Hi. I am the new parent/ guardian of a kid whose mother recently died of cancer. She was (unfortunately) indoctrinated by her cousins who are LDS. I am atheist. However, I do not think it would be good for my child to try to remove her belief in God but I would like to deemphasize the sin/ hell / angry god stuff. She is neurodiverse/idd and reads at a 3rd grade level but has teen interests. She has also asked for a Bible/ Bible story book but a lot of those stories and kids bibles make my skin crawl, the sin stuff has already had a terrible effect on her mental health so I’m not jazzed about Noah’s Ark , ya know? Are there any good kids books or simple readers with actual good for your mental health messages that are still “Bible”-ish? (FWIW I grew up IDF Baptist and it was very harmful for me so I am really not able to just roll with that. I do, however, want to respect her belief in god/heaven. I just don’t want to teach her not to speak up for herself or watch her constantly feel like god is mad at her for what she sees as sins but are really just basic mistakes. One day she was literally praying for forgiveness because she dropped a piece of ice on the floor.)

I'm an aspiring student of Buddhism and all the different sects are overwhelming. I was first exposed to Nichiren Buddhism, and then learned about Theravada, and now I'm interested in visiting a Zen temple.

What have your experiences with the different sects been?

I really enjoyed it, there was one part that kinda floored me but it wasn’t the speakers fault

I’m a reasonably new UU having joined our local congregation after being so bored staying inside on Sunday mornings with our two young children.

I’ve since been welcomed into a community that aligns with our family values and my personal love of direct action to support community and marginalized people who are your neighbors.

In the late 2010s I was a Twitch streamer of no real reknown as a goofy hobby for musical appreciation and a card game addiction.

I’ve been thinking about getting back into doing streams and making videos to raise money for my congregation and some local early childhood ed schools we donate to regularly.

MY QUESTION- is being outspokenly UU on the internet in a controversial category?

Before I had kids I had plenty of DM threats from random males threatening to fuck my dog and the like which is expected but I really only want to do a little fundraising with an existing skillset with no clout fiend motivations.

Any opinions appreciated thanks yall.

I dont affiliate with any religions but I like learning from them. This is what introduced me to UU.

But it is my understanding that UUs dont usually believe in heaven or hell? I believe in an afterlife, I guess you could call it heaven. I dont believe in a seperate place like hell where souls get punished.

I also fully devote myself to God. I believe there is a God/creator. And that all religions are pointing to the same God, but they have different interpretations.

I would really like to call myself a unitarian but do unitarians believe in God, souls, or an afterlife?

Hi guys, new member from South Africa. I recently “felt” God after years of being angry with Him and not believing at all! Super atheist- I haven’t discussed it with anyone yet. I want to read the bible- for the poetry, life lessons etc. but Jesus is not for me. This whole heaven/hell, devil etc. just not for me. My question is- is there a way to read the bible without going through all the Jesus stuff? Is that even possible? Or should I just sort of remove the Jesus part when I read it mentally and read just the lessons?

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Is it just me, or did our last Sunday service feel more like a TED Talk on social justice and less like a peaceful moment of spiritual reflection? 🙄 One minute I'm meditating on life's mysteries, the next, I'm debating the latest political crisis. Can we get a little more serenity and a little less activism, maybe? #UUProblems

I joined a UU congregation last January. I fell in love with it however over the past few months I found myself getting bored with the sermons. I kept going out of guilt and a sense of duty until I realized the sermons had nothing to do with stories or beliefs in religions. Rather the sermons tended to deal with things like loneliness, inclusivity, social media, procrastination, justice, that sort of thing.

Don’t get me wrong, they are interesting topics but I wanted to learn about different religions and their practices and beliefs, not listen to something that sounds like a speech at a self-help seminar. The most I hear about a religion is at Christmas and Easter.

I’ve thought about attending services of different congregation across various religions and denominations, but haven’t acted on it. United Church of Christ seems interesting.

Has anyone else experienced something similar in their UU congregation? Does anyone here identify as a Unitarian while attending services of different churches, temples, mosques, etc?

A conservative coworker (referred to herself as “more red” than I and another coworker who mentioned reproductive rights concerns in a recent discussion — we work in healthcare and have to move states every few years so it was appropriate) has started asking me about my UU congregation. She wants to build community for her young family, which I think UU is great for. When I told her about the diverse topics we’ve discussed in our religious education classes she thought it was great to learn about so many different things as a generally curious person. I’ve given her info about how UU philosophy varies from mainline Protestant and dogmatic congregations, let her know about our incoming nonbinary Christian UU minister, and she still seems interested. I have encouraged her to google more about the values/principles of UU and provided the program from our most recent service that has lots of info on it.

We are friendly and have hung out on occasion, and share a lot of projects and personal discussions. If you were in my position, would you invite her family to join for an upcoming service you think might interest them? I’m all about building a longer table, but don’t want to cross any boundaries, seem like I’m trying to recruit her to become a blue-hair liberal, or to in some way have her or my church community offended by disagreements on some fairly fundamental values. Thoughts?

My employer gives me 2 days off per year to do any sort of community service or volunteering. I've volunteered in hospice, but that required an actual recurring time commitment. Is there any as-needed thing I could do just for a day or two you can think of?

Hello everyone! I'm new here, but I was just wondering if anyone had any good resources on the history of UU and also have a kind of specific (and maybe dumb lol) question:

I grew up Independent Fundamental Baptist, then was Progressive Baptist for a few years, and have been attending a United Church of Christ for about a year now. I live in a particularly rural and conservative state so while the UU concept has intrigued me for a while there was no where I could attend. I'm moving to California and have already found a few congregations within a reasonable distance of where i'll be living, but would like to know more about the history of it before I make the decision to try going.

As for the question: Is the firm belief in a singular God something that would make UU not a good fit?

I've obviously been Christian my entire life, and continue to attend Christian churches just because they've seemed the closest to my beliefs. Over the past couple years I've read as much as I could about Judaism, Islam, Bahá'í faith, and even Mormonism. I've come out of it believing still that the Abrahamic God is God, and that Jesus and Muhammad were at the least prophets. However, I no longer believe any one religion is right, and am very much against Evangelism and trying to 'prove' God is real (People saying we have 'proof' has always bothered me as it defeats the purpose of faith). I've decided the love Jesus taught while on earth is more important than anything else (wild that that's a controversial statement considering Romans 13:8-10 haha). As I said, not believing in one Abrahamic religion has alienated me from all the mainstream places of worship, but will the belief in just the Abrahamic God alienate me from most UU congregations? If anyone thinks so and has another suggestion to look into I'm all ears!

thank y'all so much in advance <3

Does anyone know of any books that provide a UU or religiously liberal perspective on mysticism? The mystical aspect of spirituality is something I am desiring to know more about.

Right now I’m short on my weekly rent. I don’t have any family to turn to—no backup, no safety net. It’s just me and my girl trying to hold on. I used to make ends meet doing Doordash but my car broke down a while back and I had no choice but to sell it. Since then it’s been week to week in a motel room trying to stay afloat. This shortfall could leave us out on the street with nowhere to go.

I’ve been pushing through serious malnutrition and am doing everything I can to get back on my feet. Due to my situation I’ve been surviving on the cheapest food I can get—things that keep me going but leave my body weak and depleted. I’m dealing with the long-term effects of poor nutrition and exhaustion and I’m trying to pull through. I just need some help getting to the next step.

I've tried reaching out across social media and Reddit groups designed to help and I've only been attacked and mocked. I’ve faced relentless attacks from every direction—mocked for my situation, accused of laziness, called a con artist, and told to just “get a job” like it’s that simple. I’ve been told I’m wasting everyone’s time, that I don’t deserve help, and that my struggles aren’t real or important. People have treated me like I’m less than human, simply because I’m asking for a lifeline in a moment of desperation. This constant judgment chips away at your spirit, making it even harder to keep fighting. It’s not just about money—it’s about dignity, survival, and trying to protect the person I love in a world that seems determined to tear us down.

Every time I reach out, I get slammed—called lazy, a con artist, a waste of space. People attack me like I’m asking for charity just to mess around, not because I’m fighting for my life and my girl’s safety. They don’t see the nights I lie awake, overwhelmed and scared, wondering how to keep a roof over our heads. They don’t feel the weight of every cruel word, the sting of being judged for trying to survive. It’s more than money—it’s my dignity, my pride, and the desperate hope that someone will see me as a person, not just a “problem” to be dismissed. That kind of pain? It cuts deep, and it’s hard to carry when all you want is a chance to keep going.

I care about my girl more than anything—she’s sweet, innocent, and means the world to me. Every move I make is about keeping her safe and protected from the harshness of this world. I’m not just asking for help for myself; it’s about making sure she doesn’t have to face those vultures out there alone. That responsibility weighs heavy on me, and it’s why I keep fighting, even when the attacks and doubts come pouring in. My priority is her safety and well-being, no matter what it takes.

This isn’t about some old patriarchal script or who wears the pants. It’s about a bond built on love and protection—me standing between her and a harsh world that shows no mercy. It’s about carrying the weight so she can have a chance to heal and breathe without fear. That’s not control or dominance; that’s survival, respect, and fierce devotion. This isn’t about some outdated idea of patriarchy or control. It’s about responsibility and love—me doing everything I can to protect and provide for the person I care about most. It’s not about power or dominance; it’s about keeping my girl safe in a world that doesn’t always show mercy.

What are your congregations doing with regard to renting out your church space to unaffiliated organizations? Especially in the current U.S. political climate. Do you rent to anyone willing to abide by the rental agreement? Where is the line renting to political organizations like the Democratic or Republican Party?

Hi all, I just wanted to share some pictures from the NAMI Walks 2025 event this morning!!

My team, Bay Area Impact from BAUUC, raised almost 4K in funds!! Walked a little over 3.25 miles!! Check us out here: https://www.namiwalks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.team&teamID=72361

Cheers to a good cause. The city mayor was there but I highly doubt he was gonna be walking in them jeans!! LOL!! 😂

You know you're in a UU community when "What do you believe?" is met with 7 different answers and 3 follow-up questions. It’s like a spiritual potluck, and somehow, every dish is quinoa. But hey, at least no one’s pushing a pamphlet on you! So, let’s keep it weird, inclusive, and just a tiny bit less existentially overwhelming. 🤔

Hello everyone.

I'm from Indonesia and I was raised as a Muslim, went to madrasa school and then i had existential and spiritual crisis at 10. Since that I became agnostic yet still practicing islam but as a ceremonial only because if I didn't do that my parents and peoples around me will judge and punish me, now my age is 20 Years old.

In recent times I've read Ralph Waldo Emerson and other trancedentals thinkers then discovered Unitarianism I want to learn more about Unitarianism and be one of Unitarianist if possible but I'm afraid I have limited access in my country to learn about it (because there's no Unitarianism community here)

Is it just me, or does every UU sermon feel like an emotional workout? I walk in expecting spiritual enlightenment, and walk out needing a nap and a snack. It's like, "Sure, we’re going to talk about personal growth... but also, I need to meditate on my life choices after this." Let’s hear it for the UU group therapy sessions disguised as Sunday services! 🙃

This may seem like something of a silly question all things considered, but it's something I keep returning to and can't seem to find an answer for. Do any of you have "nicknames" to describe your involvement in the church BESIDES the full-length "Unitarian Universalist" or the abbreviation "UU"?

The full name is fairly long and unwieldy, and the abbreviation is short but feels weird to say for some reason? So has anyone come up with any other ways of denoting that you're part of this community? Is anyone out there calling themselves a "U-ie"/"Uni"/something else I've not thought of? Or does "UU" eventually just start sounding more normal the longer you say it? 😂

Small background: I’m an EX Jw which would be the opposite of UU. I’m intrigued by this religion that’s new for me. Are there places to meet up?

So long story short, our local UU was failing 8 months ago, I joint and have been working,almost single handedly to revive it, we have grown from 7 to 21. I am really ignorant about UU as a whole, and feel very alone. The old congregation [7] are very supportive but the new [14] are varied from supportive to antagonist. Growth means financial support, and the old congregation can’t maintain all the expenses on their own. Where do I draw the line between growth and the needed for financial support. “If I builded it will they come” who can I talk to about what is and isn’t acceptable for UU? Case in point a couple with multiple UU experiences tell me that the programs I am providing aren’t UU centric, but the old [7] UU’s are quite happy with what I am doing. The couples words were like a gut punch. I hope this doesn’t come across as a rant…

Do you have to go to the main congregation if you want to go to the CUUPS one? Does CUUPS have believers of a lot of pantheons or just a few? I don't know if I'm a real pagan yet or just an atheist who likes that a pagan revival today exists, but I want to believe in a pantheon and be around other people who do.

Hello all -

I don't mean this post to be derisive, I'm just a bit confused with an invitation I received recently from my cousin and his family, who are Unitarian Universalists, and looking for clarification as they don't seem inclined to give any.

They have two children, and the invitation is to a "congregational dedication ceremony" for both.

So far so good - I'm familiar with this sort of thing. Standard fare for most religions.

Except they were already dedicated a few years back. My family was there. I have pictures and the original invitation.

Now, the new invitation has a location listed some distance from where they currently live and different from the congregation where they held the previous dedication. Does the word "Congregational" in Congregational Dedication mean that if you register to a new congregation of Unitarian Universalists you re-dedicate?

I'm sorry if my question seems ignorant. It is, I'm sure. I wish that my family were in a slightly more civil place on the discussion of religion so that I could ask this directly.

I think it’s a pretty normal story. I was raised Catholic, was an alter boy, went to Catholic school and then suddenly it 13 it didn’t add up. I talked to my mom and she said it was just over for me. I’m 58 now.

There’s a lot of things about church that I like though, the singing, being part of a multigenerational community over a long haul.

I believe it’s also important to publicly profess that we ought be good, if that makes any sense. Showing up to be part of a group that believes kindness is a virtue to be acted upon is important.

Next year will be my 50th as an activist community organizer for human rights of people with disabilities, all kinds of disabilities. I have been a member of our local UU Church in Eugene for about a decade, and I co-chair our Accessibility Task Force.

What are your ideas for bridging the topic of disability justice with UU? Yes, of course, we UU tend to be very progressive and open to intersecting with a variety of social change movements. But we also know that historically UU has had a special challenge, one could say it is class-based. That is, disenfranchised groups on the poverty-end of the social hagiarchy often have a difficult time bridging to UU. Perhaps you can brainstorm some ways to help?

If anyone can answer my questions in the dm that would be great, I am interested in UU and I'm really curious and want to learn!

Hello! So I don’t even know how to start this. I was raised in a very traditional Christian family, and now that I am like free to follow what I actually believe, I’ve been looking through religions that kinda match what I believe.

UU seems the most promising in this regard! But I don’t know much, would anyone mind sharing their experiences or knowledge?

Thanks!

hi very serious can travel. middle age white italian male felon. located in ohio

We need to sing songs about freedom and justice,

Pray for each other,

Collect for mutual aid,

Have potluck,

Listen to our neighbors,

Have non-violence trainings

Be a space where people can connect

Make space for creativity

Show how fun and beautiful this can be

Give courage

Keep alight a flaming chalice of hope

(Edit for format)

I am 29, and I grew up in a Catholic family. When I was attending Catechism to perform my communion, I noticed I found a disagreement between the Bible and what catholics do (such as the images). Spent my whole life lost, until my actual partner made me rediscover God (He's an Evangelical), but of course I want to follow MY heart, MY relationship with God and I think UUism is the place.
How can I start? There is no churches where I live, so I am okay with livestreams. I don't know if there is a Discord server (or similar) about it, so I can discuss a little bit more and receive guidance about lectures, reading material... I thank in advance, and I am available if someone wants to chat with me about it.

Edit: thank you everyone for the kind answers. I have been taking a look to all the churches and I still can't decide which one I will choose for next Sunday, there is so much to look for and read so I guess I have a lot of homework to have fun with :)

I’m 25 and I grew up UU. I stopped attending church at 17 but I still fully believe in the UU principles ect. I’m now at a point where I want to find my UU community again. I went to a service which was good but when folks were getting coffee after I felt a little uncomfortable since there was no one around my age. Advice? Where can I find a UU community that has folks my age?

So last night I got this comment on my YouTube channel:

Danc571 AWESOME! I just came across a link to this on a reddit thread...and it made my night. A great little film with a great message and a practical course of action. Also made me proud to be a UU.

I replied:

Thank you! Feel free to explore my channel and look at the other features. I have been doing this sort of work for almost four years.

So now I present this movie to you.

Debbie, Carrie, and Their Mothers Fight Bigotry

https://youtu.be/draA8INK4os?si=H8ic7Gc5l6FHGuEx

My kids and I have been going to the UU church since they were preschoolers. We’ve loved the community, and I felt for a long time that we all shared similar values. I’m a pretty spiritually open person and parent, and connect with my children with honesty and openness. I encourage questions and I’ve always shared with them how different religions define mystery. I’m pretty much agnostic. I grew up in an evangelical Christian church, so I have some religious trauma, but I still honor all religions.

We stopped attending our UU church regularly after Covid shut everything down. I guess I just lost the routine of it. But we still go around once a month. I started attending after a painful separation and have social ties there that are important since I have no family other than my kids.

I’ve always let my kids choose. Their dad’s parents are Catholic, so they sometimes go to that church. My son (12M) also attends a regular youth group at the Methodist church, since his friends go.

Anyway, now he is telling me he wants nothing to do with our church. That we are “heretics” and he is starting to develop some anti trans ideas. He’s not a hateful kid, he is just learning these ideas from somewhere else, and starting to feel more uncomfortable with these identities. He’s said stuff like “God made man and woman” and I’ve responded to this by saying well all of the earth has evolved over time and so have people (he is very bright and scientifically minded so he does not deny evolution) That being trans is about personal identity and that we all have the right to our own identities and expression.

He loves history and recently learned about (and admires) Martin Luther, so I’ve tried to explain to him that Luther was following his own spiritual path and likely deemed a heretic in his time. Essentially UUs are on a similar path.

He is 12, and I know that if I try to control where he attends church etc, that it will probably create more of a rift. I’d like to figure out how to approach all of this with logic and love.

For almost 34 years, I've grown up believing my parents chose the UU path for me. Everything they said was UU. We were never practicing, they were different denominations so we never went to church. I've been trying to learn about UU stuff on my own for a good 20 years.

It makes more sense now why they kept saying christening and not dedication.

Going through old papers, we found the announcement card the reverend filled out, and I noticed the church name was different than our local UU church that's been here since before my birth. After a bit of digging and link following, we figured out what was odd.

I was Christened under the Unity Church. The names were close enough my parents didn't realize the UU Church and the Unity Church were 2 separate entities and just told me I was UU.

I've been attending live UU services, so I'm not upset I've found myself here. Just thought this was a funny moment.

In a similar vein, other than Unity being more Christian oriented, anyone know more about them?

Looking for a book recommendation on this topic. Having a very hard time finding one. Thanks!

So I'm extremely new to UU, I went to my first service last Sunday because my wife went to UU services a child and the openness to everyone was appealing to me. When they announced they were going to have a Passover Seder I immediately wanted to join it. I'm Jewish and while I would like to get involved with a Reformed Temple the current political situation makes me feel deeply uncomfortable so I figured this would be the next best thing.

I found the experience to be mostly good though there were parts that felt a bit inauthentic. Everyone was welcoming, warm and open minded. The head minister was familiar enough with the proceedings but were helped out by two Jewish women who sung the major songs in Hebrew (they did a wonderful job and this part moved me deeply). There was a sense on my part that this was how an outsider would do a Passover Seder and it wasn't really the "real thing" though I guess that's to be expected and overall good enough.

In general my wife and I will continue to go to services and get more involved in the community because everyone is so welcoming in kind. I am curious to those from other faiths who went to a UU service or event that focus on your holidays, did you have similar experiences?

I'm curious if anyone's congregation does an intentional moment during the service to greet the people around you (like the sign of peace during Catholic mass, if you're familiar)? We do not, but years ago we had a couple guest ministers that did a similar thing so I wonder if other folks do. I was asked (as a lay member) to a do a sermon in a few weeks and was contemplating adding a moment like this but would love to have an example of a script as well as where it would best fit in. Or even if your congregation does this and posts their services, I could easily go in and transcribe. Couldn't find exactly what I was looking for on the uua website so figured I'd ask here.

Thanks for any insight!

News story: https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-04-18/before-his-ice-arrest-mohsen-mahdawi-built-a-broad-network-of-friendships-in-vermonts-upper-valley

hi! i presented my art at a display event last year at a UU church near me and the people there were so nice and welcoming. they felt so much more accepting than the pastors at the christian church i went to growing up (well obviously) lol. i’m very spiritual and i think i might thrive in a community with like minded or open minded individuals.

however one of my main concerns with joining is the hope to make connections and friendships with like minded people! i’m wondering if there are often lots of young adults there or if it’s mostly elderly people. i’m also wondering if it’s a good place to do so

i’m 19, dropout of college living at home, working weeks for now. i’m doing a lot of work on myself with healing but i realized what i’m lacking is connection, like bad. all my friends are at college, and i don’t even have many. i’m really lonely honestly. remembering this place exists is giving me some hope, and i might go on sunday

thanks!!🙏

I wear many hats at our UUF, not unusual, as such I am looking at ways to fill our calendar with good and meaningful service. We are very much in the process of revitalizing our fellowship. I am considering streaming another UU Church or Fellowship as one of our services. What are some UU’s that have wonderful and inspiring services? Large or small. Are there any specific UU teachers that live stream or offer YouTube or other content, meaningful enough to attract people to a group setting? What is you favorite on UU source?

hi everyone! i'm pretty new to UUism (about five months actually attending services) and was wondering about any faith development programs that use the Bible, Koran, Tao etc and would relate them back to UU.

one of the reasons i love this faith so much is the religious pluralism in our communities, so i'm slightly disappointed that my congregation doesn't offer any study resources that go beyond being strictly UU.

any help is appreciated, thanks so much!

What about a Muslim that doesn’t reject the Bible but doesn’t necessarily believe in the modern day Christian belief and instead has a similar view as the Unitarians

Full disclosure- I attend a center for spiritual living but they don’t seem to have a Reddit community to ask. But your beliefs can be pretty similar from what I understand, so here I am.

I’ve attended OA meetings in the past (overeaters anonymous) and I feel like I really need them. However, the brokenness and separation from God that they ascribe to just doesn’t feel right to me. It seems like their paradigm is that God is big and up there and perfect, and I’m down here, broken and separate and only he can save me from myself. I don’t believe that, not even a little bit. I believe that God is immanent in all things, including me. Not separate at all. I believe in God’s goodness and love, and while I feel frustrated with overeating, I don’t feel small and broken and in need of saving.

When I’ve gone, they do say it’s “God as we understand it” but it feels like the God of my understanding is not compatible with their paradigm. But I also need help and support in a way that is focused on abstinence.

Anyone a part of any 12 step program, what has been your experience and thoughts?

Who Does your Fellowship or Church have property Insurance through? Ours is currently through Travelers and is about 1/3 of our annual facilities budget.

Hi, all! I’m new to the faith, after growing up Southern Baptist and becoming an atheist. I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can, because I realize that I’ve kinda been a UU my whole life without realizing it. It’s wonderful.

I’ve done a lot of reading and talking with my minister, who was also kind enough to let me borrow some of their books, and I want to know even more. Can anyone recommend some good UU-related podcasts?

My wife and I have been going to our local UU church for almost a year. From the first service, we were in love with the message and community. Well just last Sunday our reverend announced they will be leaving our congregation for another larger one they felt needed them. I won’t lie, it hit like a ton of bricks. For the first time in my life I found a community where I truly didn’t need to hide my beliefs and views out of fear of rejection. We are both still dead set on continuing to attend the church despite this, as the community is also part of why we joined. I still am struggling with these melancholic feelings. I am glad the reverend has found an opportunity to further their dreams/goals within UU, but am saddened to be losing such an amazing speaker and reverend. I keep telling myself that it is selfish and wrong to want to keep them at our church, as they are of course their own person with their own goals and dreams. I keep thinking of Acts 20, where Paul met with the elders of Ephesus, and they wept together, for they knew it would be the last time they would see him.

How have you all handled situations like these?

I'm trying to find some online programming or even videos that I can share with my kids (age 8). Attending service means an hour both ways which is not possible at this time. Any recommendations for something I can watch with them or work on as a family would be so helpful. Thank you!

Hello! I’ve been a UU member for a while now and really like my church. However, I’m really burnt out and exhausted from the social justice component of our faith. It is a huge reason why identify with our faith, but it’s also exhausting going to church looking for spiritual connection, only to feel stressed out and worked up over the recent sermon. I work in non profit advocating for social justice, and so I think this is obviously increasing my burnout. But, I’m really needing some spiritual reprieve in addition to the social justice work and I’m hoping you all can help me.

I’ve read about the Soul Matters curriculum and am considering finding a way to be a part of that, however, my church does not offer this, but I’m still considering doing it independently.

Is there a UU journal, or UU daily devotional that anyone knows of, that they love? I’m just really lacking in the spirituality department and my church is unfortunately not fulfilling that void for me, much at all.

Any curriculums, whatever, please suggest any and everything!

Thank you!

"All human beings should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear no matter who they are or whom they love."

Love it. From our former president, a far cry from what we have now.

I’ve grown up not believing in any god or religion but lately have been having a sort of spiritual crisis I guess you could say. I have an extremely surface level understanding of UU but feel drawn to it. I’ve read the seven principles and would like to explore more but I have no idea where to begin. Can anyone recommend any books or resources for someone who wants to explore spirituality and UU but doesn’t know where to start? Thank you.

Hi! So full disclosure I've never really interacted with the Unitarian Univerisalists before. But I need some advice of a christian spiritual variety, but in a non judgmental fashion. So I didn't really think the christian subreddits would be a good place.

Okay so my grandmother passed very recently, and my dad I think is quite sad. His birthday is soon and he only asked for flowers for his mother. She didnt really have a funeral/memorial which I think dad wishes she did. See Grandma was a former member of the mormon church but was excommunicated a long long time ago. Dad told us that for a long time Grandma thought that meant she was destined for hell. And it seems like Dad has been bothered at the idea that she could go to hell, even though he says he doesnt believe that she would.

This is my issue. Im giving dad a birthday gift today pertaining to his mother. I want to write a prayer or something in the card. Something that alludes to his mom being at peace, or loving him, or something of that vibe. Something that says gently "i dont think your mom is burning in hellfire." But I know like absolutely nothing about Christianity (and yes I know lots of people dont consider the mormons to be such, but dad hasnt been affiliated with them in forever so this isnt about that). I don't want to ask the christian subreddits because I have no desire to debate who goes to hell or why.

Which is when I remembered UU and yall seem like a pretty mellow, understanding, spiritual community. And I know its not strictly a christian community but thats why it seemed like a good idea to ask here. So would anyone know a prayer or saying that would maybe fit the vibe of mourning, grief, passing into peace, etc....

Edit: Hey I just wanted to thank everyone for your kind wishes and very sweet poems and prayers. I didn't end up using a suggestion, seeing all the poems reminded me of how much my dad loves music. So in case you were wondering i wrote these lyrics by Miranda Lambert in the card, along with a personal note.

"I heard Jesus, he drank wine And I'd bet we'd get along just fine He could calm a storm and heal the blind And I'd bet he'd understand a heart like mine."

Dad was very touched and I don't think I'd have come up with that idea without this post. So thank you so much again!

I want to see other thoughts and views on my beliefs as well as where you believe I need growth.

For reference my mother and step father are pagan. I was not raised in it and they both try to keep religious practices out of childhood experiences. From around the age of 11 I have been researching and studying different religions. I enjoy hearing from others and I find an array of religious symbols comforting. I believe we all worship the same thing as long and as we have good intentions it will reward us. It's an energy web, a flow. Little pieces that all add up to being the higher power and I am simply interpreting it one way that is best for me. I am still learning what this interpretation is but the concept of Christ's teachings is something I enjoy and feel a lot of connection with. Most recently at a drum circle with my sister I felt a warm and peace I haven't in a while. I would like to say I'm progressing to an agnostic Christian type of belief system. I also enjoy the metaphysical and divination (crystals, tarot, cleansing with moonwater) I just want to talk and get some more advice/perspectives.

Heard this quote recently that I very much like. I feel it's pretty relatable to many people who are not just minorities or other religions that are treated with discrimination, but also many LGBTQ people right now as well. Several people have said it over the course of the years evidently, but I guess MLK made it famous from what I can tell.

I very much wish politics would stop centering on efforts to discriminate against transgender individuals and taking away their rights.

in high school i was really worried about getting into a good college and i thought i was about to fail a bunch of assignments at once that'd dash my dreams. really lonely at the time, bullying. and i thought if i'm gonna be poor as an adult at least everyone but the worst of the worst go to heaven but i googled it it led me to a video that pretty convincingly argued it was "sinners in the hands of an angry God" that was spot on. i was sort of wanting to be pagan at the time but didn't know how so i just copied all the christian stuff but with the greek gods. but i wanted to get into college and wasn't so sure the greek gods were even real i just liked someone's drawings of them on deviantart so i guess so i made a full surrender to the christian god and said "okay okay zeus and the gang are no realer than video game gods you're real and i'm not even greek anyway so i give up deviantreligion lord i surrender all just please get me into a good college and make me popular there and i'll be so pious theyll think i'm larping ned flanders". in the moment, didn't really even feel anything. i guess i passed all that stuff and got into a good college. sort of forgot the whole thing once i matriculated and my acceptance couldn't be rescinded anymore went back to living as an atheist and just praying when i thought i was gonna fail an exam like some bum. but, being honest with myself i still want to be pagan. but i already gave my life to the christian god even if i start worshipping pagan gods i already gave my life to the christian one who i don't even want to follow especially not if that YouTuber was accurate. do any cuups know how i can get out of giving my life to the christian god so i can worship pagan gods and get into magick without fear of abrahamic retribution?

Can anyone give me a unitarian explanation of the phrase "turn the other cheek" (sermon on the mount)?

Hi!! I'm a unitarian universalist, and I also feel extremely connected to Islam, but I haven't reverted yet. I would love some Muslim friends who are also specifically UU as the Muslim community is a little hard to be around as 1. being UU and 2. being lgbtq+ in a same sex relationship. 🫶🏻 any advice is super appreciated!

Hey everyone — I’m new to UU and really love how my local church supports social justice. But after my recent trip to Italy (I returned last Thursday), I’ve been feeling a pull toward something more spiritual and less focused on politics (even though I still can’t stand the current administration). I appreciate the activism, but I’m feeling emotionally drained and need something that feeds my spirit too.

My current UU congregation has a lot of social justice groups which I totally get. But sadly, there are no pagans or women based circles. But I’ve been involved in their first Performance Troupe earlier this month which I loved. I grew out of my comfort zone.

Since my trip, I’ve been thinking about the Virgin Mary in a different way — more like a symbol of the Feminine Divine and the moon, blending my Catholic roots with a more nature-based, earth-centered spirituality. I’ve also been listening to Italian medieval music (Landini’s Ecco la primavera is on repeat!) and exploring history connected to my great-grandmother’s roots near Naples. It’s all making me feel more connected to something ancient and spiritual, but I’m not sure how to integrate that into my UU journey.

To combat political and news doomscrolling, I unsubscribed all the political independent journalist newsletters on Substack, and been focusing on swapping the negative into the positive such as subscribing to more UU and nature based newsletters. I’ve been learning Italian on Duolingo to honor my Italian heritage and for my trip - on my Day 23 streak! I’m also reading a UU book too.

Does anyone else feel this way? How do you balance staying aware of the world without getting stuck in political overwhelm? Are there UU groups (like CUUPS or similar) that explore nature spirituality, moon cycles, or the Divine Feminine? I’d love to hear how others find that balance.

P.S. I also wanted to give you more context on my spiritual journey:

I’m an eclectic spiritual person drawn to nature-based, pagan, and new age spirituality, though I also have Catholic roots. My spiritual journey took a big turn during the pandemic when I began exploring pagan traditions like the Wheel of the Year and Wicca. That path really resonated with me, especially my belief in interconnectedness and peace — both internally as individuals and externally as a collective — so I suppose you could say I’m a bit of a pacifist too.

I’m also a feminist who’s not a fan of the patriarchy or conservative Christian nationalism and bigotry.

Last summer, I recently joined UU after exploring the Episcopal Church, but I found it too Jesus-centered for my path. I love the UU values and community! I’m part of the Performance Troupe at the my UU congregation — though sadly, there aren’t any pagans there.

I’ve always thought of the divine as God/the Universe and now with male and female parts like the sun and Moon and ying and yang after I dabbled into paganism and Wicca and nature spirituality.

Hi friends. I am blessed to have been born and raised UU in Massachusetts. UU has been a foundation of who I am, what I do, and how I relate to the world in ways I can’t fully articulate because it is so woven into my cloth. Even times in my life that I have moved around and been without a home congregation, I have been UU. I had a wonderful experience as a child in the church, loved RE and OWL, had so much fun in YRUU, and out on Star Island. I was a shocked kid to find out Cat Stevens wasn’t actually recording religious hymns for church. Predictably, I went on to become a Public Health Social Worker working in health equity for marginalized communities.

I know we are not super common, especially outside of New England. Nearly every UU I’ve met adopted UU as an adult. I was on a work trip and met another UU in Michigan and mentioned I was a lifer from Boston and he said, “oh you’re one of those! I’ve never met one before!” 😂 I’ve brought my partner and ex husband to services before and both of them were confused and mildly uncomfortable with it all! Both had been raised Catholic, too so it’s about as 180 degrees as it gets. “Fine, I’ll go to church with you again but I’m not taking my shoes off to ‘feel the earth’ this time!” My partner even spent a week on Star Island with me and loved it, but wasn’t interested in attending chapel with me after the first day.

Are there any other lifers here? Anyone else grew up UU and stuck with it, raising your own kids there? Any multi-generational UUs in the house? How has your UU childhood affected you as an adult?

"What do you believe in"? Is a possible question/response "What don't I believe in?"

My wife and I are atheist, but have gotten there via a lot of church background/baggage. We just found our way to a lay-led UU gathering in the months since the November election (after zero church involvement for over 15 years). We have close friends with similar beliefs, but I think our overall community (neighborhood, town, city) is more religious (aka American Christian) than not - a lot of that via culture and family transference.

I sometimes find myself answering a hypothetical question I would expect (and have occasionally gotten) about what "you people" believe. I'm also a pretty militant realist/empiricist. If there's not proof for something, or an identifiable path for exploration, I'd rather leave it unanswered for now, rather than waste time and energy speculating. My primary beliefs and counterpart to "religious inspiration" mostly come from moderately popular writings on topics such as astrophysics, evolution, biology, and technology. A lot of more subjective ideas come from music. I think a common opinion from people outside of liberal religion think we don't believe in much. My response at this point in time is, "I believe in soooo much stuff" I can barely contain the enthusiasm. I guess that's ecstatic scientific joy or something.

Inspiring quote for the day from Neil de Grasse Tyson:

I know that the molecules in my body are traceable
To phenomena in the cosmos
That makes me want to grab people in the street
And say, have you heard this??

Hello, all. I admire the UU "belief" system as a community of people with a diverse range of beliefs coming together to grow spiritually with the same common values in mind. I care about equality, LGBTQ rights, social justice, and what I'd call a kind of interfaith coexistence and compassion towards all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. For me, this is what I care about in my "spiritual journey" if you could call it that. You could probably call me a Humanist, which seems to be pretty common within Unitarian Universalism.

I've been out of Christianity for about a year and a half now. Unfortunately, due to internal types of traumas that I went through due to my sexuality (I'm bi), I spent quite a long time as an angry atheist who despised religion. Now I would consider myself more of a content agnostic.

I started to try to open my mind however recently since I care deeply about human rights and values. I've had to separate my notions of religion/worship/salvation. As a former Christian, the concept of salvation is no longer of any relevance to me. I'd say growing for me spiritually would simply entail all the things I've listed, as well as my own agnosticism and what I'd call religious or spiritual naturalism which I find super interesting.

I've tried one particular UU church a few times in the past. The one I went to was full of very nice people, but the particular experience wasn't for me. I made an effort to attend a different UU church today via Zoom and I was pleasantly surprised. It was similar, but a little bit more coherent IMO. They also played some really nice secular songs such as All You Need is Love, as opposed to choir-ish music. That surprised me.

Anyways, it sounds like I may have some kind of place within UU/UU Humanist community.

I haven't felt very good in Church since the new year. The last service we've had that I felt fullfilled at was Christmas Eve. My congregation has leaned so hard into social justice since the election that I feel myself not wanting to attend. It's not that I don't support it in principle. I just feel like we're caught in a loop (social justice-pledge drive-social justice-pledge drive-social justice) and church is starting to feel draining or feel like Reddit/YouTube.

Even RE is now social justice. The choir songs are all social justice. The sermons are either social justice or pledge drive. Gosh, even MLK gave sermons about other topics from time to time (love, grace, family, tradition, etc.) but now my church is just "be an activist" or "donate money."

I do both. Can we talk about something else please?

I have always been involved or at least financially supported social justice, though I find that I am uniquely positioned to have a greater impact through my professional work at this stage of life.

This work can also be very stressful at times, so I find myself looking to Church as a refuge and a place to entertain spiritual growth, peace, tranquility, community, etc. what's worse, my work involves a certain level of political exposure so I simply can't be present at services where we are featuring speeches by partisan elected officials, etc (even if I support everything they are saying.)

It is contributing to my stress and has started to feel spiritually hollow, so I've taken a step back until that levels back out a bit.

I understand that a lot of people want that out of the Church and that's fine. But it's a voluntary association and it can't be a source of added stress. I was trying to be gracious at first since I know how devastating this administration has been for so many people. I was already getting disenchanted during the election. But I feel like we aren't helping each other. We're just coming together to ruminate and shout into the abyss.

At this point, I'm better off just taking a nature walk and doing yoga. Even better, that doesn't cost me anything. I've actually started attending mainline Christian services as an alternative too.

Traditional Eucharist leaves me feeling revived. So does extended meditation and communion with nature. UU has started to feel like a chore.

Does anyone have any advice on this? Should I broach the topic with the minister?

My community doesn't seem to have any in-person OWL program offerings right now. I'm looking for one that might be available online for a teen.

Bi-spiritualism is having more than 1 religion you believe in, for me it’s Christianity and Wicca

I know unitarianism and universalism started out as "heretical" Christian denominations, then (most of) the Transcendentalists were Unitarian or Universalist in spirit or even in practice, and broadened UU beliefs (Emerson did this to a great degree). Then, at some point you didn't need to believe in a higher power. That's really fuzzy, to me. What year was secular humanism accepted by Unitarian and/or Universalist churches? Sometimes people talk about UU beliefs as being "all paths lead to God". I don't believe in a God (I don't think). To me it's more that multiple religious and philosophical doctrines uphold common ethical and moral truths. And, you don't necessarily need to believe in a God to do that.

I've been reading in these posts that UUism is not just a Mish mash of everything. So what exactly is UU's theology in a nutshell?

I’ve been attending a UU Fellowship for a month or so now and have made several friends and been able to discuss a lot with them but I have a question. I attend a Buddhist group there and was asked if I attended any other Buddhist Sittings in town. I said no and they talked about the other ones in the area.

I wanted to explain why I hadn’t but I didn’t know if it would be appropriate or not. I know UUs accept all backgrounds and approaches along their spiritual journey but I personally have done some research on the groups in my town and find at least a couple have some moral baggage with them. One is directly led by someone who abused their power to have some… undesirable relations with a client of theirs ( this is documented and not just alleged) and the other was led on a institutional level ( not a local one) by a repeat womanizer and abuser ( also documented not just a judgement call)

I feel like I should let them know this so they can make their own judgements if they weren’t already aware but at the same time I don’t want to sully someone else’s path or teacher.

What do I do?

Hello, fellow humans! I have a curious question. So, since the UU faith is a good mish mash of everybody and various faiths/belief systems, I have understand that there are UU members that are also Deists.

I'm just curious, is there anyone here who is a Deist? When did you realize you were, and is there anything in particular that caused you to become a Deist?

firstly, i want to say i consider myself a unitarian. this is my principle belief: we are all one people under one god regardless of what individual religions we believe in etc. ideally no matter what we should all get along and love each other because no matter how you look at it we come from the same place one way or another (and also you should probably just love your brothers and sisters by default).

personally i take a little bit from all religions. i believe christ was the greatest teacher, the validity of his miracles is neither here nor there in importance for me. i pull a lot of advice for living a clean lifestyle from islam as well, etc. i consider myself “christian unitarian” at the end of the day if that is a thing as i believe much of the bible is holy. i have read the bible through and through (more than once), the quran through and through (one time) and even some of the gita — hindu scripture, etc. i have taken much from every holy scripture i’ve read, and i have found much to ignore too. but for me, the more direct translation of the bible if read understanding what should be taken literally and figuratively is the peak holy book, so i choose to identify with it.

i even have my own understanding that some specific catholic traditions and beliefs make the most sense to me (not all obviously).

it seems as if many unitarian people i’ve met have pulled a little here and a little there like i have but have my same principle belief as the primary hard-stop. i’ve also met FULLY “christian unitarian” people who attend my unitarian church and are literally just non denominational christians who believe in the same “one god principle” and unity idea.

am i missing something? or is unitarianism just that lax and open ended? i understand there are some semi infallible principles (7 principles) that are mostly not super up for interpretation but i would really indeed like to hear input from someone more experienced.

I’ll start off by saying that I didn’t grow up religious. My parents don’t believe in god and neither does my brother. My nan was raised Catholic in Austria during the war but I never knew her as religious like at all. I started going to a Church of England church at 13 to a Friday club bc my Christian friend invited me. And soon I was going to Sunday service.

But even now at 32 I don’t believe in all the Bible. And I find it hard to believe that Jesus was three in one. Basically I somewhat don’t believe in the trinity although I understand their viewpoint. And that he rose from the dead.

But I believe in God wholeheartedly and don’t think I’ve ever prayed to god through Jesus, and still like going to church because I’ve been friends with these people since I was 13 and they’ve helped me and have always been there for me. And church brings me comfort.

And yes I pray to god and enjoy Christian songs and I’ve been to numerous outing with my church in the past including Spring Harvest here in England which I loved at 15! But again, I believe in god just not about the other things being truth. Like: Jesus and the Trinity, walking on water and rising from the dead. And that Jesus was Jewish and lived and died as one. He wasn’t Christian.

But I believe in the afterlife and heaven. Even as a child I always believe in them. And that god is one much like the Jewish and Muslim faiths.

Is this classed as UU or something else?

I’m in Missouri, and have looked into my local UU congregation. I’ve attended one service via zoom, as I work on Sundays, and it was okay. I couldn’t really get with the music, or the whole vibe honestly. But it was a nice introduction to UU. I was wondering if there were any other congregations that offer zoom attendance that maybe have better music and a more upbeat vibe?

I recently attended a finding yourself at UU class. The focus was on social justice. The presenter was amazing and gave us wonderful information about theology and activism. And shared a model by which our congregation views our responsibilities.

I’m curious about how you view your relationship between you, your congregation, and your personal activism. Are you doing most of your social justice work through your church or outside organizations? Does your church partner with your outside organization? Do you advertise your outside organization within your congregation?

Thanks for any insight.