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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Anyone a UU, but not in with their "local" congregation?

By: /u/chaseraz β€”

I found UU in my early 20s. Now I'm late 30s. After many years away I went back to my closest and local UU where my journey first started.

It didn't resonate with me and I felt majorly disconnected and dispassionate about the way things are there. It's lay-led, not really in touch with the UUA (massive infighting broke the church into factions years ago), and they're great... but that's not what I'm looking for.

Does anyone else belong to a non-local church when a local one is available? I like the online outreach of some of the bigger UU churches across the country and have debated if that's enough (I'd like to join a congregation again) for those who do it.

I get it... other religions often get to try out churches until they find one they like, but I'm very used to a "we've got one UU per metro, this is what's here" mentality.

I could use some advice or stories (especially stories).

submitted by /u/chaseraz
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour December 11, - December 13,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

UUs, politics, and social media

By: /u/squaricle β€”

Hi, all! Very new to this subreddit but I grew up UU and have a question for all of you. How do you deal when you see other UUs on FB or other platforms posting things (frequently political) that do not align at all with our values? I know the UU values are a lot harder to actually live than people think, but it makes me really sad.

Has anyone ever tried to bring this up in a congregation? I feel like calling folks out online usually just ends badly. What are your experiences with this?

submitted by /u/squaricle
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Exploring UUA and looking for some ways to participate, despite pandemic.

By: /u/zorandzam β€”

Hi, I've been curious about UUA for a long time, and I'm looking specifically for ways to join a virtual community, at least until churches can fully reopen. There are two UU congregations near me, but even before the pandemic, I felt very shy about trying to join. Part of that may be due to why I don't feel comfortable with traditional organized religion, and part may be due to fears about how family members might react. So, since most things are virtual anyway, I'm wondering if there are specifically active groups to sort of give me a feel for what it would be like to join a real UUA congregation later. What kinds of activities do your congregations offer? What goes on at a typical service?

I'm also curious about UU congregations that aren't official members of the UUA, because one of the groups near me calls itself UU but is not actually in the UUA, as far as I can tell. Is that a red flag? Or is it just a paperwork sort of thing? It's an extremely small, new church, so perhaps is there a benefit to staying outside the system at that stage?

A little bit more about me: I was raised ELCA Lutheran, went to a Marianist Catholic undergrad, another Catholic grad school, and due to the sheer level of...I don't want to say "zealotry," but the level to which my parents really, really lean into their faith and have used it as a means of excluding and judging others, I got very, very turned off from all mainstream, organized religion. I am a political progressive, extremely invested in social justice, and support the rights of all marginalized people. Spiritually, I do retain some respect for Jesus (my joke is that I like Jesus but not his fan club), but I don't know about his divinity or if divinity is even a thing. I am a yoga practitioner and find myself drawn to some elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, although I don't know as much about either as I would like, and I am also drawn to some elements of Wicca and Paganism. I practice chakra meditation. I have a sense of an afterlife, the interconnectedness of all living things, and believe that the best way to channel spirituality is through empathetic actions and behaviors, including being truly kind and emotionally generous with others.

Given that, and what research I have done, I feel like UU might be a good fit for me, especially because I do have fond memories of church as a kid and being essentially "neutral good" in my spiritual alignment, I really miss the sense of community and connection that church offers, but I also don't want to be preached at or aligned with people who are judgmental or closed-minded.

Any help or advice anyone can provide would be great. Thank you so much! :)

submitted by /u/zorandzam
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Ok , just blunt and quick to the point , how do you like the uu

By: /u/totallyamateurartist β€”

I used to be Mormon and I don’t want to be dragged through that mess again

submitted by /u/totallyamateurartist
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Introduction

By: /u/2005-2075 β€”

POTATOES!!!!!

Now that I have your attention, it's time for my origin story. I was brought up in the Catholic Church for the first twelve years of my life, before I developed an urgent need to explore other religions. My grandmother, a faithful Christian in her own right, helped me do so for two years, until she died in a coma. I was naturally quite upset. That turned into mental health issues, but I won't bore anyone too much with that. Besides, I'm doing much better these days. Anyway, I discovered Unitarianism, a Christian theological movement which believes that God is only one person, not a Trinity, and values freedom of thought, the pulpit, and the importance of reason. It made logical sense, so I accepted it. I also stumbled upon Unitarianism Universalism, and I've been quite fond of it for a long time. So that's why I'm here.

Thanks for reading.

submitted by /u/2005-2075
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour December 04, - December 06,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Question: Gay and Catholicism

By: /u/Jesus4Forever β€”

I am a 25 yr old homosexual Man and I am still a virgin as well. I have been trying to save myself for marriage but the catholic church denies gay marriage. I also would like to be a father one day as well. I know there are such things as Universalist Catholic Churches and they are known to be more liberal. I have not done my RCIA classes as of yet, which are classes you need to become catholic and get baptized, so I am not an actual catholic yet. Sadly there are no Universalist Catholic Churches in my area. Am I able to do my RCIA Class, but within the Universalist Catholic Church, not the conservative one, within any regular Unitarian Universalists Church. Is there any way they could hook me up in some kind of program. Also do the Universalist Catholic Church, which like I said are more liberal, allow gay marriage? Please let me know if there is anyway I could become catholic and if the Unitarian Churches have any programs.

submitted by /u/Jesus4Forever
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Any other UUs go to other church services?

By: /u/borosuperfan β€”

I was raised Catholic and remained active in the Church until I was 22. I left and didn't attend any services for about a decade. I discovered the UU Church and found a place for me intellectually and spiritually, but I have never enjoyed UU worship. So starting about a month ago I began attending mass again and I have enjoyed it.

I know it boils down to just being nostalgic, but it does feel like home even though I don't agree with much of the Catholic Doctrine.

Anyone else still attending services at their old church?

submitted by /u/borosuperfan
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

What are the best UU Congregations to check out in Manhatten, NYC? Specifically the more humanist UUs?

By: /u/pancake_gofer β€”

I’m a casual UU who’s curious about where to look for a UU Congregation in Manhatten, NYC. I grew up associated with a very liberal UU Congregation in the northeast. I’m looking for congregations in NYC that aren’t churchy and not primarily geared towards casual trinity believers. Just a chill congregation that has humanist discussions and people under the age of 40. Any recommendations?

submitted by /u/pancake_gofer
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

How was church this week? November 30, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

First time parents navigating holiday celebrations!

By: /u/ThePerch2 β€”

Christmas 1st time Parents

We’re agnostic, both raised in Christian households. This will be our first Christmas being parents. It’s a huge deal in both families, and a holiday we still participate in. But here’s what I’m looking for..

Fun holiday stuff aside, I want to teach (briefly) the story behind the holiday. At the same time, I’d like to make it a tradition to do an β€œaround the world” thing with a peep into other holiday celebrations & maybe more importantly, the religious stories behind those. Do y’all have resources for EASY teaching? What I mean is just a simplistic breakdown, like the kids’ version. Books, YouTube videos, movies?

It’s important to us to expose our kids to as much as possible. I’ve done some work myself in religious study, but holidays specifically, I’m less resourceful.

Hope that makes sense. I’d love to hear what any other families have implemented during the holidays!! TIA!

submitted by /u/ThePerch2
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

β€œLet us purge the statements of outgrown crudities, cruelties, falsities, blasphemies, Infamies! Let us dare to believe that the light of Lord today is holier than the mistakes about Him made by those who walked in darkness.”

By: /u/The-Sigma-Male β€”

From β€œOur Unitarian Gospel - Minot Judson Savage”, on this lovely Sunday morning let us try to see the our Lord without the prism of prejudice of someone else

submitted by /u/The-Sigma-Male
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour November 27, - November 29,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

How was church this week? November 23, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet

By: /u/The-Sigma-Male β€”

On this lovely Sunday morning, I would spur you to create your Book of Values, as Emerson did with his above quote. A master to follow, especially during trying times, when it seems like the arc of the Universe is bending from Justice. To remind ourselves that no matter what, Righteous Shall Live by Faith

submitted by /u/The-Sigma-Male
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Any UU gathering in South India?

By: /u/The-Sigma-Male β€”

I would like to know whether there are any UU gatherings in South India? I have not come across any yet.

submitted by /u/The-Sigma-Male
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour November 20, - November 22,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

How was church this week? November 16, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Chalica plans?

By: /u/craftyyuppie β€”

Fellowships who are 100%, how are you handling Chalica this year?

submitted by /u/craftyyuppie
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour November 13, - November 15,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Is UU *actually* unique/spiritually open-minded? Or is it mostly just low-key liberal christians?

By: /u/ZombieLord2 β€”

UU sounds interesting but every time I am interested in a local group, I read through their website and always end up getting the impression that's it's mostly woke/liberal christians who want a new way to worship god without conservative agenda. Which sounds totally cool for them and all but I am not interested in anything resembling any monotheistic religion. I don't want to attend a "new version of a christian church" because I am not interested in Christianity, period. What's your impression of your fellow members? What percentage of them identify with an Abrahamic religion? The fact that they call it "church" makes me suspicious. I know the website says they are open to all faiths and beliefs, But I am curious how many non-Christians you actually see and what the services are like.

submitted by /u/ZombieLord2
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour November 06, - November 08,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Ex Catholic looking to join Unitarian Universalism

By: /u/twixupmysleeve β€”

Hey everyone,

Hope you are all doing well. I am an ex Catholic looking for a new religion. I left the Catholic faith around 2 or 3 years ago because I felt it was to strict and judgemental, and have been on a journey of looking for a new religion ever since. I bounced from Atheism, The Satanic Temple, Paganism, and most recently following the philosophy of Deism which is how I found out about Unitarian Universalism. Basically I'm hoping to hear from members about why Unitarian Universalism is worth joining, and how welcomed I will be into this religion.

submitted by /u/twixupmysleeve
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

looking for nonpartisan alternatives to UU

By: /u/DiamondEyesFox β€”

looking for an openminded, secular (but not anti-religious) spiritual community where i can discuss the meaning, value and import of multiple religions and spiritual traditions, from a pluralist and nonpartisan intellectual standpoint.

i'd like to read and discuss Torah, stare in awe at icons, compare Gita and Gospel, Study Sutta, pray with Muslims (even as an athiest) and have fellowship with my fellow man in the diversity of understandings.

i'm partly seeking a sense of community

but the gadfly papers and their fallout makes me question if UU is really nonpartisan

it shouldnt be offensive to ask questions about something like gender and come to a diversity of opinions

im curious if its mostly an online phenomena

do UU's IRL also hold progressive politics to be a sort of revealed dogma?

not interested in being written off as a white male and being stereotyped when i walk through the door

submitted by /u/DiamondEyesFox
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour October 30, - November 01,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Soul Matters help

By: /u/estheredna β€”

I am so eager for Small Group ministry type programs, and our church has a Soul Matters group. I am grateful that a volunteer runs it. But oh my. Is it a slog. Every time it is a reflection on trauma. This month the theme is "Healing" and here's a handful of the questions to ponder: Has keeping the secret finally become too painful? Are you trying to forget when healing wants you to remember?.Do you need to be reminded that you made a mistake, not are a mistake? Is it possible to see pain as an invitation not just an enemy?

For some people pondering these topics is therapeutic. For others it is, frankl,y triggering. For me ......... I would love to include some theology as a prism to see this through. Not theistic, necessary, just some bit of guidance beyond "ponder your pain, and talk about it".

If you have any tips, or experience with Soul Matters or SGM, please share any tips.

submitted by /u/estheredna
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

How was church this week? October 26, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Really having trouble choosing a congregation

By: /u/knellerwashere β€”

I've been going to virtual services for two local congregations for a while with the intention of finding one to throw in with. I'm pretty split on which one I like better.

For one of them, the pastor has a stronger sermon, definitely better researched, and with more spiritual depth, though without being biased towards a particular theology. It also seems to be more established in their community (they seem to have more ministries and actually have a physical church). On the other hand, the music selection is really off-putting. The performers are talented, but the music choices do not speak to us. Additionally, the youth services (my wife and I are expecting) seem a tad underdeveloped, but it is also understandable since they seem like an older crowd.

The flip side is that the other congregation has a seemingly more developed youth program. The music selection is also much, much better. I think we might mesh better socioculturally with this crowd. However, while the youth services program is more developed, it also seems to be more social-club-y and less spiritually-oriented. Additionally, the sermons tend to hit a little soft with the message. Some of them even seem unprepared/improvised. Their ministries seem underdeveloped as well, and they don't have an actual chapel or physical base, but (pre-COVID) would rent the auditorium from a local high school.

I don't think I'm actually asking the community to pick for me. I am just asking for general advice on how to choose a congregation. Has anyone ever had this experience where they had ambivalence with all their options? If so, how did you reconcile it? Thanks!

submitted by /u/knellerwashere
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Weekend Coffee Hour October 23, - October 25,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

My Recent Experience with the Local UU Anti-Racism Team, a Mob, a SWAT team, and the FBI

By: /u/DogBuddy4 β€”

To begin, I've been a life long UU. Born and raised in a UU Congregation. I have been deeply concerned with the expansion of post-modernism French philosophy within what was our shared faith. My fear was that the new anti-racist/social justice movement was deeply totalitarian and purposefully discarded key foundations of Enlightenment values in the pursuit of "justice". My fears were realized over the past two or so weeks and I've debated sharing.

Why? Because I'm sure that what I've witnessed will be dismissed, it will be discredited - not because what happened was not as severe as I'm about to walk you through, but because the color of my skin and the fact that I'm in the wrong "tribe". I know this because five Unitarian Universalists were deeply involved in what I'm about to describe. Five Unitarian Universalists with good standing in the local congregation as well as the community at large. Five Unitarian Universalists who insist they have done nothing wrong and are fully justified in their actions because they were seeking equity for the injustices of white people on marginalized communities.

And I'm sharing this because I'm frankly very tired and what I have witnessed has made me give up all hope for the future of our species and has left me significantly depressed. I am posting this on the off chance that maybe I might reach one person, and make them take a moment to think.

Background

I'm a volunteer with a local food bank and have been working weekly on coordinating fund raising and food hand outs to our community. As a part of that we do outreach on the community Facebook page ("Hey everyone! We have milk available!" or "Hey everyone! We're setting a goal of $1,000 for fundraising this week!" - stuff like that). So a few weeks back as I'm putting our latest post up to let people know we have costumes available for kids, I notice a post has gone up from a prominent black community member. She owns multiple properties and has rotated between School Board and School Administrative positions in our city.

On Saturday she sends an email out announcing that our school distract has purchased enough copies of White Fragility for every parent and that they'll have consultants coming in to set up conversations for parents in the school district.

Currently our school district does not have enough computers or food for children. Since the end of last school year, the school board has failed to figure out internet access, tools, and food for children (something the local BLM group has protested about). Estimates from the teacher's union is that this program probably cost the school district roughly $400 to $500,000.

The Incident

The post begins by stating she hates the racism in our community, and goes on for about two paragraphs. In it she states a parent of a student has engaged in horrible white fragility and is a racist and she's sick of having to be "nice" to racists. She had received an "unsolicited and racist" email and this was an outrage for a school administrator trying to make the schools safer for children. It has been up for about 24 hours, and already has 130 comments. Most of the comments are very supportive of this school administrator. She has also posted another thread where she calls the parent out by full name. The parent doesn't respond.

Over the next 24 hours, the post comments grow. There are now 500+ responses to the first post. The second post (with the parent's name) get's pulled down. A new post goes up where the school administrator calls out the Facebook page moderators for enabling racism. This post quickly racks up over 800 responses within 3 hours.

Most of the responses are calling out racism, quoting Kendi, DiAngelo, and other critical race theorists. There was a shift, in the responses, from theory to action pretty quickly.

One poster states "I'm a Black Man with a gun and I'm sick of dealing with this." Another poster found the parent's Facebook page and pulled pictures of her children, put them up in the thread and in a new thread and said "[Name of Child 1] is a budding KKK member at [Child's address]. I think we know what we need to do." This was repeated for the other two children.

They found her place of work as well, and a group organized to harass the business owners until the woman lost her job.

Let's pause for a second.

Within 48 hours, a wealthy and influential black woman in our community has created a series of posts accusing someone of racism and hate. No proof has been offered. Just her word on the matter.

With just her word a mob has formed and called for "something to be done" against this woman's children. And herself. Unitarian Universalists were directly involved with this and encouraging the other posters.

The Response

Watching in growing fear and seeing messages start to come in to her work place, the parent at the center of this is terrified. She lives on a dead end street far from any main road and cars have been up and down her road slowing as they pass her house. At this point she has called the police. She will end up with a patrol car on her street for the next few days. Police also provide an armed escort to pick up two children who were in public schools.

By the third day, with post counts climbing, the parent decides (against my recommendation) to post a response. She puts up the email chain she had with the school administrator.

Two points: 1) The email from the parent was not racist. 2) The email was not 'unsolicited' it was a direct reply to the white fragility training.

I can't post the specifics because it involves a minor, but the parent's first email was fairly straight forward. The previous year, the youngest daughter of the parent was involved in "an incident involving race based threats as you are well aware". You being the school administrator. The parent then expressed concern that White Fragility and Antiracism training which tells people only whites can be racist and whites are all guilty of racism would not be a good thing for the school community based on the unnamed incident.

The school administrator was furious, and decided to share what the incident was to her followers.

The parent's youngest daughter was part of a group of white children who were targeted by black children for "elimination". They, the black children, stated in a video that was posted to YouTube, that they were going to "hunt and kill the blond haired ones" while pointing to 10 through 12 year old white kids on school grounds. The black kids were going to kill the white kids for justice.

I would learn later that the parent and the school signed an NDA about this incident, it was swept under the rug to avoid ruining the lives of the black kids, and that the parents of the targeted kids were offered 100% tuition at local private school on the school district's dime. The school administrator has now violated this NDA.

Her followers pounce on the post and start pointing out that white people aren't subject to racism, and also she had to know the black kids were just expressing their feelings about living in a system of white supremacy and wouldn't really kill those kids. And she was over reacting and totally racist.

In the posts from the school administrator they started mocking her and laughing about her kids being threatened. They made jokes about kids getting killed. They said it was clearly not race based because hair has nothing to do with race (though I wonder what would happen if someone said we'll kill the nappy hair ones).

Within four hours the parent took the post down. The local police had beefed up protection on her house and she had a police officer in her home.

The Fallout

A credible threat was identified against the parent in the morning of day four. A SWAT team was sent to the house of the individual and they were taken into custody. They had an unregistered 9mm handgun.

A lawyer working with the organization that runs the community page had the posts saved and pulled down. The local DA issued arrest warrants for multiple participants in the thread. For felony violations of local law.

The FBI became aware of the threats against the children. An investigation into the school district has been opened under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

State police are investigating violations of state laws regarding children in schools in conjunction with local police. If found guilty, the school administrator will be facing 10 years in prison.

Since this has occurred, multiple posts have gone up claiming the administrator as the victim. Including posts from the Unitarian Universalists. They have stated the parents have over reacted and nothing bad would have happened to them if they had just accepted anti-racism and admitted to their own guilt.

This has been supported by others in the community.

I wrote this post to try to process my emotions to this explosion. To the raw hate and pure evil that I witnessed. To talking to a parent who was so terrified for her safety and the safety of her children she was planning on fleeing the city. To being on zoom calls and listening to absolutely horrific racist ranting about white people and white children and that they not only deserve fear but even more - and declaring the FBI and local police reaction as an encouragement of white supremacy.

I'm shaken at the evil I have witnessed over the past two weeks.

I've looked into the eyes of white supremacists and seen similar hatred. Our rhetoric - be it white nationalist or anti-racism - is destroying us. I've seen Unitarian Universalists join a mob willingly, and gleefully, and decry the mob being stopped.

I don't know who you are anymore. There was a question asked on Reddit a few months ago: What would it take for you to stop being on the anti-racism train. The writer specifically asked "If you were asked to shoot a kid" would you stop.

I have the answer now. For five Unitarian Universalists, the answer is no. They would have happily cheered on the trigger being pulled.

submitted by /u/DogBuddy4
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☐ β˜† βœ‡ WWUUD?

Sources about Unitarianism in the 18th and 19th century

By: /u/CharlesEpoche β€”

Hi there

I'm from Europe and have to draft a short paper (about ten pages) for university (sience of religion). The topic is up to my choice. My choice of preference would be to write about the history of the Unitarianism movement with a main focus on the 18th and 19th century, i.e. around the time of the foundation of the USA.

I've already found a good introductory YouTube video: The Rise and Fall of Unitarianism in America

From there and from further research I've already found a bunch of sources, listed further down below. But do you have any other good sources about this topic? Mostly I'd be interested about the impact, if there's any, from Unitarian beliefs into the Declaration of Indepence and the US Constitution. Additionaly, I'd also like to touch the topic of the relationship between Unitarianism and Transcendentalism. Thank you very much for your highly appreciated answer ?!Bowers, J. D, 2007: Joseph Priestley and English Unitarianism in America. Pennsylvania: Penn State University Press.

Bressler Lee, Ann, 2001: The Universalist movement in America, 1770-1880. New York: Oxford University Press.

Corbett-Hemeyer, Julia, 2016: Religion in America. New York: Routledge.

Detering, Heinrich, 2012: Thomas Manns amerikanische Religion. Theologie, Politik und Literatur im kalifornischen Exil. Frankfurt a.M.: S. Fischer.

Greenwood, Andrea / Harris, Mark W, 2011: An introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist traditions. Cambridge / New York: Cambridge University Press.

Harris, Mark W, 2009: The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism. Lanham: Cambridge University Press / Scarecrow Press / Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Harris, Mark W, 2018: Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism (Historical Dictionaries of Religions, Philosophies and Movements). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (2. Auflage).

Wilbur, Morse, 1950: A bibliography of the pioneers of the Socinian-Unitarian Movement in modern christianity in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland. Rom: Ed. di Storia e Letteratura

Lee, Wayne Richard, 1995: Strained Bedfellows: Pagans, New Agers, and "Starchy Humanists” in Unitarian Universalism. Sociology of Religion 56 (4), 379-396.

Macaulay, John A, 2015: Tree Stump or β€˜Treason?’ Unitarians Debate the Role of the Pulpit in the Age of Reform. Journal of Church and State 57 (3), 487-506.

Robinson, David, 1975: Jones Very, The Transcendentalists, and the Unitarian Tradition. Harvard Theological Review 68 (2), 103-124.

Sutton, Ian, 2010: Unitarians and the Construction of History and Biography, 1740–1820 The English Historical Review 125 (513): 314-339.

Vaca, Daniel, 2013: Great Religions’ as Peacemaker: What Unitarian Infighting Did for Comparative Religion History of Religions 53 (2): 115-150.

Melton, Gordon J. et al., 2017: Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions, Farmington Hills (Michigan) et al.: Cengage Learning.

Barker, Joseph (Hrsg.), 1845: The Works of William Ellery Channing in Six Volumes: London / Newcastle.

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Understanding Unitarian Universalism

By: /u/flameoguy β€”

I've been vaguely aware of the religion for a while, but I'd like to ask some questions about the specifics Unitarian Universalist teachings.

Looking at the movements that lead to the creation of the Unitarian Universalist church, I'm not really sure on the extent to which tradition is followed or the church follows any certain creed. Unitarians believed that God is one all-powerful person, and Universalists believed that all humans will be saved after death. However, neither of these beliefs are part of the church's seven principles. Are there additional teachings of the church outside of the seven principles? To what degree are Unitarianism and Universalism required to consider oneself a Unitarian Universalist?

The UUA website says that while the roots of Unitarian Universalism are Protestant, the modern church isn't really a kind of Christianity at all. Was there some kind of shift away from Christian teachings as a core part of the church? Do most Unitarian Universalists today engage with Christianity, even if it isn't mandated or required? Do practitioners believe that Jesus died so that our sins may be forgiven?

I know these are a lot of questions, and I greatly appreciate any response from the UU community.

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How was church this week? October 19, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

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UUs vs evangelicals: How they talk about race on Sunday

By: /u/marcmaxson β€”

I've been doing a monthly podcast for three years now -- the search for living prophets podcast -- where I've amplified the best voices from liberal religion. I've featured people from many religions, but #UU is the most commonly represented group.

I thought folks on this subreddit would be interested to hear one of the best non-UU speakers giving "the talk" about white privilege and being truly anti-racist that I've found recently. Here is episode #67 on itunes (but you can find it on Spotify "living prophets podcast" or anywhere else too). I really wish the many #UU churches I've attended over the years would have the guts to say to their quite-white congregations what is being said here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/67-how-are-evangelical-churches-talking-about-race/id1288415424?i=1000492567731

I should point out the obvious: Some #UU churches are saying this, and some (many?) evangelical churches are avoiding this topic. My purpose here is to amplify what needs to be heard by all of us.

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Went (Virtually) to my first service today

By: /u/dareka_san β€”

I've been Eying Unitarian Universalist for about a year now. It's defiantly something I wish I knew existed when I was younger. As a teenager I broke through being brought up in Catholicism with a pretty edgy atheism phase. As I've aged, while I'm still don't believe in literal deities or literal spirituality I do believe in a shared web of humanity that we are called to protect and grow. I don't think I've ever agreed with something more than the 7 principles UU's have.

The service was surprising competent from largely obvious non-technical people, great sermon, great everything.

I will definitely sit on the next few services, think I finally found a group of people that share the same basic principles as me.

Hopefully when the time comes, and the sun sets on coronavirus I will get to properly meet those in the church.

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2020 World Tour??

By: /u/Radiant-Kale β€”

Hello!

I’ve been brainstorming and thought it would be fun to attend online Zoom services at UU congregations around the United States and the World. And due to the time differences, I can attend most meetings and STILL go to my own!

I’m from a small congregation so meeting new UU’s is an exciting experience for me. But I’ve found that finding congregations active on Zoom (especially outside of the US) is difficult.

What congregations do you attend (if you don’t want to expose your location, you can list one you know about).

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Weekend Coffee Hour October 16, - October 18,

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Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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Looking for a home

By: /u/DiamondEyesFox β€”

ive been following UU and UU circles for the last few years in my search for a spiritual community and i've found alot to like, and alot to dislike

i grew up baptist and slowly fell out of faith and found traditions i believe to be valuable, (notably, Hinduism, Zen Buddhism and Taoism) and ive been looking for a place where all expressions are accepted

however, i was disappointed to find that when i looked into UU spaces and the dialogues that were being had, they were currently embroiled in the Gadfly controversy, and there was talk of certain expressions being too christian, or too white, and constant endorsement of a very particularly insidious form of identity politics.

i saw people tell others "the fact that you came to a different view than me means you arent being responsible enough in your free and responsible search for truth and meaning"

that "roberts rules are simply the constructs of white men and should be abandoned"

and there was all this talk about breaking covenants that made me wonder if you really are a creedal religion

can someone clear this up for me?

that was a few years ago and im hoping things have changed..

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Are my impressions off?

By: /u/knellerwashere β€”

I've studied/practiced many religions over the years. While I'm not part of a UU congregation currently, I have been in the past and have been thinking of checking one out in my current area.

One thing I've noticed is that it seems UU is the only arena where multiple faiths can cross paths. Not only that, they can get along with each other. My impressions is that this boils down to a philosophy that's essentially, "You do you, I'll do me".

However, I then consider the old parable of the blind men and the elephant. Each only feeling a part of the elephant and drawing their own (inaccurate) conclusions from there. I would think they all would have been better off comparing notes with each other. While they likely still not have developed a fully accurate concept of the elephant, they all would have come closer than their individual conclusions. It would have been a good method to help mitigate the shortcomings of the subjectivity of human experience.

And, so I wonder why UUs don't seem to do this (at least not in the congregations I've seen). Rather than throwing all the theologies together to triangulate or find the common threads that transcend subjectivity, the sociocultural dynamics are set up to preserve and insulate the individual experience. In other words, it seems encouraged to maintain individually constructed theosophy rather than attempt to connect our experience with others to expand, challenge, and possibly evolve a theology/theologies.

Maybe it was just the congregations I saw, but I felt it was essentially discouraged to have these conversations. Are my impressions not representative of UU at large? Or, if they are accurate, why are these conversations discouraged when there is potentially so much to gain from them?

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A non-liberal UU?

By: /u/AnOrthoprax β€”

Hello,

First off, when I say 'liberal' I do not refer to the modern sense of liberalism in American political discourse. Rather I refer to traditions and ideas that stem from the Enlightenment period of Western Europe.

I 100% agree with the UU perspective on God, no religion having a monopoly on truth & the path to salvation, and a commitment to spiritual growth in all it's forms.

However, I find that the reason I came to UU beliefs stems from a different philosophic approach. One I'll call the 'mystical' approach. Within pretty much all major philosophical and religious traditions there are mystic elements as relates to 'experience with the divine' and the 'oneness of God' and that these experiences are open to all who seek it.

Is this compatible with UU values?

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How was church this week? October 12, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

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Question about the congregation finder on uua.org

By: /u/knellerwashere β€”

I was looking up some UU congregations in my area with the finder on uua.org, and I notice that only some of them are indicated as LGBTQ Welcoming. What's up with that? I thought all UUs were LGBTQ-friendly.

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Unitarian Universalist exegesis of the Bible?

By: /u/AnOrthoprax β€”

Do you guys have any sources of Unitarian Universalist exegesis of the Bible? Could be a whole text, just a homily, a framework from which to view the text, doesn't matter.

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Weekend Coffee Hour October 09, - October 11,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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Deeds not creeds....but what about the liturgy?

By: /u/AnOrthoprax β€”

Hello, all. I've realized Unitarian Universalism aligns the closest by far with my ideals. I can't believe in damnation of others who haven't heard the name Christ but live as he did in every way. I can't believe that my church is the ONE TRUE CHURCH when Christianity has been an array of sects from it's inception.

That being said, my soul isn't sated at protestant style worship. Chanting, incense, ritual....it just does something for me. And I know it's not my upbringing because for most of my upbringing we attended modern American style non-denominational churches.

Are there UU churches that retain a more high-anglican, Catholic, orthodox style of worship?

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Weekend Coffee Hour October 02, - October 04,

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what should I do?

By: /u/LilyPotter123 β€”

I'm catholic. My whole family is also catholic. I'm 15 (getting confirmed in two weeks with my grandma as my sponser) I love being catholic, but there are certain opinions of the church I don't agree with. I am pro choice, agree with blm, a feminist, and a far left liberal. I don't want to leave the catholic church, but stuff I hear my fellow members say make me so sad. I heard about what happens in this church/fellowship/whatever it is from another post on reddit and it sounds great but I will miss the catholic mass. What should I do?

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"Attended" my first service yesterday

By: /u/maggie320 β€”

A little background. I am a 37 year old female who grew up in the Catholic church and attended Catholic school from Kindergarten through 8th grade up in New England. I recieved my sacraments through Confirmation which is when I started to shy away from the church. I never really felt a connection with religion or the church, even when I was little, but I had to go. When I started getting older was when I stopped going to church. I believe it was after I recieved Confirmation when I left the church, 9th grade. When I was a senior in high school, a friend of my sister's committed suicide. We had just gone to a baseball game a few weeks ago so I was shaken by her death, my sister was a mess. I was told I'd feel better if I "went back to church". I didn't go. Not long after that my former pastor who was at a different church was accused of pedophilia. During the investigation he was placed in a facility for priests and killed himself. That drove a huge wedge between me and the church.

When I moved to Tennessee in 2004, I was surrounded by evangelicals, something I hadn't experienced in my predominantly Catholic liberal city where I grew up. This ultimately turned me completely against Chritianity. When my dad died in 2011, I heard offers of prayers numerous times, but ultimately was isolated from everyone because I wouldn't go to church. Just last month I lost my mom after 10 years of bad health. I was her caregiver. Again, all the people came forward as rd with prayers and help and within days they were gone and I'm alone once again.

I turned to the UU church because they are about inclusiveness. They believe in helping each other. I've always had major self-esteem issues and have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder exacerbated by the death of my mom. I don't want to be healed. I don't want prayers. I want somewhere that can help each other out in time of need and time of being down. When you're down I will help you out in every way I can so please lend a hand when I'm down.

My main apprehension was my financial struggles. A lot of churches feel like country clubs. The more money you give the more you get. My local UU church is in an affluent area, so that's always scared me a little.

Long read, but I hope I can give everyone an understanding about my situation.

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We are community

By: /u/hallelooya β€”
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How was church this week? September 28, 2020

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Tell us about it!

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Tried attending a UU service. Was put off by how Christian the format was. Am also struggling to connect as a childless person.

By: /u/Silversprigs β€”

I consider myself a secular agnostic, for the most part, but there are some aspects of my Catholic upbringing that I miss. The sense of community and the emphasis on service for two examples (and the free doughnuts!)

I like UU's beliefs. I love what my local UU is doing in terms of service and promoting the values of UU and really want to get involved with some of the committees.

But... the services were very obviously Christian in origin. Similar structures, the standing and singing and sending kids off to Sunday School. A "homily." One of the songs was literally a song we sang in church as a kid with the words changed a bit. It brought back a lot of negative feelings and memories for me.

I was just surprised that a group that had entirely free reign to break off and do their own thing would adhere to such a Christian structure.

Additionally, it was very family-oriented. I feel like I was the only youngish single person there. I don't want kids either, so it's not like that's a future I'll be a part of.

I'm not saying UU has to cater to my lifestyle, but I felt incredibly left out. Everyone was very kind, but I was obviously unusual for them.

Is UU for me? I tried twice a little before Covid and I keep thinking about trying again, but I'm just not sure i fit the mold.

So, convince me, I guess. What am I missing here?

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Weekend Coffee Hour September 25, - September 27,

By: /u/AutoModerator β€”

Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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Soul Matters Sharing Circle Accountability Group

By: /u/zvilikestv β€”

My congregation uses the Soul Matters Sharing Circle, but explicitly frames it that people are not obligated to do any of the exercises or contemplate the questions before the meeting. This makes it really hard for me, personally, to make the time to do the exercises and contemplate the questions before the meeting, and I actually do want to do that.

Does anyone know of a Soul Matters accountability group? I don't necessarily want to join a Sharing Circle at another church, but I do want some people who expect me to do the work. I'm happy to join another platform (or, if anyone here wants to do it here, I could do that, too.) I'm on Twitter, Facebook, and Discord, if that influences your answer.

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How was church this week? September 21, 2020

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Weekend Coffee Hour September 18, - September 20,

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Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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How was church this week? September 14, 2020

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Weekend Coffee Hour September 11, - September 13,

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Weekend Coffee Hour September 04, - September 06,

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Welcome to /r/UUReddit's Weekend Coffee Hour. Let's get to know each other. Chat about current events (global, national or local), something going on in your personal life, or whatever you feel like discussing. Are you working on a cool community service or activism project? Have you written or created something online that you want to share? Tell us about it. Topics do not have to be strictly related to Unitarian Universalism.

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Short Podcast

By: /u/kitrowe β€”

Hi, does anyone know of any UU podcasts that are short...? Less than 5 minutes or less than 10 minutes and not a full sermon? I have trouble concentrating on full episodes but would still like something I could listen to regularly, preferrably ones that have a regular schedule.

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Where can I find an actual flaming chalice that can be lit during a service?

By: /u/Staff_Struck β€”

My dad has been holding online services and really wants one to light. It's his birthday soon and was thinking of getting one for him but I can't seem to find one online. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks

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Weekend Coffee Hour August 28, - August 30,

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UU young adult community in SD

By: /u/confusedpsycjunkie β€”

Hello! I am in San Diego and would like to join a UU community. I am in my 20s, so a group that also has people around my age would be awesome. I wasn't actually sure if it's called a congregation or a church and I didn't want to offend anyone. Thank you!!!

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What does being a UU mean to you?

By: /u/Goof-Love β€”

Hi ? So I’m doing some exploring and embarking on my spiritual path to growth. Just wanted to do a bit exploring here. So, what does being a UU mean to you? What drew you to this particular religious/spiritual community?

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❌