The comedy series Pen15 actually has a UU main character whose church isn't treated like a joke (hey, Simpsons!). I've never seen that before to this extent (this is where you feel free to tell me I'm missing some obvious reference).

(NPR story where creator/star Anna Konkle mentions UU background, warning for sexual content)

Now, I know it's not a show for everyone (gets pretty uncomfortable at times, but is hilarious IMO), but it was super refreshing this season just to see a UU church youth group, some UU stuff in the community, and even a UU service, like you would any other religion that a character happened to be part of. Chalices in the background and all.

Two discussion questions:

Did the youth group give anyone else flashbacks to their '90s/early 2000s YRUU or RE experience?

And equally important, does anyone's real church have quilts draped on all the pews? It seems like something we'd do. 😉

I'm more aligned with UU than I am with liberal Christianity, and I should probably be able to find my home there, but I just cannot with my local church. Maybe I'm stuck in the past - they had a great, challenging, interesting minister years ago (he retired). I attended yesterday, the current minister tends to "scold" the congregation for all the things they aren't doing well enough (having their own beliefs, not being covenental enough, not respecting "God language" and Christianity enough, posing the possible risk that we won't do what minister wants us to do next with sufficient seriousness and reverence ). I really don't need to spend my Sunday socially distanced, in a mask, scolded, and then hustled out (because no coffee hour and no socializing permitted at this time). I'm also now wondering if minister really does respect humanists and others who aren't of minister's particular "pro-God-talk" mindset. What will we be "corrected" for next?

I want UU to survive, I think that it offers something that we need and cannot usually get elsewhere, but sometimes I look at individual churches and wonder how that will be possible.

Lately, I have been a spiritual wanderer sort to speak attempting to find a place that best fits my understanding of spirituality, ethics, morals, etc.

For while (since 2016), I’ve been as involved as I can with many religious communities attempting to find what fit the best.

Admittedly, I was reluctant to embrace the UU church. Not because it was a bad option, quite the contrary actually, but because I felt for some reason my beliefs already existed in full in some crevice of a pre-established religion with it’s own book or doctrine detailing a comprehensive theology, etc.

To my dismay that doesn’t seem to be the case. Atleast not in a mainstream sense.

I come from a Mahayana Buddhist background. The Dharmic religions always seemed to have made the most sense to me but I’ve always appreciated Abrahamic religions as well. I still have a great interest in them.

I also am very much interested in the occult and esoteric world concepts. I also have a background in New Ageism and upon recently learning it’s esoteric ties I enjoy their ideas very much.

Ultimately, because I haven’t made a decision I lack what I really want in a religion which is a sense of community to share and discuss beliefs with people but also put into practice in a very real and tangible way of helping people.

It does concern me how UU doesn’t have a holy text, rituals, etc but that’s only because that’s what I often associate a religious body to have. However, I guess in this case it’s a good thing because it alleviates the church from being dogmatic.

View Poll

I live about 45 min out from KC (Kansas side). There is a local UU congregation where i live, but they are still closed due to COVID, and there were no people my age in the Zoom service I went to, and that makes connecting with others and making friends hard. So, I figured I would expand my search. Are there any good UU congregations in KC? I have been watching some services of All Souls Unitarian in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and noticed that there's a congregation of the same name in KC. Are they affiliated or similar at all? Thanks!

Wear a mask in public and get vaccinated in order to protect others from getting the virus?

View Poll