universalists don't see Jesus as God. What is the evidence to back this belief/thought up?

Thanks!

EDIT: Some people got suspicious of me asking these questions. They thought I'm a troll or something. Well, I'm not. I'm an Agnostic. I'm just wondering Unitarian Universalits' beliefs about these things.

This question may be stupid or childish, but I really need to know! If the UU is free from dogma, can a member or leadership be trinitarian?

In a discussion with our UU minister yesterday, they made a good point as we discussed changing the name of our community from Unitarian Church to Unitarian Universalist Congregation. They pointed out that it is a mistake to refer to ou9rselves simply as Unitarians because that is an entirely different group. And, in fact, contemporary UUs are much more focused on Universalism, believing the inherant dignity of all people. Few of us are concerned about the Unitarian side, which originally meant a denial of the Christian Trinity. I agreed with them and in tend to make a greater effort to refer to myself as a Unitarian Universalist from now on. (And yes, we arfe in agreement that changing our name from 'church' is a good move on many levels.) Thoughts?

I moved recently to an area that isn’t particularly close to a UU church. My old congregation does livestream, but frankly they aren’t the most tech savvy group of people so there are often some frustrating audio issues. I’m hoping to find more congregations that record their services so that I can still feel like an attendee each week

According to the UU website here in Nashville, they welcome people of all beliefs or none. I'm an atheist and likely will never believe in a god. However, I'm pretty isolated after years of alcoholism, and I need to connect to people and this looks like it could be a good option.

How are atheists received in the Unitarian Universalist Church? Am I likely to hear things that I strongly disagree with as an atheist?

Edit: Thanks for the responses. One person gave me a link to a sermon by the woman who is minister here, and I found it intriguing and not at all woo-woo magic and threats like the church I was raised in. I plan to go this Sunday. Looks like they have some stuff during the week, too, like potlucks and such.

If you are a boomer who raised children attending the UU church, what are your children doing now? Or if you ARE an adult who was raised in the church how would you compare and contrast your life as an adult with your parents?

For context, I am not a UU member, but I do move around a lot and over the years I’ve noticed that “my people” are usually the children of parents who raised them in the UU church.

I’m not a spiritual orphan looking for a place to land, just trying to satisfy a fleeting curiosity about who I tend to attract and be attracted to.

Is my personal experience of gravitating toward UU “kids” (now approaching or in middle age) anecdotal or something I should actually seek out since I’m preparing to move again this month.

I’ve been deeply involved in my Unitarian Universalist congregation over the last few years — serving on the board, finance committee, lay pastoral care, and ushering. Our family has loved the community and the people, and we didn’t come to this decision lightly. But we’ve recently made the choice to step away from our UU church.

While the relationships have been meaningful, we’ve increasingly found the spiritual side of the services lacking. The sermons often feel dry and without the kind of depth or guidance I need to carry with me into the week. Maybe that expectation — of a spiritual or transformative core — doesn’t align well with the UU tradition, but I’ve realized that in these challenging times, I need something more.

To be clear, I’m not looking for evangelical dogma or rigid theology. But I do long for messages that go beyond “Trump is bad,” “the world is burning,” and what feels like a constant focus on identity politics. Those are real and important issues, but I also want to hear how we can ground ourselves, grow, and take meaningful steps in our daily lives. Present the problem, yes — but offer some tools, some hope, some deeper spiritual reflection too.

The final turning point for me came during a recent service led by a visiting minister. They made a point to set up a mask display in the lobby, and masks were required for that particular service. Their sermon centered almost entirely around masking as a symbol of radical inclusion. While I respect anyone’s choice to wear a mask and understand the intent, devoting an entire service to that topic felt, frankly, excessive — especially when so many people are searching for grounding, clarity, and spiritual renewal. To be fair this is maybe a congregation related issue, I’m not sure. There have been other members that have brought up similar concerns only to be rebuffed.

UUs are good, compassionate people. But in my view, it seems the movement has drifted. Instead of just telling us it’s raining, I’m looking for a community that hands out umbrellas — or better yet, teaches us how to build our own.

Hi folks, I'm moving to Toronto in a few weeks from my small city in Eastern Canada. I have occasionally gone to my local small UU fellowship though life and a slight aversion to waking up early on sundays (especially if I'm out late the night before) kept me away from going every sunday. Chatting with a UU friend from my fellowship, she noticed that there were about four or five different UU churches/groups in the GTA. For the Torontonians lurking in the group, what're they like?

About me:

I'm in my late 20s moving to Toronto for work reasons. I identify more as an Atheist with good-vibes that are in my heart and mind but not in how I express myself (I'm not very hippie-granola). I haven't determined yet where I'll be living in the GTA but I'd like to go to a UU fellowship/church that leans a bit younger, I find it a bit easier to connect with people around my age.

I did notice that one of them do their services in French, though I got the impression they were online only, is there a francophone UU community in Toronto?

I'm 19 years old and have discovered UU very recently while trying to figure myself out religiously. I feel like it strongly fits me and my worldviews, and I'm interested in trying to get involved with the community and find out if that's really for me or not after all. However, I am not from USA and there's zero possibility of visiting a UU church. I would like to find an online group or something that it's not on Facebook (please). Do you guys have any recommendations?

I (64F) plan to go to my local UU church tomorrow - I live in Philly suburbs. Is it ok if I wear shorts and modest top?

NOT THE BIBLE CHINA NEEDS

Unitarian Minister's Declaration About the Visit of China's Pu Lun

At All Saint's Unitarian Church, yesterday morning, Rev E. E. Norbert.(sic) startled his hearers in speaking on the theme, "The New Paganism" by declaring: "What China needs is not the Bible, not the Christian belief, not the Bew England Sabbath. What China needs is to rekindle her emotional(?) life from the vital Western civilization. China needs railroads. China needs the telegraph and telephone. China needs a commercial awakening, and an industrial and educational revolution. China needs to exalt womanhood and to know the perfect liberty of every man, woman, and child. * * * Before his departure Prince Pu Lun was given a Bible. I hope the presentation was not obtrusive. Maybe in this instance missionary zeal outstripped good judgement. I doubt if he has any use for the Bible. He has sacred books of his own. Along with this Bible let (sic) him have a copy of the American constitution. Let him have our best educational works. Let him know the crucial chapters in our history. Let him carry from our shores the ideal of democracy."

I tend to see all this stuff through the lens of story, metaphor, and archetype.

Lately though, I've leaned more into ritual and prayer than I ever have. I light candles and pray to saints.

Today I even said to myself, "I trust that God is watching me. I trust that the Christ will guide me and that mother Mary will hold me."

I don't even know where that came from, I'm more rational than that. It terrifies me to say those things, I admit it. Despite logic they feel somehow true, which is bizarre and contradicts how I have thought all my life. I don't know if I believe them but some part of me does. When I say that I feel loved and protected in a way I rarely ever have since I was a little kid, and I envision an image of Mary holding me in her robe. It's like my child-self can stop being scared for once.

The thing is, I have struggled with mental health problems my whole life, and it has gotten very dark at times. I'm scared that saying these things could make me "crazy," or make me develop psychosis or something. I don't know if that's a rational fear or not.

I want this to be okay. I need a change so badly.

(I didn't know what tag to use)

I've seen other people talk about this and it's a fun theory, not one is have a strong opinion on either way. The idea being trans people are evidence of the soul. The body being a vessel is moldable to the soul. Same reason people get tattoos and such with high meaning. To reflect their inner self.

I just wanna talk about it and making get more insight. I don't feel it is or isn't. 50/50 shot at it being true in my mind.

Hello, all. I'm agnostic. I'm very much into Humanist beliefs, though. I think everyone deserves to be treated with compassion, empathy and dignity. I believe in a very inclusive worldview, that everyone should be treated this way, regardless of their beliefs as long as they aren't harmful or hateful.

However, I feel at odds sometimes with other "Humanists," given their disdain for religion. Though I don't personally believe in anything supernatural myself, I very much enjoy the notions of religious Humanism, even though I don't actively partake in any kind of congregation or anything like that. I've found it hard to find one that hits my particular vibe.

I guess I would say when I'm not religious, I would be inclined to say I don't really believe in or partake in what would be considered supernaturalist religious rituals, such as praying, worshipping a deity, or anything like that. Again, from my own viewpoint, I'm not really against others doing so. I just think of it as "not really for me," and I am happy and content being secular in this way.

My wife is also the same way, and we aren't really forcing any religious beliefs on our son is six. We want him to grow up open minded, to learn and find out what he believes on his own. I sometimes consider myself a "non-theist," since I don't really have my life structured around any kind of deity worship, but also don't really have an active disbelief either. It's just basically absent. Perhaps Apatheist might be a more appropriate term.

My point is... I can't be the only one out there who feels this way? I feel there are people who identify as "Humanist," but most certainly do not act like it.

Any thoughts or advice?

My wife and I have been involved in a UU community in Cincinnati since November 2024, but I've been "UU adjacent" for a long time - reading publications, listening to musicians, absorbing the culture. I have a hard time imagining our lives in the last 8 months without this UU community.

One of my primary inspirations has been musician Jim Scott. I first heard him as part of the Paul Winter Consort back in the late 1970s. His solo recordings have been a part of my library for many years, and we are using some of his songs now in our UU community. (He has a number of songs in "Singing the Journey" and the new virtual hymnal.) He's continues to be a voice for progressive beliefs and practices, especially focused on environmental causes. I wanted to share his new presence on Substack that I wanted to share - hopefully that is allowed.

https://jimscott.substack.com/

He’s a infernalist , stubborn and prideful lol

This way my first GA, I attended virtually as a delegate for my congregation, I'm really glad I agreed to do it, was personally slightly bummed the fat liberation study proposal didn't win, I thought there were some really solid arguments during the second round. There were some really good talks all around, though I think we could work on our discussion process a bit.

I'm lucky to live fairly close to 3 different UU churches. 10 min, 20min, and 35 min. away. It's interesting they are similar but also have very different feels and I'm having a hard time finding the one that is right for me. Each one feels comfortable in its own way. Most people that go UU church did not grow up in UU church, so I'm curious what drew you in?

I used to have this webpage bookmarked and I'd read it when I needed reassurance and when I was afraid. The state of the world has made me very afraid, but I've long since lost the website.

I think it belonged to a specific universalist organization or church and it had many, many many writings and pages about universalism. One specific page, the page I'm talking about, went in depth about the history of the text in the original languages. I wish I had more to share to help find it.

If anyone thinks they know what I'm talking about please share. I would appreciate it so much. I haven't been able to find it through Google. I wanna say it was kind of a more simple website design, maybe html or plaintext or something. I dunno software/websites that well so that might not make sense but yeah

For extra info, I initially found it in a quora reply like a year or two ago, but have no idea how old the initial quora thread was or what it was about.

Edit: found it! I got the title a little wrong but here it is: https://www.tentmaker.org/articles/ifhellisreal.htm

So, I've (mid 30s F) just started a serious relationship with a Christian (early 30s M). Been dating for 3 weeks, but have known eachother for about a year.

Prior to getting romantically interested in him, I always said I would only date other agnostics or spiritual/non-religious men. Atheists and religious guys were off the table.

I went through my own spiritual awakening after a devastatingly traumatic relationship with an alcoholic/coke addict. Ended things back in March and had my "awakening" in April. I truly believe in evil entities now. Got to feel thier presence first hand, that's the only way I can describe my experience.

I do believe in a "higher power", but feel the nature of such a power is unknowable with our current technology. Perhaps it's the universe, another dimension, pure energy, the laws of nature, I don't know, but intuitively, I feel, "something" and perhaps our technology will prove it someday. So, I'm a spiritual weak agnostic basically. I was raised methodist until I was 10, then my mom rejected the church, pulled me out, and I went along with it. For a while I was an atheist, then more of a strong agnostic, now more of a weak one. I discovered UUism in college and it resonated with me more than any other belief system, so that's how I describe myself even though I don't attend a UU church (though I have been to one service, and I did really enjoy it). I would have kept going, but my mother is now very anti-organized religion and said discouraging things about it after I told her about my experience, so I never went again.

I had a hunch he was Christian before we started dating (he's a church organist), and I decided ahead of time I would be open to it. I felt a spiritual connection with him. All of the agnostics I dated in the past we're non-spiritual, and I have been longing for a spiritual connection with a romantic partner.

I believe that there are many paths to the same truth and that the majority of religions are all potential paths to that truth (so long as the religion is not an ego driven religion that forces it's belief system on others or excludes non-believers from "salvation". These practices seem innately egoic and, when taken to the extreme, outright evil in nature, so I personally reject them.)

My boyfriend was raised Lutheran and still identifies as such, however he has admitted that he is struggling with his faith after his failed marriage. He saved himself for marriage, thought he was evenly "yoked", followed the rules, was a good Christian, etc. It went horribly south, he got a divorce, and this rocked his belief system and caused him to question his convictions. He is now more "lax" about things, is okay with premarital sex (he didn't bat an eye at all about hooking up before we even agreed upon being exclusive).

However, he said he disagrees with my "all paths lead to the same thing" approach and still believes Jesus is his one true path. He said my belief system is not a dealbreaker to him, that he wants to learn more about how and what I believe and have spiritual dialogue about his beliefs as well.

He hasn't outright told me that he believes I won't be "saved", but I can't help but worry that this is how he feels deep down since that's pretty much what his denomination teaches.

I know I need to have a talk with him about kids and how he wants to raise his kids. We have talked about both wanting children, so we are on the same page there, but I don't think I could, in good conscience, allow my children to be raised solely as Christians if that's what he wants. If they want to choose it after going through their own, uninfluenced, spiritual journey, fine, but I don't want it imposed on them. I guess I'm scared to have this talk and afraid I might be pushing my belief system on him by having a boundary like this.

I guess I'm just looking for advice, stories from others in interfaith relationships, or words of encouragement on how to approach this. I want to respect his beliefs but at the same time, want to feel heard and respected.

Does anyone know of any discussions of biblical scholars discussing how they reconcile the mainstream findings of biblical scholarship with their likely liberal Christianity?

I'm thinking podcast or YouTube interviews or talks would be helpful.

Questions that come to mind are

Jesus and the apostles appear to have been mistaken about the timing and possibly the nature of the coming kingdom. How does that affect your faith in Jesus and your understanding of the kingdom as a person of faith?

Jesus peter and James appear to have only imagined God saving the people of Israel. What do you think of the disagreement between Paul and the judaizers and the eventual marking of ebionites as heretics?

Related to that, Jesus appears to have taught salvation through the law's distillation of love, and forgiveness via repentance. The early church appears to have taught salvation via belief in Christs atoning sacrifice. Which do you think god requires forgiveness or atonement? How do you handle the disconnect?

Basically areas where biblical scholarship highlight real doctrinal differences between the jesus movement or early voices in the church. And where it highlights challenges to nicene Christianity such as Jesus potentially not claiming to be divine during his lifetime.

Of course I'll always welcome anyone who wants to chime in here with their own responses.

Please don't use this post to try to argue against the findings of critical scholarship. The topic at hand is grappling with those findings assuming they're historically true.

Hello, I have been slowly scanning STLT to read the music from my iPad for services. It would be so much quicker if somebody has already done this and I was able to download a PDF. I have not found it for sale anywhere. Does anyone have the hymnal scanned already that I could have?? Singing the Journey would be nice also of course! ... (I purchased both of these already as hard copies, btw.)

I live in a place with no UU "church." The closest one is 3 hours away. I have attended a couple of the zoom sessions that that church runs but it's just not the same for me if I can't be there in person. I miss having a spiritual community and place to pray.

Near me I have a Bahai temple, a Tibetan buddhist temple and there is a Quaker meeting that happens once a month. There's of course a lot of Christian churches but I find it so distracting having to translate "god" to "spirit" in my head and avoid the whole "christ died for our sins" stuff. It's a shame cause our local little church is very cute and there's also a big church in town with lots of kids stuff for my son.

Anyone have any experience with these options? What did you find?

Look, I love kale as much as the next spiritually curious pacifist, but if I show up to one more UU event where the strongest beverage is lukewarm chamomile, I’m gonna start smuggling in espresso like contraband. Other churches get wine - we get herbal hydration. We deserve better, people.

I’m a cis man working for the U.S. federal government overseas. I want to be more outwardly religiously liberal, as Christianity continues to be elevated over other faiths. Aside from a chalice necklace, what else can I do?

if this comes off as rude then i apologize because i don't mean it to. this is such a beautiful community and i resonate with so many things UU strives towards but the closest UU church to me is 40 minutes away by car, and my household doesn't have a car. it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get one any time soon either, and i also don't have anyone who would could drive me somewhere so far out of the way every single week, nor do i have the money to order a ride to so far away and back.

i joined the the First UU discord and i'm lurking here and the closest church to me livestreams their sunday services, which i watch, but that's all i can do and i feel like i'm missing out on pretty much everything. i checked the calendar on the church's website and there are just so many things the church does that are all in-person events and i just wonder what i'm even doing or if i can really consider myself UU when i can't participate at all.

is anyone else in the same position as me? how do you cope with the isolation in an organization so focused on community?

I yearn for the life of a monastic. Doing chores and studying religions and UU literature and being in community with fellow monastics, engaging in social justice work day in and day out. Leaving behind the worldly life. I don't know what to do with this yearning. It would be my dream to build the first UU Monastery but I don't know if this is an idea that would find acceptance in UU circles. I found the Unseen Monastery but that's not really a monastery, it's more an online community and that's not what I'm after. Any thoughts? Do you think a UU monastery is possible? How should I go about creating it, where to even start?

Hey all I grew up mormon, I now attend a non-denominational bible based Christian church where I’ve found SUCH a great community. However, I am feeling a similar feeling as to why I left them Mormon church, and now I’m questioning everything.

I’ve never been much of an organized religion person in general, but love Christian music (I love to sing) and love the sense of community/friends so I’ve always gravitated towards a religious community. My non-denom Christian church I go to is very biblical and history based, but I’ve always thought of the Bible not as a history book but rather a fictional book telling stories of God and Christ to teach a lesson/provoke deeper levels of thinking. I do not believe in the trinity, however this church doesn’t really preach the trinity heavily, even thought they are “Christian”. I believe more that God and Jesus are separate, with God being “Father” and Jesus being His Son. The Holy Spirit is an entity that is more or less a conductor of their energy and love.

I ultimately let the Mormon church because I didn’t want to be apart of a religion I didn’t believe in, and am feeling like I’m going down the same path with this non-denom Christian church now—hence my issue with organized religion. Not one is going to be perfect. BUT I love the community that religion can bring, if done right.

With all that said, would universalism be a religion I may like? I’m not much of an activist and have always been apolitical…and that aspect of what I’ve read is making me weary of looking into this religion. Thoughts?

P.S. I came across this entire religion literally today as my therapist shared a quote to me. When I went to look it up again I realized it was said by Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a Unitarian Minister and Civil War vet. I loved his quote and can share it if y’all want :)

Hi guys Does anyone know of any UU servers? I have found a few but they are biblical UU (which i have no issue with, but the mods seem to be power-trippy and heavily critical of other unitarians) TIA! ❤️

Hi. I am the new parent/ guardian of a kid whose mother recently died of cancer. She was (unfortunately) indoctrinated by her cousins who are LDS. I am atheist. However, I do not think it would be good for my child to try to remove her belief in God but I would like to deemphasize the sin/ hell / angry god stuff. She is neurodiverse/idd and reads at a 3rd grade level but has teen interests. She has also asked for a Bible/ Bible story book but a lot of those stories and kids bibles make my skin crawl, the sin stuff has already had a terrible effect on her mental health so I’m not jazzed about Noah’s Ark , ya know? Are there any good kids books or simple readers with actual good for your mental health messages that are still “Bible”-ish? (FWIW I grew up IDF Baptist and it was very harmful for me so I am really not able to just roll with that. I do, however, want to respect her belief in god/heaven. I just don’t want to teach her not to speak up for herself or watch her constantly feel like god is mad at her for what she sees as sins but are really just basic mistakes. One day she was literally praying for forgiveness because she dropped a piece of ice on the floor.)

I'm an aspiring student of Buddhism and all the different sects are overwhelming. I was first exposed to Nichiren Buddhism, and then learned about Theravada, and now I'm interested in visiting a Zen temple.

What have your experiences with the different sects been?

I really enjoyed it, there was one part that kinda floored me but it wasn’t the speakers fault

I’m a reasonably new UU having joined our local congregation after being so bored staying inside on Sunday mornings with our two young children.

I’ve since been welcomed into a community that aligns with our family values and my personal love of direct action to support community and marginalized people who are your neighbors.

In the late 2010s I was a Twitch streamer of no real reknown as a goofy hobby for musical appreciation and a card game addiction.

I’ve been thinking about getting back into doing streams and making videos to raise money for my congregation and some local early childhood ed schools we donate to regularly.

MY QUESTION- is being outspokenly UU on the internet in a controversial category?

Before I had kids I had plenty of DM threats from random males threatening to fuck my dog and the like which is expected but I really only want to do a little fundraising with an existing skillset with no clout fiend motivations.

Any opinions appreciated thanks yall.

I dont affiliate with any religions but I like learning from them. This is what introduced me to UU.

But it is my understanding that UUs dont usually believe in heaven or hell? I believe in an afterlife, I guess you could call it heaven. I dont believe in a seperate place like hell where souls get punished.

I also fully devote myself to God. I believe there is a God/creator. And that all religions are pointing to the same God, but they have different interpretations.

I would really like to call myself a unitarian but do unitarians believe in God, souls, or an afterlife?

Hi guys, new member from South Africa. I recently “felt” God after years of being angry with Him and not believing at all! Super atheist- I haven’t discussed it with anyone yet. I want to read the bible- for the poetry, life lessons etc. but Jesus is not for me. This whole heaven/hell, devil etc. just not for me. My question is- is there a way to read the bible without going through all the Jesus stuff? Is that even possible? Or should I just sort of remove the Jesus part when I read it mentally and read just the lessons?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Is it just me, or did our last Sunday service feel more like a TED Talk on social justice and less like a peaceful moment of spiritual reflection? 🙄 One minute I'm meditating on life's mysteries, the next, I'm debating the latest political crisis. Can we get a little more serenity and a little less activism, maybe? #UUProblems

I joined a UU congregation last January. I fell in love with it however over the past few months I found myself getting bored with the sermons. I kept going out of guilt and a sense of duty until I realized the sermons had nothing to do with stories or beliefs in religions. Rather the sermons tended to deal with things like loneliness, inclusivity, social media, procrastination, justice, that sort of thing.

Don’t get me wrong, they are interesting topics but I wanted to learn about different religions and their practices and beliefs, not listen to something that sounds like a speech at a self-help seminar. The most I hear about a religion is at Christmas and Easter.

I’ve thought about attending services of different congregation across various religions and denominations, but haven’t acted on it. United Church of Christ seems interesting.

Has anyone else experienced something similar in their UU congregation? Does anyone here identify as a Unitarian while attending services of different churches, temples, mosques, etc?

A conservative coworker (referred to herself as “more red” than I and another coworker who mentioned reproductive rights concerns in a recent discussion — we work in healthcare and have to move states every few years so it was appropriate) has started asking me about my UU congregation. She wants to build community for her young family, which I think UU is great for. When I told her about the diverse topics we’ve discussed in our religious education classes she thought it was great to learn about so many different things as a generally curious person. I’ve given her info about how UU philosophy varies from mainline Protestant and dogmatic congregations, let her know about our incoming nonbinary Christian UU minister, and she still seems interested. I have encouraged her to google more about the values/principles of UU and provided the program from our most recent service that has lots of info on it.

We are friendly and have hung out on occasion, and share a lot of projects and personal discussions. If you were in my position, would you invite her family to join for an upcoming service you think might interest them? I’m all about building a longer table, but don’t want to cross any boundaries, seem like I’m trying to recruit her to become a blue-hair liberal, or to in some way have her or my church community offended by disagreements on some fairly fundamental values. Thoughts?

My employer gives me 2 days off per year to do any sort of community service or volunteering. I've volunteered in hospice, but that required an actual recurring time commitment. Is there any as-needed thing I could do just for a day or two you can think of?

Hello everyone! I'm new here, but I was just wondering if anyone had any good resources on the history of UU and also have a kind of specific (and maybe dumb lol) question:

I grew up Independent Fundamental Baptist, then was Progressive Baptist for a few years, and have been attending a United Church of Christ for about a year now. I live in a particularly rural and conservative state so while the UU concept has intrigued me for a while there was no where I could attend. I'm moving to California and have already found a few congregations within a reasonable distance of where i'll be living, but would like to know more about the history of it before I make the decision to try going.

As for the question: Is the firm belief in a singular God something that would make UU not a good fit?

I've obviously been Christian my entire life, and continue to attend Christian churches just because they've seemed the closest to my beliefs. Over the past couple years I've read as much as I could about Judaism, Islam, Bahá'í faith, and even Mormonism. I've come out of it believing still that the Abrahamic God is God, and that Jesus and Muhammad were at the least prophets. However, I no longer believe any one religion is right, and am very much against Evangelism and trying to 'prove' God is real (People saying we have 'proof' has always bothered me as it defeats the purpose of faith). I've decided the love Jesus taught while on earth is more important than anything else (wild that that's a controversial statement considering Romans 13:8-10 haha). As I said, not believing in one Abrahamic religion has alienated me from all the mainstream places of worship, but will the belief in just the Abrahamic God alienate me from most UU congregations? If anyone thinks so and has another suggestion to look into I'm all ears!

thank y'all so much in advance <3

Does anyone know of any books that provide a UU or religiously liberal perspective on mysticism? The mystical aspect of spirituality is something I am desiring to know more about.

Right now I’m short on my weekly rent. I don’t have any family to turn to—no backup, no safety net. It’s just me and my girl trying to hold on. I used to make ends meet doing Doordash but my car broke down a while back and I had no choice but to sell it. Since then it’s been week to week in a motel room trying to stay afloat. This shortfall could leave us out on the street with nowhere to go.

I’ve been pushing through serious malnutrition and am doing everything I can to get back on my feet. Due to my situation I’ve been surviving on the cheapest food I can get—things that keep me going but leave my body weak and depleted. I’m dealing with the long-term effects of poor nutrition and exhaustion and I’m trying to pull through. I just need some help getting to the next step.

I've tried reaching out across social media and Reddit groups designed to help and I've only been attacked and mocked. I’ve faced relentless attacks from every direction—mocked for my situation, accused of laziness, called a con artist, and told to just “get a job” like it’s that simple. I’ve been told I’m wasting everyone’s time, that I don’t deserve help, and that my struggles aren’t real or important. People have treated me like I’m less than human, simply because I’m asking for a lifeline in a moment of desperation. This constant judgment chips away at your spirit, making it even harder to keep fighting. It’s not just about money—it’s about dignity, survival, and trying to protect the person I love in a world that seems determined to tear us down.

Every time I reach out, I get slammed—called lazy, a con artist, a waste of space. People attack me like I’m asking for charity just to mess around, not because I’m fighting for my life and my girl’s safety. They don’t see the nights I lie awake, overwhelmed and scared, wondering how to keep a roof over our heads. They don’t feel the weight of every cruel word, the sting of being judged for trying to survive. It’s more than money—it’s my dignity, my pride, and the desperate hope that someone will see me as a person, not just a “problem” to be dismissed. That kind of pain? It cuts deep, and it’s hard to carry when all you want is a chance to keep going.

I care about my girl more than anything—she’s sweet, innocent, and means the world to me. Every move I make is about keeping her safe and protected from the harshness of this world. I’m not just asking for help for myself; it’s about making sure she doesn’t have to face those vultures out there alone. That responsibility weighs heavy on me, and it’s why I keep fighting, even when the attacks and doubts come pouring in. My priority is her safety and well-being, no matter what it takes.

This isn’t about some old patriarchal script or who wears the pants. It’s about a bond built on love and protection—me standing between her and a harsh world that shows no mercy. It’s about carrying the weight so she can have a chance to heal and breathe without fear. That’s not control or dominance; that’s survival, respect, and fierce devotion. This isn’t about some outdated idea of patriarchy or control. It’s about responsibility and love—me doing everything I can to protect and provide for the person I care about most. It’s not about power or dominance; it’s about keeping my girl safe in a world that doesn’t always show mercy.

What are your congregations doing with regard to renting out your church space to unaffiliated organizations? Especially in the current U.S. political climate. Do you rent to anyone willing to abide by the rental agreement? Where is the line renting to political organizations like the Democratic or Republican Party?

Hi all, I just wanted to share some pictures from the NAMI Walks 2025 event this morning!!

My team, Bay Area Impact from BAUUC, raised almost 4K in funds!! Walked a little over 3.25 miles!! Check us out here: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=72361

Cheers to a good cause. The city mayor was there but I highly doubt he was gonna be walking in them jeans!! LOL!! 😂

You know you're in a UU community when "What do you believe?" is met with 7 different answers and 3 follow-up questions. It’s like a spiritual potluck, and somehow, every dish is quinoa. But hey, at least no one’s pushing a pamphlet on you! So, let’s keep it weird, inclusive, and just a tiny bit less existentially overwhelming. 🤔

Hello everyone.

I'm from Indonesia and I was raised as a Muslim, went to madrasa school and then i had existential and spiritual crisis at 10. Since that I became agnostic yet still practicing islam but as a ceremonial only because if I didn't do that my parents and peoples around me will judge and punish me, now my age is 20 Years old.

In recent times I've read Ralph Waldo Emerson and other trancedentals thinkers then discovered Unitarianism I want to learn more about Unitarianism and be one of Unitarianist if possible but I'm afraid I have limited access in my country to learn about it (because there's no Unitarianism community here)

Is it just me, or does every UU sermon feel like an emotional workout? I walk in expecting spiritual enlightenment, and walk out needing a nap and a snack. It's like, "Sure, we’re going to talk about personal growth... but also, I need to meditate on my life choices after this." Let’s hear it for the UU group therapy sessions disguised as Sunday services! 🙃

This may seem like something of a silly question all things considered, but it's something I keep returning to and can't seem to find an answer for. Do any of you have "nicknames" to describe your involvement in the church BESIDES the full-length "Unitarian Universalist" or the abbreviation "UU"?

The full name is fairly long and unwieldy, and the abbreviation is short but feels weird to say for some reason? So has anyone come up with any other ways of denoting that you're part of this community? Is anyone out there calling themselves a "U-ie"/"Uni"/something else I've not thought of? Or does "UU" eventually just start sounding more normal the longer you say it? 😂

Small background: I’m an EX Jw which would be the opposite of UU. I’m intrigued by this religion that’s new for me. Are there places to meet up?

So long story short, our local UU was failing 8 months ago, I joint and have been working,almost single handedly to revive it, we have grown from 7 to 21. I am really ignorant about UU as a whole, and feel very alone. The old congregation [7] are very supportive but the new [14] are varied from supportive to antagonist. Growth means financial support, and the old congregation can’t maintain all the expenses on their own. Where do I draw the line between growth and the needed for financial support. “If I builded it will they come” who can I talk to about what is and isn’t acceptable for UU? Case in point a couple with multiple UU experiences tell me that the programs I am providing aren’t UU centric, but the old [7] UU’s are quite happy with what I am doing. The couples words were like a gut punch. I hope this doesn’t come across as a rant…

Do you have to go to the main congregation if you want to go to the CUUPS one? Does CUUPS have believers of a lot of pantheons or just a few? I don't know if I'm a real pagan yet or just an atheist who likes that a pagan revival today exists, but I want to believe in a pantheon and be around other people who do.

Hello all -

I don't mean this post to be derisive, I'm just a bit confused with an invitation I received recently from my cousin and his family, who are Unitarian Universalists, and looking for clarification as they don't seem inclined to give any.

They have two children, and the invitation is to a "congregational dedication ceremony" for both.

So far so good - I'm familiar with this sort of thing. Standard fare for most religions.

Except they were already dedicated a few years back. My family was there. I have pictures and the original invitation.

Now, the new invitation has a location listed some distance from where they currently live and different from the congregation where they held the previous dedication. Does the word "Congregational" in Congregational Dedication mean that if you register to a new congregation of Unitarian Universalists you re-dedicate?

I'm sorry if my question seems ignorant. It is, I'm sure. I wish that my family were in a slightly more civil place on the discussion of religion so that I could ask this directly.