I will be mentioning Charlie Kirk here, so feel free to scroll past if you don't want to see political stuff. I'm just talking about my feelings about his death and how I don't support Turning Point USA.

I don't support Charlie Kirk, or Turning Point USA. I am super progressive and transgender. I think him and his group are a big problem. What they are doing is making them a menace to society. But each individual person within Turning Point USA isn't evil. They're just doing and saying things I think are wrong. Everyone has (or, I guess I should say, they should have) the opportunity to grow, change, and become better, more caring people. Not every person will change for the better, but how do you really know which people will or won't without giving them a chance?

Killing someone takes away that opportunity to change. It impacts the family of that person. It says "this person is inherently unworthy". So many people are happy he's dead. I'm not. I'm happy and relieved that there's one less person doing and saying awful things. Killing isn't the answer. Violence isn't the answer, unless someone is fighting back in self defense or protecting the person your with who's getting attacked. I wouldn't punch someone just for being right wing. I'd punch them is they were physically attacking me or my friend.

https://x.com/shellenberger/status/1966249089114464484?s=46

I hope next Sunday there will be many UU sermons preaching for nonviolence, without any statements that elected officials in our state and federal governments are fascists, like I’ve heard in recent UU sermons.

I feel certain that I saw a sermon online several years ago that focused on First Principle in light of public figures we disagree with. Or maybe I read something published by the UUA about this?

My very blurry memory of it has helped me emphasize compassion when struggling with current events.

I’m certain this is something I read or watched online. Any ideas?

I would be interested in any of your thoughts about why UU congregations are generally overwhelmingly white and predominantly old. Anecdotally, I’ve observed this for all the UU congregations in my area and also through the sampling of services I’ve watched in other places in the USA. And from what I’ve read on the Internet, my observations are consistent with the composition of most UU congregations, along with members being relatively well-educated on average. In comparison, I attended a couple of Eastern Orthodox Christian churches in my area in the last couple of years (as part of my last-gasp effort of considering Christianity) and they were growing dramatically, with lots of young people and more racial/ethnic diversity, but below the diversity of the broader area, than the UU congregations. At one of the churches, I had a conversation with a young Hispanic man who was also attending the church for the first time. He volunteered that he was gay and autistic. I also met a young man, also attending for the first time, that volunteered he had Jewish ancestry (and a Jewish name). At the other church, I attended an “Orthodoxy 101” class with a small number of attendees that was attended by a middle-aged black man with a younger black woman who I presumed was his daughter. And judging from the truck that he drove, there was a high probability that he was working class. (I also think he was pretty cool because he laughed at one of my sophomoric jokes during the class, unlike anyone else at the class that I can recall.) Anyway, I would be interested in your thoughts about this phenomenon and what if anything UU has been doing to successfully address this phenomenon. Thank you for your consideration of my questions.

After many years of grappling with theism, I’ve recently acknowledged to myself that I’m an atheist, meaning that I think there is insufficient evidence for believing in the existence of a theistic god (although I find Bernardo Kastrup’s “mind of nature” theory intriguing). I’ve been reluctant to acknowledge my atheism to myself in part because of my fear of nihilism. What has helped me immensely in my religious deconstruction and my current spiritual reconstruction is the book and podcast by Britt Hartley called No Nonsense Spirituality. I’m curious if any of you are familiar with Britt’s work and, if so, what your experience with it has been and whether it has been discussed in your UU congregation.

I’ve researched UU and watched services of local UU congregations and really like most of what I’ve learned and observed, including the UU values and principles, the sense of community, the outreach to provide food to those who can’t afford it and helping those who are learning English, and the welcoming of diversity in religious beliefs and sexual orientation. I’m an atheist who grew up in a family that was loving and religiously and politically conservative. I could voice my disagreement on political issues but agreeing with atheism was off limits as a practical matter out of fear of ostracism in both my family and social circles. My political views are generally centrist so I’m wondering whether or how I could fit in at a UU congregation. I would feel free to identify as an atheist, but would I have to remain silent, or even feign agreement, on political issues out of fear of ostracism? The sermons that I’ve watched at local UU congregations generally include at least vague criticisms of the state (I live in a red state) and federal governments.

Do you know whether it is customary for a church member to give the minister a gratuity when presiding at their family’s service? If yes, what amount is customary? I am absolutely without a clue. Our fellowship is in a high COL area west of the Sierras in case that's helpful.

Hey, people of this subreddit and the other one I'm crossposting to!

I’m a Unitarian Universalist-leaning agnostic atheist with a reverent disposition. I find wonder and transcendence in science and the natural world 🌿 I’m looking for likeminded people and deliciously different perspectives alike!

I’m interested in reading titles like…

• Ursula Goodenough, The Sacred Depths of Nature
• Loyal Rue, Nature is Enough and Religion is Not about God
• Jerome Stone, Religious Naturalism Today
• Chet Raymo, When God is Gone Everything is Holy

In fact, Raymo’s book is on its way to my mailbox now, and I’m hoping to start with it!

Does any of this sound intriguing to you? Want to test the waters? 🐳

I’m hoping to kick off a weekly reading group because research shows that weekly interactions lead to strong social bonds — and we’d pace it at a chapter a week to keep things accessible.

Think deep dives into meaning, emergence, and what makes life sacred. Thoughtful discussion about science, spirituality, and the search for meaning.

If you’d be into this, comment on this post with days and times that work for you! Please also DM me your email address (or Discord handle, if you’re more comfortable) so we can start a communication channel for those interested.

I don’t know if updates here are normal, but for whoever happens to see this update, I just wanted to give one after getting all of your responses over the last 24 hours.

Not to be overdramatic and super wordy (yet again, ha!) but for real, I’m tearing up all over again. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone who took the time to respond to me. Reddit can be a weird and dismissive place to be emotionally vulnerable, especially when it comes to anything involving faith or mental health and extra-especially with the world being on fire and all. You all managed to make me feel validated and welcome here in this faceless virtual space - to have questions/comments/concerns be heard and answered non-judgementally and helpfully... it tells me basically everything I needed to know about UU. It was the scary tweet from the Dept of State that was the final straw in the internal push I felt to connect with a community again. It's all so scary sometimes and we all need one another more than ever to help keep each other safer

As I said in some of my replies to others, your responses have definitely opened my eyes to some of the leftover emotional baggage I hadn’t yet confronted from the toxic religious environment I spent 30 years of my life in. Christian Nationalism taking over has been so triggering and sometimes it feels like that is a never-ending process to work through all of it. But, thanks to you all, I feel soooo much more encouraged and confident in confronting these things as they arise. I have real hope that I can be involved in a community of people... so for others who end up here looking for a safety net in these scarey times, here's what I've learned in the last 24 hours:

• Maybe when people seem welcoming it’s not because they have an agenda or unspoken expectations that I will need to figure out and eventually meet.
• Maybe sometimes it’s not a total fucking lie when people say “come as you are” and that when they tell me they’re glad I’m there they actually mean it.
• Maybe the concept of unconditional love and acceptance doesn’t have an asterisk next to it.
• Maybe I can act according to my own values and maintain mental, emotional, and spiritual autonomy without worrying that my thoughts, feelings, and actions don’t align with an externally imposed belief system that, if not followed, will lead maintain mental, emotional, and spiritual consequences.
• Maybe I can actually pick and choose what I enjoy and don’t enjoy about my church or congregation and let it inform what I choose to do or not do without feeling fear, guilt, or shame. I don’t have to force myself to love every aspect of it.
• Maybe questions can be welcomed and even encouraged and I can even *openly* discuss with others how I feel about things I may not like or agree with, also without feeling fear, guilt, or shame.
• I don’t have to feel like I’m not doing something right if I don’t leave every service feeling as if I had some profound connection with the divine through the music or the teaching.
• Maybe I can enjoy church and attend simply because of my desire to connect with others without being told “it’s about your relationship with God, not other people” and sweeping the bad behavior of “people” under the rug.
• Maybe I don’t have a “special language” I have to learn in order to communicate with others and be accepted or validated.
• MAYBE I CAN FEEL SAFE BEING MY AUTHENTIC SELF.

If you grew up UU, in a less mainline protestant denomination, or other non-high control religious environment, then these truths may seem obvious but I am telling you that there are tens of thousands of people like me recovering from the cult. The trauma is real and we are all struggling right now because of that is happening in the US. All of those feelings of powerlessness, feeling like I will never escape and I will never be safe. My son is POC on top of it and it's terrifying. It seems like some of those who had experiences like me have found their way here already - that you were able to trust again is so relieving. The cult survivors need community right now so badly.

The only evangelizing I do is preaching the freedom found in radical self-acceptance. I’ve done sooo much work to rebuild my sense of self after having to take a sledgehammer to the identity I had built in order to maintain my safety inside my religion. Because of that I am fiercely protective of my authentic self and my autonomy, sometimes to the point the hypervigilance. In the earlier stages of my recovery I really connected with a pagan framework of viewing spirituality and it has been so healing to reconnect to my spirituality that way - I’ve spent the last several years honoring the cycles of time and my deep love of nature through carefully selected and personally created rituals and practices. This has been great for my spirit but I’ve known that something has been missing - I can see that the next step in my healing is allowing my authentic self to be connected with others, to be a part of a community of people without fear of losing my identity again. I wanna add "evangelizing about the importance of community while maintaining a sense of Self" to my preaching activities ;)

You all have actually managed to make me feel EXCITED about church lol. I had to *make* myself go to the service on Sunday. It may take a bit for the hypervigilance to go away, but I definitely feel safer giving it a shot thanks to you all. I love that as the fall equinox approaches that I have a clear understanding of what I am letting go of and what I am letting in. I will light a gratitude candle in honor of what you have given me, with an invocation that the universe brings you love that fights for you and PROTECTS you from the threats to your emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical safety. <3

The fact is not lost on me that the UU is a logical target of the fascist regime in the USA and will likely be a target within the next 3 years or so. Have you given it any thought and considered what actions might be take, or how we should react in such an evantuality? I ask the question only to begin the discussion.

---------------------------------------------------------

A follow-up after so many responses. I have to say i am pleased and surprised that so manyshared their thoughts. One thing that did come to mind as many suggested that we are too small to get attention from the present regime is, it is a common tactic for authoritarian governments to go after relatively small groups and gin up anger toward them if they are in any way differrent from the norm. That is the UU. I am not trying to stir up fear, but we could learn, in short order, that we are noticed and targeted. My congregation has takens steps to increase our safety on many levels. And, if anything, our outreach to others to let them know about us as a safe place, in particular for marginalized groups, has increased significantly in the last year.

Hello all,

2 days ago I asked about some apprehensions I have about becoming a part of a UU congregation (I meant join much more informally than it was meant).

So now I would like to ask how did joining or becoming a part of the Universalist Unitarians benefit or mar you?

Please tell me if I am clogging the subreddit.

Hi! I went to my first UU service today and then came home and found this subreddit. This got long because I did the ADHD oversharing thing so there is a TL;DR at the end 🙃

First off, I have been wanting to check it out for years now - in 2019 I completely left the faith of my youth after years of deconstruction and was really feeling the hole in my life from the loss of community. And then COVID happened. And then I went back to school to get my MSW and started a new career… and here I am 5 years later. After a particularly bad day this past week, my feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness were overwhelming in a way that actually scared me a bit. I believe in the idea that quite often “action is the antidote to despair” and I knew that the action I needed to take was to find a community of people that I know have each other’s backs and have similar values. People that make me feel safe when I am feeling anything but. So, I made the decision that I was finally going to check out the UUC in my town - I gave my family the option on whether or not they wanted to go with me and I was very pleasantly surprised that they were excited to go!

I’m really glad that we went this week because they were doing their annual water communion ritual and the message was on hopelessness. I cried. It was everything I needed to hear, and I’ve spent the last several hours letting it all sink in. I cried because I felt seen and supported even though no one there knew me… I knew they understood why I was there. I felt accepted and people were just genuinely glad that we were there. I asked my 10-year-old son what he thought of his experience there and he said “I like this place a lot! I feel really welcome here. I don’t feel like I don’t belong like I did when I went to other churches.” That made me really happy.

So, what brought me to Reddit? I don’t know why I hadn’t even thought about looking for a UU subreddit before, but I am glad that I went before I scrolled through here. I see other people have come here before with similar questions and thoughts lol. The two things that surprised me were, 1) There are not a lot of young people, and 2) we sang from a hymnal. What brought me to Reddit was that I am wondering how the heck people learn the songs and know them. I know each UU congregation is different and from what I understand, services are even drastically different from one week to another, but there were two hymnals full of music and I kind of felt overwhelmed at the idea of having to learn a whole bunch of new songs again.

Additionally, singing from a hymnal felt weird juxtaposed to a water ritual… and I think that it was weird for me because the water communion was so new and more aligned with my current version of spirituality and the hymns were an echo of my past. I have worked through a lot of my religious trauma so it wasn’t necessarily triggering, but it definitely left me wishing the music part of the UU service was different.

I think I might be open to learning some of these hymns because the lyrics seem like something I can get behind, but I feel like it takes me out of the purpose when I’m feeling confused and trying to follow along and process what I’m reading. I am a musician and so this part of worship is actually very important to me and I guess I had just pictured something different. I am not looking for manipulative, emotionally charged, repetitive worship songs I would’ve sang a decade ago, but I do like a little passion in my worship music and it would be nice to just know some of the songs because maybe I would be into them. I was laughing to my husband after we left, joking that I didn’t exactly think we were going to be singing “Prison Song” System of a Down style social justice lyrics (although I could totally get behind that lol), but I also didn’t expect it to be so traditional. So where does one become more acquainted with UU music/songs played during services?

I’m sure that there is some connection between the “traditionalness” of the service and the lack of young people there. I’m definitely going back next week to continue checking things out and will continue to do so… and maybe there are younger people involved in other associated groups. I’m a millennial in my late 30s and I know that my generation really, really needs to regain a sense of community that we have lost. And of course, we are not the only ones but the Boomers and Gen-Xers we were in a significantly different place in their lives at the same age as I am now. When it comes to religion, many in my gen have left the Christian church but we lived through peak purity culture, Teen Mania and Aquire the Fire, Joshua Generation, and Jesus Camp style childhoods, and our parents and families are still deeply entrenched and often in the MAGA cult - we’ve lost a lot of our previous community and we have this hole left within us that fuels a sense of disconnection. We are feeling isolated. And also, many of us are radicalized lol. I will just leave it at that.

We need more non-religion driven community organizing to restore connection so that we can help one another carry our individual and collective burdens instead of drowning alone. I would love for the UU congregation to be one of the solutions for that… but, I get the sense that it’s probably going to have to change to be more aligned with the needs of us “younger” folks. We don’t need worship to be the antithesis of the charismatic evangelical worship service and we don’t want it to match that energy either… but it kinda feels like I’m going to grandma‘s liberal Lutheran Church and if that’s what I wanted, I would go to one of those. Maybe I wanna do the yearly water ritual in a drum circle lol. Maybe I do wanna get my radicalized angst out through some loud music and dancing, reclaim what they tried to steal from us by manipulating our emotions.

Anyways, this has gotten long so TL;DR - I went to my first UUC service and really enjoyed the warmth and openness of the people there and my family felt very welcome. I enjoyed the message a lot as well as the symbolism in the various rituals. They are very involved in the community and I could absolutely see myself getting involved in some of the things they do. I am excited for my son to get involved as well. For me, the main drawbacks were the lack of “younger” people, my lack of knowledge about the music and the music style feeling more old school than anticipated - where does one become more acquainted with UU music/songs played during services or elsewhere?

Thank you all!

I’m (trying) to be a practicing Daoist. I’ve also started going to UU church. I feel conflicted. UU encourages us to step into the political/societal injustices around us, on the other hand Daoism speaks to letting go of that type of thing. If you are a Daoist how do you reconcile the 2?

Hello all, I emailed my local UU church expressing interest in joining because I can't shake the feeling that something's missing from my life as an atheist but I am getting some reservations before tomorrow.

1. I am a black male and am worried about not fitting in.
2. I'm autistic and worried about fitting in or maybe even being patronized.
3. I can't make it there cause I don't own a car and anyone who would take me does not approve of me doing this, so most weeks I would be on zoom.
4. This is more of a personal concern, but compared to the movies video games and sports I watch how ... unpretentious the newsletter they sent was. It gives me whiplash and red flags honestly.
5. I'm 24, so I'm worried I'll be the youngest person there voluntarily and between that and my race I'm worried no one will want to connect with me.

Are these valid worries to have?

Asalaam mu alaikum 👏

I used to be Sufi Muslim within the Naqshbandi Haqqaniyya order but lapsed due to the more dogmatic and anti secular nature of most Muslim lifestyle.

I had a spiritual experience that was so profound, that I have literally no other viewpoint on God except through a lense of Universalism and full love and acceptance of everyone. I identify as UU these days and I still want to practice my Islamic faith with these new values, I keep hearing there’s alot of Muslim UUs but I absolutely cannot find any lol, can anyone help me out?

Edit: This isn't to disprove or argue against UU, as I am UU myself, I am just proposing an argument from the perspective of Christian U and Christian UU :)

An argument for Christian Universalism: Law of Expanding Eternality.

This Law states that for God to be infinitely Merciful, infinitely Loving, and Infinitely Forgiving, these natures of God must not have any limitations or barriers, which means these natures expand infinitely and cover eternity in every capacity.

Because this is the case, there can be nothing that limits, alters, distorts, or prevents these natures from encapsulating every aspect of existence, which leaves the concept of sin leading to punishment as contradictory to God’s nature which is impossible as God has no contradictions in His nature.

Therefore, the only reasonably and conscious position is that truly, God will save everyone and all will find union with their Creator.

Tell me your thoughts on this! :)

Context: I attended the Labor Day parade in my city with my wife and two kids. I am in the process of joining the Unitarian Universalist congregation near my house so we decided to stand with them in the parade.

Event: Near the end of the parade the Republican county committee was marching. When we saw them coming there were lots of anti-Republican comments but when they passed I was the only one booing. My wife says I was an asshole and I should have considered everyone else.

At first I didn’t think I was but upon reflection I believe she may have been right. I was hoping to get your perspective before asking at the congregation.

Edit to add: this is a throw away account

I’m looking to deepen my UU experience beyond my local congregation by watching some of the more engaging and thought-provoking Unitarian Universalist sermons available to watch online.

If there’s a recorded sermon that moved you, challenged your thinking, or sparked deep reflection, whether it’s from your local congregation, a General Assembly, or an amazing UU minister from a great congregation, I'd love to hear about it.

I'd appreciate Youtube links or even just the name of the speaker or their website. I just watched Dr. Molly Housh Gordon's "How to have an enemy" which was awarded the 2024 Skinner Sermon Award (and I need to watch it again). I've also watched some sermons with my non-UU wife including "Living with Purpose", part of a 2022 series by the Rev. Amanda Poppei, because I hoped they would reach her at this challenging turn in her life's journey. I enjoy Rev. Amanda.

Thank you all.

Hey everyone,

I’m 39, from the Dominican Republic. I grew up Catholic but over time became more of an agnostic skeptic. I have a hard time believing in anything supernatural. That said, I really want community and sometimes feel envious when I hear people talk about having a relationship with God or finding meaning through faith. Most churches here are very conservative, though, and I struggle to fit in — especially since I’m kind of a political centrist.
I’ve been reading a bit about Unitarian Universalism.
So, I’m curious:

• Do UU spaces welcome skeptics like me?
• Are there online UU services I could check out to get a feel for it?
• How do UU communities handle different political views?

Thanks in advance! I’m just trying to figure out if UU could be a good spiritual “home” without having to pretend to believe things I don’t.

Hello all, I’m 34 white female accountant interested in visiting my local UU. For context I’ve grown up in the deep Midwest Bible Belt. My mother was a catholic and my father is a baptist. While I never converted to either faith I grew up around it and so picked up some of the beliefs over the years. But that’s also changed over time..I’d say I identify as agnostic I’ve always thought the writings of the old testament were quite pretty and catchy like a good story..but I also feel it was written by humans trying to make sense of god through their own experiences. There was no breath of god stuff. I feel Jesus was a unique maybe special man who perhaps had visions of prophecy from god but was not the son of god. I definitely don’t understand god as 3 beings and so god as just one being makes total sense. I’m trying to find a community who might be understanding. And I think UU might be for me..

My only issue is the nearest UU congregation is 1 hour and 30 minutes away by car…sigh..I might drive up the once to check it out.

Can anyone recommend a book I can order?

Hi there— 37 year old white cis gay man. I was born Jewish and my husband was born Christian. We were married in a mostly secular ceremony that incorporated a chuppah and breaking a glass mostly because they were cute and we liked them. Our officiant was secular and everything else was. We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas and Passover and Easter.

I grew up decently observant but I feel myself pulling away from organized religion or jaded by it. At the same time I do kind of miss it. My husband mostly identifies as agnostic.

We live near a big UU congregation. They run a weekly soup kitchen and seem very LGBTQ friendly too. I’ve toyed with checking it out both to volunteer at the soup kitchen and to participate in services.

UU feels like a community where we can embrace being a mixed religion household and also question the traditional notion of God. Is that fair to say? Anyone else here in a mixed marriage? I really want to check out the congregation but my engrained guilt about exploring anything outside Judaism is holding me back.

Tl;dr Gay Jewish guy in a mixed marriage with an agnostic Christian guy thinks UU could be a great community for us as a mixed marriage household that isn’t terribly religious or observant but is nervous to check it out

Right now it looks like UUA requires a M.Div. In order to be a minister in fellowship with the UUA.

In your mind is this still a relevant requirement or should there be alternative pathways?

Do you think this will ever change?

It’s my personal belief that reliance on a degree as a gatekeeper for ordination/fellowship is woefully outdated. I understand that a M.Div. provides certain skill sets that are beneficial as a minister but those skill sets are transferable.

Pastoral counseling requires communication skills, sociology skills, and psychology skills.

Writing and presenting sermons require communication skills, research skills, and again some basic sociology and psychology.

Supporting a church or community through the operations side of things relies on knowledge of business and law that are not even taught in most seminary programs!

Lastly the most important part of UU ministry is understanding the complex interplay of beliefs and backgrounds in your church as well as how to pull from a wide variety of sources to do that. Currently the UUA only recognizes M.Div. Degrees from an Association of Theological Schools accredited program. Outside the two UU schools none of the others focus on an interfaith approach! They all focus primarily on Christian Theology and Dogma. Not only is this limiting but it’s also highly exclusionary to those of a non-Christian background.

I believe it is high time we return to the practices of the church forefathers and look for competencies not degrees. A person from a different background can absolutely be the minister others need so why not let them?

Another point is that higher degrees cost money. Someone like myself who sought out other higher degrees can’t afford to go to seminary. Is it fair to exclude people like me who went for work related degrees but who would love to serve, possibly in a part time role or maybe transition into ministry entirely?

Now that I’ve been on my soapbox, what’s your take and is there something I’m missing? I’m always happy to hear from others and learn.

Estoy buscando p un servicio uu en linea. Porfa avisame si sepa alguno. No importa el pais.

I'm looking for a UU service online in Spanish. Please let me know if you know of any. The country doesn't matter.

The building is very accessible, which made the whole experience far less intimidating for me. The parking lot has ample disabled parking and a ramp directly to the front door. I was greeted warmly and welcomed readily.

The chalice lighting is a beautifully simple way to signify the start of service. As a Pagan, it's not unlike lighting a candle to start a ritual, spell, or meditation. It was comforting to draw some parallels between what I was observing and what I practice at home.

Today's service featured Bob Sanders, of Ride Against War on Gaza (RAW Gaza), whose sentiments I greatly appreciated in the midst of so much vitriol and sensationalism in the media. Hearing someone speak reasonably on the matter was refreshing and helpful. Sanders delivered an explicitly anti-Zionist, anti-genocide message. He emphasized his disappointment and grief that his fellow Jews have become the perpetrators of exactly the kind of horrors they suffered during the Holocaust.

🗣️"I'm pro-peace... I support the right of anybody who is oppressed to resist," said Sanders.

In the Pagan community, we often talk about the "buzz" we get from participating in group ritual work. It's the sensation of all the energy in the air around and between us as we haggle with unseen forces and channel shared intentions. It's a feeling that tells us the working has some zip to it. It's not easy to build that kind of energy; and it's even harder to maintain it. I was happily buzzing on the kindness, sincerity, and empathy in the room.

I will definitely be returning. I look forward to building community, meeting more like-minded people, expanding my spiritual perspective, and adding a sense of structure into my practice.

I’ll try to make this short. For the past three years, I was being misgendered and hearing transphobic and misogynist language from a high ranking member of my UU congregation. I would talk to them and correct them on the language used, be told that they would carefully consider it, and only hear the exact same hateful language. I brought it to my minister who seemed genuinely concerned and said they would take action. I was told I’d have a meeting date and an update in two days after following up a month later. I waited another week, followed up again, and was told not to rush things and that there was still no update. I waited an additional two months and asked for an update and got crickets. Only when I informed another member who was on the minister election committee did I get a response two weeks after that saying how they didn’t see my last email but again no update.

I let the minister know that due to the lack of communication, lack of action, and feeling unsafe, I would be exploring other congregations. I got a very dismissive email in response, just saying they support my family’s search for a new spiritual community. No acknowledgment of the harm or the long delay. They had previously said they understood how hard it was for me to continue attending during this time.

Now there’s a vote coming up to elect this minister as permanent. I sent a detailed account of everything that happened to the board over a month ago. I just found out that my and my husband’s memberships seem to have been removed even though we never resigned and the minister knew that we occasionally attended other congregations due to my pagan beliefs. The board member who was supposed to follow up still hasn’t contacted me after a month and a half, and I was intending to resign after I casted my vote next month pending the result..

I’m hurt by what happened with the original person, but also deeply hurt by the minister’s inaction and by the board’s silence. I have found another congregation, but I’m not sure if I will ever trust a congregation or minister fully again. I know this shouldn’t be normal, but I need to ask if others have experienced anything like this. We have to do better as a faith community when it comes to confronting hate and actually caring for people who are in pain. I wouldn’t have posted this if anyone had communicated with me. Thanks for your time and care and sorry about the long post.

My name is Timothy. I’ve been surviving alone since I was 14. My father died suddenly. My mother changed. She sold the truck he left me, my inheritance, my rite of passage. Gone.

The only other inheritance I had was a few thousand dollars from my grandfather’s trust fund. I was 15. My mother tricked me into signing it over and her boyfriend spent it all on crack. That money was supposed to give me a shot. Gone.

No parents. No grandparents. No safety net. I worked as soon as I could. I last did Doordash and finally built some savings. Then my car broke down. I spent everything trying to fix it. When I couldn’t, I had to sell it for scraps.

Now my girl and I live week-to-week in a motel. I’ve applied everywhere, reached out to charities, churches, 211, United Way. Nothing. Social media mocks me: “DoorDash isn’t a real job,” “Why doesn’t your girl work,” “Get a job.” They don’t get what it’s like to fight alone while others get lifelines handed to them.

Our weekly rent is due Sunday. I don’t know how we’ll make it. I’m broke. I’m not asking for sympathy. I just want to be heard.

I went 28 years without asking for help. Even after everything, I never asked until I absolutely could not do anything. That shows my character and my resilience.

I’m still in the process of rebuilding my health after a long stretch of extreme malnutrition. It’s been slow going, but I’m trying to stay focused and keep moving forward while managing the other challenges I’m facing.

Hi there. Quick backstory about me: I was raised Catholic, and even attended Catholic school for years. After realizing that I could never fit into the mold they demanded, I have left religion almost entirely after dabbling in a few different philosophies. At this point, it's all I can do not to hiss and snarl when someone gets religious at me (I'm kidding, I do have manners) BUT I live in the Bible belt so it's inescapable and so I just smile and nod.

I want to check out UU as a sense of community because I don't really fit in many other places, but I have two questions (also they're stupid questions because I'm a very shy and awkward human):

1. Can I just show up to any particular Sunday worship? Is that acceptable?

2. What, generally, should I wear? I don't really dress up (I sort of live in jeans and tee shirts) and I am highly uncomfortable in an actual dress, but I'd like to at least not stand out too much.

Yes, they sound like small things, but please humor me because these questions have kept me from going for like a year now. Thank you.

Edit: I went to today's sermon and it was pretty cool. Nice message and really nice people. I didn't go to coffee hour because I was a little overwhelmed, but I did talk to a couple of people and yoink some of the brochures to bring home. Overall, I'm glad I went. Thanks all.

I’m loving these—refreshing and comforting in these terrible times.

https://secure.everyaction.com/xTtjcRmugk-nFKl6GNMsxQ2

Hey, I am interested in joining a UU community in the Philippines. Anyone here knows anyone in a UU community from this Southeast Asian country please message me.

Also, why are you a Unitarian Universalist?

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?

https://uua.wufoo.com/forms/qvw53890r1qzjb/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMHWbBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHo7G4QLzLlO8rZyF7OfFZbeMSSQQw-iY84tXsHW3znGwDxjsc8uTGcYa_efp_aem_K6CUQv3nPSSWV4EoENvkig

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.

Please only vote if you’re UU. Lurkers please choose the last option

View Poll

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.