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

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..