From the author: "The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is attempting to both increase general UU membership and greatly increase racial minority membership. While the goals are admirable, the UUA’s approach is ill-conceived and likely to fail."

https://davidcycleback.com/2022/05/05/why-the-uua-is-doomed-to-fail/

First off, I have been attending a Baptist church for the last year or so. I started going after an experience with God; I was an Athiest, who prayed out of desperation, and my prayer was answered. I love the church I attend, the pastor has been a great tutor for me and has helped me understand the Bible and a bit about God. My problem is that I've always felt a bit outside. I have a real hard time accepting Jesus as a God-Man and the trinity seems strange to me still. I prefer to think of God as acting through the limits of the Universe, miracles can happen, but they are within the boundaries of what is actually possible. I believe God can do miracles, but for example, I don't believe in the virgin birth.

I've read a bit about Unitarianism on Wikipedia, and it seems more right, as far as how it aligns with my beliefs. Would you say this is correct? I would like to more firmly understand what a Unitarian is and what they believe regarding Jesus and God, as well as how they think of scripture and other works.

I consider myself Christian Universalist meaning for me that I don’t believe in damnation, at least not in the infernal suffering sense. I was raised Protestant, namely Baptist and Methodist. I’ve been to an Episcopalian church and I liked it, I liked the people. I don’t know how common it is for Catholics to be Universalists or for Universalists to incorporate Catholic practices into their lives, such as the rosary. I have rosary beads and I want to incorporate that into my life. I don’t know of any specifically Catholic Universalist churches, but I suppose there is probably something like it somewhere.

Hey! I'm coming to my first UU event next week but I have a few questions regarding the demographic. I understand that UU is all-inclusive and accepting and the principles are the reason I want to be apart of UU, but I am a little bit self conscious about not being around my age group. I'm 19M and Asian descent, would there be any members around my age?

It was a bit of a culture shock. I’m used to fancy graphics, rock bands, and flashing lights with my Sunday message. I’m used to feeling uncomfortable in the seats, sticking out like a sore thumb with my not-so-passing trans self. I didn’t feel right at home per say. I didn’t feel terrible either. I’ve been questioning the beliefs I was raised with for a long time and it’s hard to find a religious home or community that I connect with. So, UU Reddit, I ask you: why do you believe what you believe? What does this church have to offer? I understand about love and inclusion, but what are the deeper meanings behind the beliefs? In general, what would you want someone testing the waters like me to know?

EDIT: Thank you guys so much for the responses! You all have been so nice. Reddit is always hit or miss with engagement when I post. I’m very grateful for each and every comment though. Getting some insight into what I’m stepping into is definitely making my choice easier. I will try to ask about getting more involved next weekend. I also saw something on my local church’s site about a newcomers kind of class. I’ll check that out as well.

Greetings.

So, I recently got involved in theologic questions, and came across this post, in wich someone explain that God hate him because he had sexual relations, notably with people of the same sex.

I try to explain to him that homosexuality isn't a sin, and that it is okay, but there also are some people that tells him he can't be forgiven, that homosexuality will forbid him to have the love of God and these things.

I can see he is distressed, and I want to help him, but I think that if I am alone in saying that God love him, while other people send their favourite homophobe passages of the bible, he risk to get to hate himself more and more.

Do you think you could help him ? I just ask you to be kind and patient.

​

The link to the post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/u2r5wc/losing_my_mind_seeking_god_but_he_rejected_me/i4kue16/?context=3

is there any online UU services that are online? if not would anyone wish to organize one? perhaps we could do it in vr

sat siri akal, and hello everyone. I am a sikh without a Gurdwara (sikh temple) in my area. from what i have read the UU looks like an accepting place, and i am wondering how it would be to attend a service with you all? in Sikhi we have a concept called "sat sangat" the sangat is the people around you on a similar journey through spirituality, or their quest to understand god/the universe. i feel like i am missing this aspect in my life currently. as a Sikh we believe all god/gods are the same just described and worshiped in many different ways, as long as the people/person of any religion are on the path to be closer to whatever they believe we are all the same. we are taught that there is truth in all different paths, and encouraged to learn from and about other religions. would a bearded man with a turban be welcome in the UU? would there be opportunity to involve myself and serve the congregation and the community? thank you for your time.

Do any of you have any resources for individuals abused by religious professionals as adults? I have exhausted my resources and do not wish to report by the UUA.

This past week I was so nervous, because I had volunteered to speak to my local UU community. I did on Sunday and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

I’ve been just thinking about the future and I feel that of all the churches I’ve researched, if I wanted to take my future children to a church and make that a part of their life, the UU church is the one I most would want to become a member of. My question though is this: as a queer family (I’m a lesbian and so I’d be attending this church with my wife and kids) would I be welcome, and would there be a decent portion of queer couples and families who attend? I want my kids to be exposed to other families like theirs and I’m curious for people who already attend what the demographic of the average congregation tends to be like.

A few months early but I'm preaching Flower Communion and want to know what everyone's favorite part is while I put together the order of service.

Can I believe in a pantheon of gods and still be a UU?

https://www.docdroid.net/auOOaC6/erwin-schrodinger-my-view-of-the-world-2008-cambridge-university-press-pdf

I've been UU off and on for several years, but only the past few months have I been in a place in life (and physical location) to be able to join and regularly attend an actual UU church, which I absolutely love. My partner and I recently got engaged and we're discussing having the wedding at the church, led by our minister (which I suppose is typical of church members). I've been curious, how does a UU wedding differ from a more traditional Christian wedding (I was raised Southern Baptist so that's my main frame of reference)?

My husband (36M) and I(35f) attended the only UU in our city today for the first time. I was very surprised by how outdated everything seemed. I am atheist, but was raised in a charismatic non-denominational Christian church... We had great music with a large band and several singers, and the place was lively and, well, charismatic. There was always a great buzz in the air. I didn't expect that of the UU; I'm weary of charismatic leaders anyway (too much hype, not enough substance), but I didn't expect this to be so... Boring.

This UU sung from a hymn book. It felt like the times when I was a child and went with my friend to her grandma's church... I'm not trying to be rude; just blunt. My husband and I couldn't think of the words to describe how the reverend spoke, but my husband mentioned he felt like he was at a slam poetry event. She spoke in flowery language but then in the next sentence would describe in layman's terms what she meant. 🙄 Lots of talk of social justice, which is good. But nothing was really uplifting, nor did it give a sense of community. Maybe I'm being too harsh for my first time, but I've read in this sub from others who talk about how UU is failing to attract younger members, and I can greatly see why. I still filled out the paperwork with our info and turned it in, and we were happy to donate as well. Just disappointed and wishing we found somewhere fun-ish/inspiring/energetic where we belong, without the dogma that comes from regular churches.

What kinds of things would you hear about in a UU sermon? Like what kinds of things would they talk about, and what kinds of things would your kids learn about in them? I am just curious.

I am always interested in how people find out about UU. Please select how you came upon it and if what you have experienced is not an option in the poll, please feel free to comment below. Thanks and have a great day!

View Poll

Lately, I have been heavily questioning my religious beliefs. I grew up in a Christian household with somewhat liberal views compared to the people surrounding me. Though, my family still has some more conservative views on certain issues. After interacting with the more conservative/fundamentalist side of Christianity I have become more disillusioned with it as a whole. Yet I still have a hard time coping with the existential dread that comes along with atheism. I used to feel a deep connection to the world and people that I no longer do. I have always had more humanistic/progressive views and heard this place might be a good fit. Has anyone here experienced this? Does anyone here consider themselves religious? Any advice on how to navigate this problem?

https://www.vocesnovae.org/vonnegut-requiem

So I was introduced to Kurt Vonnegut through Slaughterhouse Five in high school English class; it became my favorite book and Vonnegut my favorite author. I may even have this requiem played at my funeral in addition to having "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt" inscribed on my tombstone.

Hi everyone, I found out about this religion (if thats what you call it?) from my (future) university’s resources for LGBTQ people wanting to find churches/temples/etc. I was raised Christian, pretty conservative, so being a lesbian has made it difficult to have religious or spiritual beliefs. I’m not necessarily atheist either though. Anyhow, when I went to the churches website I really loved a lot of things it said, but I also noticed it was very vague. I’m curious what a service actually looks like. Do a lot of people have different beliefs? Is there any set belief on like God or gods etc? I will most likely try the UU church there when I move in August as well as the Episcopal church. I just don’t know what to expect. Thanks!!

I consider music in its various forms to be a spiritual force, capable of touching people's hearts and making their lives richer, even if for a short time. We need it just as we need food, water, and oxygen.

So I invite all members of this subreddit to submit their favorite and most inspirational songs and musical works for all to listen to and learn from. And I will start with this:

Valley of Healing Waters - 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-befrYhjEOY

I'm still figuring out if UU is the right path for me. I've been thinking a lot about the first principle and how challenging that can actually be.

Of course it informs us that actions which violate the worth and dignity of the individual ought to be condemned and never tolerated, actions including but not limited to murder, rape, child molestation, assault, abuse, discrimination, white supremacy and many others. But that's the easy part, isn't it?

But how are we to affirm the worth and dignity of even the people who themselves have commited these acts, ie. the rapists, murders, assaulters and oppressors? To my mind, the first principle firstly rejects the idea that anybody is "born evil", and that every person has the inherent potential for goodness.

Secondly, it seems to inform that even in the case of someone who has commited terrible actions and needs to face the consequences of those actions (for example being removed from society and placed somewhere where they can't cause further harm) we still have a moral obligation to see the human being and that we ought to oppose capital punishment or any form of cruel and unusual punishment and that the first aim of justice should always be rehabilitative/restorative rather than punitive for the sake of vengeance.

I also have the thought that harmful actions themselves are not the result of some supernatural evil, but rather (often but not always) the result of traumas, mental defects, mental illness, and other factors that a society is better able to address when we do recognize that every person has inherent worth and dignity. That's not to say that people don't have personal responsibility for their actions, but rather that we shouldn't dehumanize anybody, regardless of what they have done, as a pretext to treat them as though they are some kind of monster rather than human.

Lastly, I suspect the first principle is the first precisely because it is challenging and difficult, and it does present certain paradoxes.

I don't know really what other UU's think of all this. I don't know if this is what is actually meant in the first principle. Maybe I have it all wrong? What are your thoughts? Would this community be a good place for me?

EDIT: I want to thank the people who have shared their thoughts with me, on this post and others I have made recently. I have come to the conclusion that UU is not the path for me. I simply cannot reconcile the first principle, and the contradictions I see within it, with my own view and experience of human nature. Nor can I with those I see in some of the other principles as well. In some ways I admire you all. But I don't think I'm one of you. So I think I'll return to the outskirts, and wander for a while longer.

because so far, the answer I'm getting is no, not really. I'm sensing a lot of using the fourth principle as an excuse to be either outright phobic or to "both sides" issues of bigotry. See:

https://old.reddit.com/r/UUreddit/comments/ualfsr/is_there_a_specific_reason_for_the_existence_of/i6j1n2q/?context=10000

I'm honestly not trying to stir anything up, I just feel disappointed rn.