UU A Way Of Life

When going with the flow becomes a way of life. Miracle Principle #5

2013-05-13T11:02:00.000-04:00

The fifth principle of miracles reads “Miracles are habits, and should be involuntary. They should not be under conscious control. Consciously selected miracles can be misguided.”

The shift in perception from the world of the ego to the world of the spirit requires thought training, but with practice, functioning in the world of spirit seems to come naturally and becomes a way of life. One’s consciousness is raised to the point of enlightenment. One no longer operates in the world of the ego, and one’s awareness of living in the spirit occurs involuntarily. It simply has become a way of living.

To live in the realm of unconditional love for oneself, other human beings, and the world requires awareness and forgiveness. Forgiveness begins with the awareness that drama, ego nonsense is an illusion. Life at this level of the ego is not real. We need not live on the ego plane because we can change our minds. How often have we said to ourselves, “There must be a better way?” As it says in the introduction to the Course: “Nothing real can be threatened. Nothing unreal exists. Herein lies the peace of God.”

We often do not apprehend this spiritual dimension until we are in crisis and suffering mightily. At the time of our greatest distress and desperation, we intuitively realize that there must be more if only we can get past the terrible circumstances that we feel so victimized by. At such times, people sometimes cry out, “How can God be doing this to me, to them?” The answer, of course, is that God is not doing this at all. In our anger and suffering we project blame for the situation onto whoever we can find even remotely relevant to the situation and when no scapegoat is available, we readily blame and attack whatever our understanding is of God. Eventually this attack on our understanding of God fills us with guilt and fear or retaliation and we enter into despair. None of this high drama is real. It is conjured up in our tortured minds to rationalize the suffering we are afflicted with.

This game of attack and defend, blame and protect, fear and accusation, is the work of the ego. Watching others play this game is titillating and exciting. We find it emotionally arousing and it distracts us from our own inner turmoil. In the media business they say “If it bleeds, it leads.” It perversely makes us feel better to learn that other people have things worse than we do because we can congratulate ourselves that while we may be bad, we are not as bad as that. This is the world of the ego where drama and gossip and judgmentalism reign. A lot of people spend a lot of their lives in this realm often with great pain and suffering as well as sadistic enjoyment of other’s misfortune.

Just as the fifth principle tells us that “Miracles are habits and should be involuntary” so too drama and gossip and judgmentalism are habits. The shift to the miracle thinking of unconditional love takes effort and practice and as one becomes more skilled, miracle thinking becomes involuntary and becomes a way of life. Once this occurs, to specifically apply our unconditional love under our conscious control can be misguided, because at this point in our development it is Spirit working through us, and not our ego that is in control of the process. One has set one’s ego aside and is living in a flow state one with the spirit. At this point it is not “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part” as stated in the seventh principle of Unitarian Universalism, but rather “enjoyment of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” As it says in the introduction to the Course, “Herein lies the peace of God.” I would say, “Herein lies the joy of God.”

When miracles are habits and are involuntary” we are living in great joy and peace. This peace and joy is what A Course In Miracles promises us as does our Unitarian Universalist faith when we come to the point of practicing our faith daily, hourly, minute to minute. It simply becomes a way of life.

Questions:

When have you felt at great peace, at one with the universe?

How do you set the nonsense aside in your life and become aware of Love’s presence?

What helps you become nonjudgmental and just accepting that “it is what it is?”

As my friend, Al, says, “When life gives you white water, get out your surf board and take up surfing.” When have you “surfed” over troubled waters, and become aware of God’s Love and Peace?

Can existential concerns contribute to depression?

2013-05-06T10:44:00.000-04:00

If you are depressed, some people might suggest you see your doctor and try anti-depressants, but you might not be able to medicate your ennui away. It may be a spiritual crisis of sorts which you are experiencing without even knowing it. The three major questions which we all have to struggle with in life are: Why was I born? What is the purpose of my life? What happens to me when I die? It seems, at the current time, based on your question, that you are struggling with the second question, "What is the purpose of my life?"

Many people answer this question in many ways such as: to make money, to find love, to have as much fun as possible, to get high, to obtain power and control over others, to go shopping and consume material objects. None of these pursuits are very satisfying and fulfilling in the long run but they all are enticing in their short term thrills.

The real reason you are here on this earth, in this life, is to bring yourself and others to salvation. What that means is to give up the illusions of the ego and find the Love and Peace of God. The Love and Peace of God brings great joy. When you find a better way to live your life and get your life on a better track you become the Light of the world bringing God's Love and Grace first to yourself and then to everyone on your path. You do this through forgiveness. First, you must forgive yourself, because until you have purified your own spirit, you have little to share with anyone else. Then you forgive others and accept them in Love as yourself. This is hard to do at first, but gets easier as you overcome your fears and realize this is the will of God for you and you make it your own. You and God are a dynamic duo and working together you can move mountains.

The purpose of your life and the purpose of the lives of all of us is to become a teacher of God and bring about the healing of the world. We do this in millions of ways in a million places with millions of people all over the world. Give up the illusions and misperceptions of the ego and listen instead for the Voice of God which speaks to you and everyone all through the day.

The antidote to the depression is to look on the world in a different way. Love is there; we just have to overcome the obstacles and barriers to the awareness of its presence. As you become more aware you will notice you experience more peace and less anxiety and depression.

Questions:

Why was I born?

How will I meet my fate?

What is my life for?

Describe a time in your life when you were in a flow state and afterwards observed to yourself, "I was born to do this."

God is the Love in which I forgive

2013-04-22T22:12:00.002-04:00

Lesson 46 in A Course In Miracles begins with a Universalist message if there ever was one. It begins, "God does not forgive because He has never condemned. And there must be condemnation for forgiveness to be necessary."

If God is unconditional love how could such a God condemn the people He/She has created?

A Course In Miracles turns the misinterpreted Christian message that Jesus died for our sins upside down. Would God, the Father, Abba, want to see his son suffer?

It is human projection onto God borne out of the guilt of separation from God that leads humans to believe that God must be angry with them. This illusion has created most of the problems in the world and given rise to dysfunctional beliefs that cause great suffering and misunderstanding.

It was the Universalists who challenged what Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh called Crossianity, the belief that Jesus submitted himself to torture and death to appease an angry God and spare us from God's wrath and condemnation. This insane belief has lead to what Walter Wink has called the theology of redemptive violence which has caused great harm in human relations.

Lesson 46 in A Course In Miracles teaches that God is the Love in which I forgive myself for the illusions I believe about my own condemnation by God, and for the anger and condemnation I exercise in my thoughts and relations with others.

Questions:

If God would not have you condemn others as He does not condemn you, who should you forgive so that you can save the world from this insanity?

How can you change your mind about those you would attack because of your fear and come to love them instead?

How can our church of Unitarian Universalism help people to relate to each other soul to soul rather than as objects of judgment?

Lesson one - The mystical life as a love story

2013-04-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

"The Tao that can be told of is not the Absolute Tao."

Tao Te Ching

"Revelation is intensely personal and cannot be meaningfully translated. That is why any attempt to describe it in words is impossible. Revelation induces only experience."

A Course In Miracles, T-1.II.2:1-3

The Bagwah Shree Rajnesh latter called Osho said in his talks on the Tao Te Ching on June 11, 1975,

" If you don't know how to be silent, it becomes heavy. ....You can talk, and you can create a screen of words around you so that your real situation cannot be known by others. You clothe yourself through words."

All the scriptures from various faith traditions, from the religions of the world can do is point you to the experience of God, the experience of God which A Course In Miracles calls revelation. As Bhagwan says, these scriptures awaken a curiosity, a thirst, a search for a spiritual experience which is clouded over by our daily lives in the ego dream of separation from God from whence we have come.

"Revelation is literally unspeakable because it is an experience of unspeakable love."
T-1.II.3:7

Unitarian Universalism is a very young religion and has no mystical tradition of its own other than what it draws from its six sources to which I now add a seventh, A Course In Miracles. ACIM is a manual for returning to a relationship with God here on earth. Properly understood and practiced it brings joy and peace to its practitioners and to those in relationship with them.

From now on many of the articles on UU A Way Of Life will reference A Course In Miracles and readers are invited to study ACIM and contribute to the discussions here that will occur in the comment sections of the articles. Articles may be appearing a little more often than just on Mondays, but the Monday articles will be the main articles that set the focus for the study for the week.

The focus this week is on the mystical life as a love story.

Questions for the week:

1. Have you experienced revelation in your life and if so, what has that been like for you, how has it affected how you have functioned, and what, if anything, have you done with that experience?

2. What factors or circumstances if any have contributed to this experience of revelation? Have you been able to re-create the experience again?

3. Bhagwan says that silence, which allows one to go within, is an important factor in facilitating the experience of revelation, but there are other spiritual practices such as the whirling dervishes in the Sufi tradition which are used to achieve a flow state of revelation. Others say that drugs such as LSD is a short cut while others dismiss this as just a pharmaceutical alteration of brain chemistry and not a genuine mystical experience. What do you think?

4. Unitarian Universalism seems to be more focused on social justice values than facilitating revelatory experiences with one's Higher Power. Is this why UU has remained a small, marginalized religion without much influence in the increasing consciousness of humanity? Would the development of a mystical tradition give Unitarian Universalism a more solid core and foundation for its work in transforming the world?

Please leave your comments.

Comment moderation has been turned on because of spam attacks

2013-03-22T20:26:00.002-04:00

I have set the comment moderation on because of all the spam this blog has been receiving. Appropriate, relevant comments are most welcome. I apologize for the inconvenience. If you have questions and/or concerns you can reach me at davidgmarkham@gmail.com.

The Curious Case of Open-Source Religion

2013-03-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

By John Maguire

For this essay I will explore the rationale for an offshoot of the Open-Source paradigm known as Open-Source Religion. I will also refer to it loosely and interchangeably as Open-Source Philosophy.

Open-Source Religion can be summed up as the individualized practice of mixing various religious teachings with a diversity of non-religious ideas and beliefs to form a coherent spiritual framework for oneself. A person is free to be as creative as they so choose in this process, as long as their beliefs do not violate the golden rule: do no harm. For example, if you believe that a three-eyed race of telepaths from the Sirius star-system seeded the earth with intelligence, and at the same time believe in the philosophical teachings of both Jesus and Buddha, then more power to you. Theoretically your conclusions can be grounded in nothing more than pure intuition, but I believe decisions are best arrived at through critically-minded research and employing the scientific method. The danger in relying strictly on intuition is that you may end up adopting some type of intellectually-bankrupt and exploitative alternative such as Scientology. The choice however is yours.

In contrast to Open-Source, traditional, proprietary religious practice insists on rigidity, standardization, and the collective deferment of authority to an elite priesthood. Open-Source Religion integrates horizontally and promotes integrity by stressing thoughtful analysis; Closed-System Religion integrates vertically and promotes a lack of integrity by propagating dogmatic adherence.

The bureaucratized and hierarchical Religions of the present day eat away at the social fabric and sunder the inherent interconnectedness of humanity. I’m not saying there are no good people trapped within these systems, or that localized religious institutions cannot serve as community-touchstones; there are, and they can. But the reality is that mainstream religious ideology operates by and large as a rationale for war, genocide, poverty, and general divisiveness in the world. For all practical purposes, MSR single-handedly embedded the imagined threat of an external other into popular consciousness; a satanic boogey-man that we must unite against no matter the cost. We have seen this mentality play out in the twentieth-century during WWII and Vietnam respectively during which the American public was easily frightened into blind acquiescence, and brainwashed American soldiers proudly mailed back the bones of dehumanized enemies to their families and wore their victims’ body parts as trophies. We see this continuing today in the contrived War on Terror, as we condone and commit war-crime after war-crime, all in the name of chasing our own shadow. On top of this, MSR(main stream religion) also perpetuates the cultural epidemic of sadomasochistic addiction to self-hatred. The self-loathing person can never self-actualize, and the writhing emptiness within can only be satiated by self-destructive behavior such as mindless consumerism, or the demented urge to exert power and control over others.

Moving beyond these stark issues, I see value in discussing OSR because I feel that all human beings, on a very deep level, require a self-inspired, logical, and optimistic philosophical framework for life that helps them transcend their familiar five-sense reality. To quote Logicist author David Jack, “I believe that everybody, in a sense, has a God. We [all] have something that we believe in as supreme.” I agree wholeheartedly, and believe this concept extends to all people, even agnostics and atheists. Guiding principles are in essence a Religion; just as Religion in essence is a set of guiding principles. Therefore, whether we admit it or not, we are all religious creatures at heart. In that respect, we all have a stake in the development of the OSR paradigm.

I myself was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Roman-Catholic. In time I got over the trauma of it. I studied hard, I meditated, and in the process discovered a holistic philosophy that helps me stay balanced, focused, and answer that all important question: What is life all about? You can do the same if you are courageous enough to ditch your psychological baggage, leave your ego at the door, and move forward with integrity and an open-heart. I will likely take time in a future video to outline my own personal belief system for those who are interested.

I ask that you take a brief moment to reflect, and to not misinterpret what I’m saying. Just because I insist on the need for a religious philosophy grounded in Open-Source, does not mean that we should ignore reality and engage in magical thinking; nor should we pretend all is well and wear disingenuous Prozac smiles on our faces. In the words of philosophical giant Ervin Laszlo, “We should apprehend this remarkable world with our heart as well as with our intellect… [we must adopt] a vision that is imaginative but not imaginary.”

Obviously the world, and the human race, is in turmoil. That is not a valid excuse to indulge in narrow-minded cynicism. If you find yourself unable to muster up a sense of optimism and elevate your thinking beyond your own ego-driven existence, it is my opinion that you are ignorant of certain fundamental truths. Something is logically amiss in your approach to problem-solving. Put plainly, you are lacking in awareness, and that is a byproduct of both conditioning and intellectual laziness. To change this, you must make the choice to engage in honest interdisciplinary research. By integrating up-to-date findings from a broad spectrum of scientific and metaphysical fields of study, you would arrive at some very liberating and encouraging conclusions. For example, systems theory, non-linear thermodynamics, shamanism, quantum physics, astral-theology, entheogenic pharmacology, and naturalistic philosophy are all critically important subjects. Yet how many of us know even the slightest bit about them, let alone how to organize them into a coherent framework? This epitomizes the challenge at hand; a challenge that nobody can undertake for you.

Almost all classical belief systems are irreconcilably flawed, as has been historically demonstrated by the countless contradictions and inaccuracies they have given rise to. Consequently, none of them deserve our full allegiance. To borrow a quote from Ayn Rand, “Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” In my opinion these belief systems had their chance, and failed to deliver. Open-Source sense making is the future starting now.

We already exist in an era of Open-Source Religion. All we have to do is come to terms with it. The truth is that everyone, even those who consider themselves strict orthodox, selectively constructs their own constellation of beliefs. If this was not true, supposedly strict adherents of the Christian Bible for example would all be stoning their disobedient children to death, and condemning themselves and others to hell for wearing clothing made of two different fabrics. So obviously people everywhere are already engaged in Open-Source spiritual sense-making. But they are too proud, too ignorant, or too afraid to take off their masks and jump ship from their sinking institutions.

I sincerely believe the materialistic, Newtonian paradigms of the past centuries are coming to an end. Compartmentalization is going out of fashion. We need to regain our sanity by reclaiming the lost wisdom of our indigenous forerunners. I think the incomparable Joe Bageant put it best when he said, “There is a spiritual side of man…a moral side. I’m not a Christian, but it’s there, and it’s there for us to share as a people, together.”

Editor's note:

John Maguire was born in 1985 and raised in Upstate New York. He attained his undergraduate degree in History Education from the State University of Brockport in 2007. Disillusioned, he successfully dropped out of graduate school in 2009 to pursue a happier and more authentic life. Slowly at first, he initiated a program of autodidactic learning and self-exploration that has been ongoing since. Believing truth and authenticity are the only things worth pursuing, most of his days revolve around such aims. When necessary, he pays for the ego-driven demands of life by way of substitute teaching and coaching poker. He currently lives in North Carolina with his ever-patient girlfriend Nikohl."

John can be reached at foks0904@gmail.com

I met John and Niki when they both worked as book sellers at Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, NY

Interview with John Maguire about his essay on Open Source Religion by David Markham

2013-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

David: John your essay about Open- Source religion made me wonder about a couple of phenomena currently observed in the United States: the rise of the “nones” who are people upon survey that say they have no religious identification and affiliation, and the decrease in church attendance. You mention in your essay that “Open-Source Religion integrates horizontally” as compared to “Closed system Religion integrates vertically”. To what extent do you think the availability of the world wide web since the mid 90s and the mushrooming availability of information has contributed to the decrease in influence of organized mainstream religion especially in your generation, the so called “millenials” who no longer have to rely on hierarchial religious institutions for information and interpretation of religious ideas?

John: Quite a lot I would say. If a person is computationally literate, or even semi-literate, the cracks in the wall of established institutions are laid bare for anyone to see on the web. Information that used to be hidden away in libraries and academia, that required huge blocks of time to discover and synthesize, is now a thousand times more streamlined and accessible. This definitely accounts for the acceleration of skepticism in our society, and is reflected in decreased church attendance as you’ve noticed, as well as a rise in economic justice movements like Occupy Wall Street.

People I believe are naturally resistant to the idea of becoming cogs in a machine; which is why you see so much rebellious/aggressive behavior in most school environments for example. In these dogmatic, hierarchical environments we are told what the truth is and told not to question it. This is completely antithetical to human nature. We need to explore and discover our own “truth” to be truly happy in this life, and a vast majority of institutions simply stifle this outright through propaganda and hierarchical authority.

David: During your stay in Brockport did you see examples of this phenomenon where young people turned to each other and the internet rather than to their pastor, priest, rabbi?

John: You know not so much, because I think a lot of my friends in general fall into that “none” category. This is not an indictment of them, I certainly understand that rebellion and I have a lot of the same ambivalence toward the word “religion” myself.

I think to the extent that people are dialoguing on the internet, they likely keep this part of their life compartmentalized from the rest. No one wants to face criticism from their selected peer group because they don’t want to be seen as “un-cool” or “anti-science”. And let’s face it; a lot of younger people nowadays are drowning in apathy and materialism without much guidance for how to pursue a “higher-life”. This is of course largely a byproduct of our disempowerment brought about by out-dated and broken cultural memes (i.e. materialism, rejection of afterlife experience, shallow pursuit of self-interest at the expense of others, etc)

I would say a good swath of the younger generation is moving toward a more indigenous form of spirituality: in other words a return to non-coercive group ritual. You see this most in the surge of “club kids”, and at other huge gatherings such as Burning Man Festival. Whether you agree with some of their lifestyle choices, or views on psychedelics or not, these movements by and large are an attempt at rediscovering community infused with indigenous/shamanic sensibilities. So by and large I see people turning to shamanic spirituality in some way shape or form, whether they realize it or not.

David: You write about the role of “satanic boogy-man” which has led to the demonization of the other who is characterized as an enemy justifying war and other forms of attack. How would an Open source religious orientation undermine or counteract this tendency?

John: Open-Source, in principle, rejects the idea of absolutes. Absolute evil, absolute good, these are polarizing terms grounded in static dogma. Open-Source models are modular, ever-evolving. Open-Source respects diversity, whereas traditional systems emphasize only “one true way”, and anyone in violation of that “one true way” must be labeled evil. Look at the passing of the recent NDAA where basically anyone can be labeled an “enemy combatant” and a “terrorist” just because you disagree with certain government policy. This is yet another reflection of absolutism and narrow-mindedness that can be found in fundamentalist religion.

David: You write “…MSR (Mainstream religion) also perpetuates the cultural epidemic of sadomasochistic addiction to self-hatred. The self-loathing person can never self-actualize, and the writhing emptiness within can only be satiated by self-destructive behavior such as mindless consumerism, or the demented urge to exert power and control over others.” This reminds me that after 9/11, Americans asked in a plaintiff way “Why do they hate us so?” and President Bush’s response was to go shopping so the terrorists didn’t win and disrupt our economy too much. Are you implying that the materialistic capitalism endemic in the United States is actually fueled by Main-Stream religion’s doctrine of original sin and the defective nature of the human being, and if so, how do you see this as working?

John: By and large yes. While I’ll admit there is not an exact 100% correlation, whether we want to admit it or not there is an undercurrent of religious extremism/absolutism within our government today and there has been for a long time.

Since ancient times, leaders have been perverting the philosophical underpinnings of spiritual doctrine (which at its heart is meant to liberate people) in the pursuit of personal power. First leaders claimed divine right to rule, then men like Emperor Constantine warped and dogmatized decentralized cults like Christianity to unite the various Pagan peoples he was conquering. While government nowadays takes on a more secular character at first glance, the underpinnings of its motivations flow from that merger of personal-power pursuit with spiritual/psychological warfare.

David: You seem to point out that as human beings we all are religious in some way whether we are consciously aware of this or not. You write, “Guiding principles are in essence a religion: just as religion is a set of guiding principles. Therefore, whether we admit it or not, we are all religious creatures at heart. In that respect, we all have a stake in the development of the OSR paradigm.” Can you say more about what that stake is and the expectations and requirements such a stake implies can be satisfied?

John: I think anyone that looks at the world honestly realizes we are in an absolute quagmire. There are literally holocausts going on all over the Middle-East, Africa, and elsewhere. Meanwhile, here in the States depression, apathy, disease, poverty, crime, fascism, and tensions are rampant. This is all reflective of that “Closed-System Paradigm” that pervades both our institutions and our thinking processes.

We feel isolated, helpless, fearful, sad, and so on because most of us have accepted the Newtonian, Cartesian, and Institutionalized-Religious view that this world is a pitiless, meaningless, scarcity-driven and competitive jungle where it’s everyone for themselves, and we have no power as individuals. Whether institutions that leverage this paradigm label themselves as “scientific” or “religious”, they are in general agreement that we need to simply suck it up, do what we’re told by the “experts”, and go along with the program.

I think by participating in the Open-Source movement we are helping to support new ways of thinking and new ways of living. By learning about horizontal integration, shared decision-making, individualized sense-making, and rediscovering what it means to exist in a real community with real responsibilities, we can overcome all this pointless war and despair in the world.

David: You seem to imply a sense of urgency when you write, “Open-Source sense making is the future starting now.” If you look at the sociological data it seems you are right that Open-Source sense making on religious and theological ideas has already begun. What will be further signs that it is progressing? Also, some commentators say that Pope Benedict resigned because he is aware that the Catholic Church is a failing institution and that he is not up to the task of leading the church in this new age. You were a Catholic yourself. Can you imagine an Open-Source Catholic church? If so, what would it look like?

John: Well you’ll never find out what’s developing by watching the mainstream media, that’s for sure. I think we can only know by A) tapping into alternative media, and B) reaching out to others and searching for ourselves. Visiting web-sites, dialoguing with others in forums, watching videos, visiting alternative communities, communicating via Skype; all of these are important. I think only by reconnecting with each other and opening up to one another can we ever really know “what’s going on”. When people are willing to engage in respectful and intelligent dialogue with one another without scoffing at the others beliefs, and arrive at core issues they can agree on moving forward, we will know we are making progress. Also the closer science and religion come to reuniting is another surefire sign that evolution is progressing. Unfortunately it is not some miraculous, over-night transformation. We all have a part to play in this unfolding story.

To answer your second question, I think Benedict resigned for a number of reasons. Pedophilia scandals, failing health, institutional-politicking, power-games; all of these likely had a hand in his historic resignation. I am sorry to say I don’t have much faith in the Catholic Church “opening up” as long as it’s tied to the Vatican. And even if it were simply to split with the Vatican, we would simply have another branch of Protestantism which is still entrenched in biblical teachings/history that is deeply bias, corrupt, and misrepresentative of the true story.

If any religion keeps perpetuating the myth that it has the “one true story”, they can’t call themselves “Open”. Open respects diversity, but also embraces our similarities, our wholeness. Take for example the story of Noah’s Ark; there are literally dozens of flood/ark stories from cultures all over the world. This blows up the whole notion that there is “one true religion” brought down from on high. So if any religion is to evolve and call itself Open, it must not only move away from centralized/dogmatic authority, it must also adopt that principle that our mythologies may have a common source.

David: Over all I found your essay remarkable in many ways. Your idea about a burgeoning Open-Source religion is very powerful and profound. What are you hoping that your readers will take away from your essay?

John: My main hope is that people begin to engage in true self-evaluation and critical thinking. We take a lot for granted, and just assume certain histories, events, philosophies, etc, are “true”, even though we’ve never researched them thoroughly ourselves. I hope people stop accepting what they’re told from authority figures, and seek truth in their own way and on their own terms. Personal empowerment is my endgame I suppose.

From this new consciousness I think people’s actions will take on a new character and we can reshape not only our own lives, but our neighbors’ lives, and our communities as well. I am a true believer in global-thinking and local-action. Reshaping our local government structures, our education systems, monetary systems, our food-distribution systems, our business-structures; all of this is possible with a new consciousness, so that is what I hope to foster and nurture.

David: It seems like Open Source religion will be the contribution of the Millenials who have come of age in the internet age. It is not the religion of their parents, grandparents, and previous generations. It is something that your generation is using to transform the world in a more positive way. Who do you see the major leaders as being, or if that is not the right way of looking at the phenomenon what will continue to develop it as the religious orientation of the future?

John: I think we are moving away from traditional cults of personality. This is not to say we won’t have “leaders”, just not leaders in the traditional sense of the word. Often we think of leaders as these strong-men, rally-around types who talk tough and inspire others through charisma alone. The new generation of leaders will be more willing to share decision-making equitably, rely on the advice of their cohorts and communities, and will speak through their actions rather than through their words. The next generation of leaders will also be defined by integrity.

In general it will be a collective endeavor. As Buckminster Fuller used to say we exist within a global game. Because we’re all in this together when one of us loses, we all lose. Contrary to Darwinian thinking, evolution does not move forward due to mindless competition and “survival of the fittest”. Systems Science and men like Alfred Russell Wallace teach us that Evolution advances through the cooperation and coupling of species. To evolve, we must unite.

My Kind Of Church Music - Like A Prayer, Madonna

2013-02-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

"Like A Prayer"

Life is a mystery,
Everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like home

[Chorus:]
When you call my name it's like a little prayer
I'm down on my knees, I wanna take you there
In the midnight hour I can feel your power
Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there

I hear your voice, it's like an angel sighing
I have no choice, I hear your voice
Feels like flying
I close my eyes, Oh God I think I'm falling
Out of the sky, I close my eyes
Heaven help me

[Chorus x2]

Life is a mystery, everyone must stand alone
I hear you call my name
And it feels like...

[Chorus x2 (with Choir)]
(Just like a prayer, I'll take you there
It's like a dream to me)

Editor's note: Madonna sings that life is a mystery and when people speak to us and we hear their voice sometimes it is like an angel sighing. Have you ever had that experience?

UUs covenant to affirm and promote a respect for the interdependent web which makes us alert to our interdependence which draws our attention to synchronicities, coincidences, and the Spirit of Life speaking to us in a myriad of ways.

Reading Buehrens/Parker - On what do we base our faith?

2013-01-28T10:29:00.001-05:00

In part four of A House For Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-first Century, Rebecca Ann Parker and John Buehrens write about "Foundations" the basis for belief in God.

There is the story of John Buehrens asking atheists "What God is it that you don't believe in?" that seems to get to the crux of the issue. People of the books say that God is "revealed" in the scripture and that very scripture warns against idolatry.

The psychologists tell us that everyone believes in something whether they are aware of it or not. Everyone has a motivating understanding of life that gives their lives meaning whether it is money, sex, family, drugs, work. As humans we have our gods which we worship and devote our lives to.

On Beliefnet where there is the "Belief - O - Matic", the 20 question quiz which helps people select a religion which best matches his/her beliefs, the first question is:

What is the number and nature of the deity(ies)?

1. Only one God - a corporeal spirit (has a body), infinite, supreme, personal; the Creator.

2. Only one God - a incorporeal spirit (no body), infinite, supreme, personal; the Creator.

3. Multiple personal gods (or goddesses) regarded as facets of one God, and/or as separate gods.

4. The supreme force is the impersonal Ultimate reality (or life force, ultimate truth, cosmic order, absolute bliss, universal soul), which resides within and/or beyond all.

5. The supreme existence is both the eternal, impersonal, formless Ultimate reality, and personal God (or Gods).

6. No God or supreme forces. Or, not sure. Or, not important.

7. None of the above.

My guess is that most Unitarian Universalists will pick 4, 6, or 7.

Parker supports North Whitehead's ideas of God which are called process theology. She writes on page 105, "Rooted in science, reason, and intuition, process theology provides a way of understanding the existence of God that progressive theology can embrace in the twenty-first century". Process theology sees God as the force working for creation in an ongoing way. It focuses on becoming rather than being.

Parker writes a little further on page 106 "God's beauty shimmers, dances, melts, and flows. The angels circle up and down on Jacob's ladder. We set up marking stones at the epiphany places and build our theological houses. Meanwhile, God invites us to open the door and cross the threshold into mystery."

As Jesus asked his disciples "Who do you say that I am?" the number of people, especially young people, skip the question by replying that they are "spiritual" and not "religious". The so called "nones", the fastest growing segment of the population in the United States deny any religious identification and affiliation. The mythic stories told by the mainline denominations and religions fail to gain their allegiance and adherence. There is nothing there that they can identify with. These mythic stories are considered irrelevant to their experience and so they eschew participation.

So what do these "nones" believe? My guess is that they believe in a moral life that is secular and humanistic and their fellowship is derived from being sport fans, music fans, and consumers of a materialistic culture which constantly tells them that their search for immediate gratification can be met with a pecuniary purchase. This is the American way, a way they deeply believe in, it having been preached to them by politicians and corporations since the days of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s.

What is it, if anything, which Unitarian Universalism has to offer them that is relevant, meaningful, empowering? The perennial theology of Unitarian Universalism drawn from the six sources is too pedantic, and the seven principles too pedestrian. Unlike Parker's endorsement, it seems that process theology doesn't quite capture the heart with sufficient inspiration either. What will be the foundation for a vibrant, viable faith in the Twenty-first century is yet to be defined and described. The meta-narrative is yet to be developed and disseminated. It will have something to do with Love of all living things and stewardship of the planet.

My Kind Of Church Music - Over The Rainbow - Israel, "Iz" Kamakawiwo’ole

2013-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Reading Chittister - What makes you happy?

2013-01-21T14:53:00.000-05:00

Sr. Joan Chittister in her book, Following The Path: The Search For A Life Of Passion, Purpose, and Joy tells us that St. Thomas Aquinas told us that happiness is union with God, being one with the all, or as the monk said to the hot dog vendor, "Make me one with everything."

Chittister writes on page 33 "No, it's not the possibility of happiness we doubt. It is how to find it that eludes us."

I have said to myself since I was a little boy, "It's not a bad life if you know how to live it." I don't know where I got this from. I must have been 7, 8, or 9 when I would encourage myself with this affirmation. As an adult occasionally when frustrated and discouraged I say to myself, "Life shouldn't be this hard!", and I become aware that something is wrong and it is usually that I am trying too hard and failing to understand what the universe is trying to teach me and I am reminded of the first step in Alcoholic Anonymous which points out that our lives are unmanageable and that we have to surrender to our Higher Power whatever we conceive that Higher Power to be.

Chittister writes further on page 34, "Happiness comes from inside. Happiness has something to do with what we do with who we are. Clearly, pleasure and happiness are not synonyms." Reading this got me thinking about Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the last need, number 5, when all the other needs are met, is self actualization. When our needs for food, warmth, clothing, health, safety, belonging, self esteem are all met, then we can attempt to pursue self fulfillment in "doing what we believe and feel we were meant, born, to do. Chittister writes "Aristotle, the great philosopher of personal development, said happiness depended on developing ourselves to our fullest potential." Bingo! Self actualization is what makes us happy after our other needs are met.

In our contemporary world we are constantly assaulted with messages from corporations that our happiness comes from buying their products and services. Is this form of capitalistic persuasion that materialism is the basis of achieving happiness the source of much unhappiness and evil in the world? Is this idea that external things can make people happy the "Big Lie" that Holden Caufield immortalized in Catcher In The Rye?

Chittister provides a counter-cultural view when she writes:

"If we want to be happy, we need to find out what we do best and do it to the utmost so that having done our part in this co-creation we can have the satisfaction such a life deserves. We need to learn that giving ourselves to something worth doing is more important, more valuable than giving ourselves only until something better, something more exciting, something more lucrative comes along." pp.35-36

Using our talents and abilities in activities that we find satisfying and fulfilling is the path to happiness. Pursuing our interests in ways we find rewarding is what gives our lives relevance and meaning.

As Unitarian Universalists we covenant to promote and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process, and the respect for the interdependent web of existence. These principles point to the basis of the virtuous life which Aristotle, according to Chittister, told us would make us happy.

Are Unitarian Universalists happier than other people? Do UUs seem more full of joy? Perhaps, UUs are more aware than others that happiness doesn't come from winning the lottery, buying a new car, shopping for the latest fashions, or taking an enjoyable vacation. UUs, better than anyone, know that enjoyment and happiness are different things, that pleasure and happiness are different things and as Dr. Laura was fond of saying, "Feeling good and doing good can often be quite different things."

My Kind Of Church Music - We Shall Overcome, Morehouse College Choir

2013-01-21T12:35:00.002-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. a courageous man who raised our consciousness and helped us become better people.

My Kind Of Church Music - Hallelujah, K.D. Laing at Olympics 2010

2013-01-21T12:21:00.000-05:00

Reading Buehrens/Parker - The roof, salvation

2013-01-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

I am way behind on the discussion of Buehrens and Parker's book, A House Of Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion for the Twenty-first Century. We are on part three "The roof" where the topic is salvation. This topic entails interesting questions like what is evil, how are we to be spared it, and if it occurs, or god forbid we perpetrate it, how are we to be exonerated, redeemed, how is the sin to be atoned?

Parker points out that much of Christianity has been crucifixion centered, the idea that God put His Son, Jesus, to death to expiate our sins. It's a crazy idea but one which works well for us when we feel full of shame and guilt. It's like the belief in Santa Claus. Jesus came to give us the gift of expiation for our sins washing away our guilt, pooooof, just like that if we believe it, that He is our Lord and Savior. Sure, I'll believe that. What a deal. I can put my responsibility and the responsibility of others who have sinned with me into a figment of my imagination reinforced by the manipulation of charlatans who benefit from my allegiance to their insane theology and giving them power and money.

Further, as Parker points out, crucifixion centered theology provides us with the idea of redemptive violence, the idea that inflicting pain and death on people somehow provides a sense of justice and exoneration and is redeeming. This idea has caused tremendous pain and suffering in our sorry world where fear of pain, torture, attack and execution runs deeply in our psyches.

Parker asks the question, "what is evil?" and she answers "Evil is that which exploits the lives of some to benefit the lives of others." She goes on and writes:

"It chooses ways of living that destroy rather than sustain the delicate web of relationships that make life possible. Evil's accomplice is anesthetization. When the senses have been numbed, and feelings have been stifled, responsive reverence is dulled, and love has no air to breathe. p.68

I would add that evil is often unconscious, it is stupid, it lacks empathic understanding of the karma that destructive actions precipitate.

If evil is a lack of consciousness, then consciousnesses need to be raised. We need to have consciousness raising groups, activities, relationships where we are continually calling ourselves and others to become our better selves. It is this witnessing and advocacy for growth and transformation stemming from loving concern and kindness which is the antidote to evil and which is so easily mocked in our cynical world.

Parker writes; "Love is protected and saved by those who embody presence, wisdom, resistance, gratitude, and humility." p. 71

Parker goes on:

"Do you want to know how I believe we are saved?" my grandmother once asked me. "We aren't saved by Jesus's death on the cross. People believe that focus on hocus-pocus and avoid having to live out the teachings of Jesus. We are saved by every person in every time and place that has stood up for what is true in spite of threat. Like Socrates did. Like Jesus did. Like many others have done." We are saved by a communion of saints. They shelter us, and we have the opportunity to be in their number, here and now. p. 75

Indeed we are saved by courageous men and women who stand up for truth, justice, and the highest ideals of humanity. By providing an enlightened witness and advocacy slowly cultural consciousness changes for the better. It is an organic process that takes minutes or days for individuals and years if not decades for societies. The courageous men and women need a place of refuge and support. That refuge and support hopefully comes from the church but even the church can be corrupt as we can see from history, and so authentic refuge and hope comes from faith. Faith in our better nature, faith in possibilities of a better world, faith in the goodness of humanity and the world. Our salvation comes from many traditions and understandings, and as Unitarian Universalists is comes from living according to the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism drawn from the Six Sources on a daily basis which is a practical manifestation of Love which surpasses all understanding.

Building a church which has a purpose

2013-01-21T10:06:00.002-05:00

It's hard to build a church.

We started the Brockport Unitarian Fellowship in September of 2009. It's been 4 years. We have about 35 members and an average Sunday attendance of between 15 and 20. We are planning now for our fifth church year, 2013 - 2014. We have a committee working on an annual operating plan for the 2013 - 2014 church year.

Rev. Christina Neilson, the congregational life consultant from the St. Lawrence District, met with our congregation yesterday, Sunday, January 20th, and we did the vision thing and set some goals in small groups. People shared a lot of ideas. We aren't short on ideas. It's executing them that is the problem. Most of the labor is volunteer with the exception of a 1/2 time pastor and a musician we pay twice a month to play the piano at two of our services.

The understanding which has slowly taken shape in my mind is that Unitarian Universalist ecclesiology is based on the idea of convenantal relations within each church and among churches in the UUA. The covenant is based on the affirmation and promotion of the Seven Pinciples which we draw from our Six Sources. It has taken me many years, about 10, to come to this understanding. Why has it taken me so long?

It has taken me so long because nobody has spelled it out for me, succinctly, clearly, and to the point that I have now spelled it out for myself. If covenanting to affirm and promote the seven principles drawn from the six sources is what Unitarian Universalism is about why is this not clearly understood by UU members and the world at large?

I think of all the jokes about UUs, like the one about UUs like Jehovah Witnesses going door to door to spread their religious beliefs but not having anything to say. How many UUs does it take to screw in a light bulb? A whole committee and they can't decide what should be done. You know the jokes. You've heard them too, and laughed, as I have too, in self denigrating humor, laughing at our own ignorance and gratuitousness. But taken seriously, as a way of life, Unitarian Universalism is not ephemeral whip cream, it is serious, deep, challenging, and demanding.

I have been thinking further about the seven principles drawn from the six sources and it dawns on me that if I am to seriously apply them in my life and make a difference to myself and to the world in which I live, I need a lot of help. I certainly can affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person, but in a world awash with racism, discrimination, and exclusionary policies of every sort and stripe, I realize that I cannot affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person alone. I need a lot of help. We, as a community, need a lot of help.

And so, our churches, our community of saints as Rebecca Ann Parker calls us, must grow, here and now, if we are to make our Seven Principles visible, relevant, and meaningful in our daily lives.

As I go about my daily life and enter into discussions with people and ask them if they too believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person and if so, will they come to church with me so we can explore how to make this principle manifest in our community life together?

I understand now, better, what the purpose of church is. It is a group of people who join together and covenant with each other to affirm and promote the Seven Principles from the Six Sources. This group of people is a communion of saints who shelter one another and work together for a transformation of life on earth, here and now, for the benefit of the interdependent web of all existence. What holier work can there be? What could be more important? Our church will grow, has to grow, if we are to save the world.

My Kind Of Church Music - Stand by Amy Carol Web

2013-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

STAND! © 2008, Amy Carol Web

CHORUS I will stand with you – Will you stand with me And we will be the change -- That we hope to see In the name of love -- In the name of peace Will you stand, will you stand with me

When injustice raises up its fist And fights to stop us in our tracks We will rise and as one resist No fear nor sorrow can turn us back

CHORUS

When pain and hatred churn up angry noise And try to shout down our freedom song We will rise in one joyful voice Loud and clear and ever strong

CHORUS

When broken hearts come knocking on our door Lost and hungry and so alone We will reach as we have reached before For there is no stranger in this our home

CHORUS

In the name of love - In the name of peace – Will you stand, will you stand with me

Editor's note: My Kind Of Church Music is a regular feature of the UU A Way Of Life online magazine which appears most Wednesdays.

Reading Chittister - What are you born to do?

2013-01-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

This month the UU A Way Of Month book selection is Following The Path: The Search For A Life Of Passion, Purpose, and Joy by Sr. John Chittister. Sr. Joan’s little book helps us reflect on the primary existential questions of why was I born, and what is the purpose of my life?

“Happiness, I have come to understand, comes when what I choose to be about in life is actually worth spending my life doing.” P.22

“To discover and pursue what we are called to do in life is the very fundament of happiness.” P.24

I have often said to myself, “It’s not a bad life if you know how to live it.” And figuring out how to live it as I have gone along has been very important to me. Where this idea came to me from, I don’t know, but I have strongly held it and reminded myself of it throughout my life. Having told this to myself, I also am quickly aware that I don’t usually know how to live it, but it is much clearer what I shouldn’t do so I go forward humbly seeking God’s will for me.

“To have a vocation meant having the mark of God on the soul of the one reserved to do the work of God.” P.25

“But at the same time, those same two qualities – knowing that we have within us something that marks each of us in a special way and that this quality has been given to us for some reason greater than ourselves – are the essence of coming to wholeness. The task of determining what that quality is and what to do with it is the single great work of being alive.” P. 25

This sense of vocation, a calling from God to do something important with one’s life, is the basis of faith. Our first experience of faith is feeling that other people have faith in us. People who love us and care for us are expecting something important for us in our lives. Who, in your life had faith in you? Hopefully it was a parent, or great parent, or some other relative, but sometimes that faith in us comes from people outside the family like a teacher, a coach, or a mentor of some other kind.

And did you ever express faith in someone else’s life? It is the greatest gift of marriage and parenting to nurture and care about the other person’s growth and development. Helping ourselves and others become their whole selves we become co-creators of the universe.

Becoming who we really are, being on the right track in our lives, actualizing our potential is the most satisfying and fulfilling thing in life which makes us happy. Stephen Gaskin said that ultimately the only thing we have to offer another human being is our own state of being.

Chittister writes, “I decided to write this book because I am at the stage of life myself now where being able to look backward is an important credential, too much underrated and too often overlooked.”p.27

She goes on “And finally it may help those too – for whom most great public decision making is now largely over – to come to understand their own lives, to complete them, if necessary, and to make peace with circuitousness of its journey to fulfillment. Then that warm mist of happiness which the philosopher Aristotle said could not possibly come much before the end of life can finally be quietly, serenely wallowed in.” p.28

Chittister ends the introduction with a quote from Thomas Browne, “Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us.”

Why do you call your online magazine, "UU A Way Of Life"?

2013-01-07T07:00:00.002-05:00

People have asked me about the title of this online magazine , "UU A Way Of Life", and I have responded that Unitarian Universalism is not just another religious belief, a religious denomination from which to choose in the market place of churches, but rather it is a way of life.

The seven principles are the basis of a covenant that we make with other people, and with the Spirit of Life to live according to certain principles. These principles are grounded in what Adulous Huxley calls the perennial philosophy which means that these seven principles are drawn from at least 6 sources.

Rather than being a religious faith which often mocked for its superficiality because of it lack of a creed and dogma, Unitarian Universalisk is a deep and rich faith requiring ongoing effort if it guiding principles are to be implemented and manifested at a deep level in a person's life. Unitarian Universalism is not a faith for sissies, or the immature. It does not lull the adherent into a false sense of security with easy answers but requires a grappling, a struggle with transcendent ideas that challenge the adherent to live a life which is a work of art in progress.

Unitarian Universalism is not a belief system. It does not require or even encourage a simple conversion experience of accepting belief in a deity and then being "born again". Rather Unitarian Universalism requires deep reflection, and meaning making that slowly takes over one's whole life and way of thinking, feeling, and behaving. One can't simply declare , "I'm a Unitarian Universalist" one actually has live one's life in covenant based on its principles which the person decides to affirm and promote. The covenantal understanding is similar to taking religious vows or vows to one's country or vows in marriage. When one decides to become a Unitarian Universalist one decides and agrees to take on a responsibility to live a life true to oneself, to one's fellow congregants, and most importantly to a vision of a better life, well lived based on the seven principles drawn from the six sources. This decision and agreement contributes to a life of purpose and meaning which is very deep, rich, nourishing, and satisfying.

Becoming a Unitarian Universalist is to answer a demanding call, the response to which is a path of meaning, fulfillment, and great joy.

My Kind Of Church Music - Don't Worry, Be Happy, Bob Marley

2013-01-07T07:00:00.001-05:00

Luke 12:22-32 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

²²And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, ^[a]do not worry about your ^[b]life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. ²³For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ²⁴Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! ²⁵And which of you by worrying can add a single ^[c]hour to his ^[d]life’s span? ²⁶If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. ²⁸But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men of little faith! ²⁹And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰For ^[e]all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. ³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.

Grace - being aware of God's love in our lives and the lives of others

2013-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

The theme for January, 2013, is grace. Will you write something about your experience of grace? Please. Here are my thoughts written down on 01/03/13 at 9; 40 PM

William James said that our experience comes from deciding what to pay attention to.

When we become aware of God's love for us, we experience God's grace. We do nothing to deserve it or earn it or buy it or persuade God to give it to us. It comes freely, unconditionally, and often catches us off guard. We are surprised by it, and filled with joy by it in astonishing ways. We feel humbled by it, and it brings tremendous peace and contentment.

Grace is paying attention to our experience of God's unconditional love. Grace turns around and lifts us up and we realize that we are loved.

My Kind Of Church Music - Wanting Memories - Sweet Honey In The Rock

2013-01-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Editor's note: My Kind Of Church Music is a regular feature of the UU A Way of Life online magazine which appears most Wednesdays.

What was the beginning of the world?

2013-01-01T19:09:00.001-05:00

"There is a beginning, and there is no beginning of that beginning."

Chuang-Tzu
Dad what was the beginning of the world?

It was a twinkling in the eye of God, sweetheart.

What does that mean?

It means that God is love and love has no beginning or end. It just exists. We don't know why. It is simply our inheritance. Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present. Beginnings and endings were created by humans. They do not exist in the mind of God. Sometimes you will know this when you experience the Holy Instant, when time stands still, when you get caught in the flow and when you come back to time's awareness you say, "My golly where has the time gone!?" The answer is that it didn't go anywhere, we simply have returned to our self consciousness and will start arbitrarily marking time again.

Wow!

Reading Buehrens/Parker on UU ecclesiology - What is the role of the church?

2013-01-01T12:51:00.001-05:00

The second part of Buehrens and Parkers book, A House With Hope, deals with ecclesiology, the study of what it means to be a community, a church. Unitarian Unversalism is a covenantal ecclesiology rather than a revelatory ecclesiology where the truth has been given to some but not to all and many are dependent on the few for the truth and guidance. Unitarian Universalists believe that each individual has inherent worth and dignity, and believes in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and has something to share with the whole. This understanding that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is to recognize and acknowledge grace in the world. Jesus told us that where two or more are gathered in his name, there he (Love and Grace) will be.

We recognize this grace in a colloquial way when we say that two heads are better than one and three heads are better than two. We intuit that we are social creatures and rely on each other for feedback which influences our awareness and identity. The Sociologist George Herbet Mead called the social mirror.

Buehrens writes on p. 54: “Covenant as a concept is not just about commitment to a particular community. Because of its connection to hope, it is also about a community’s commitment to a vision without which we all perish.”

We all need to belong to something bigger than ourselves from which our identity and safety flows. Without it, as in primitive tribes where shunning was used as punishment, we die. And what is that vision of which Buehrens writes? He doesn’t articulate it specifically, but I take it to mean the seven Unitarian Universalists principles derived from what UU identifies as its six sources. It is a theology which is unique and ultimately is based on love.

Further, Unitarian Universalism relying on its ecclesiology of covenant, should strengthen its recognition of Grace which gives rise to awe, and gratitude because we become aware with grace that we are loved and cared for by the Universe for no other reason than that we were given birth to what Matthew Fox calls the Original Blessing which is LIFE and which is our natural inheritance. This LOVE is made manifest in our care for one another and the world. As the Pagans marveled at the early Christians when they said, “See how they love one another,” we, too, as Unitarian Universalists should strive to create this same culture of love in our congregations and in our relationship with the world.

Buehrens writes:

“Too much liberal and modernist religion, I fear, is all too likely not only to forget that ground, but even to think that covenantal relations are simply a matter of our own intentionality, and not a gift – what the Puritans called ‘a covenant of grace’, rather than one of works. In the biblical tradition, after all, the most basic of covenants were initiatives not on the part of human beings, but on the part of God, starting with the covenant of being itself, the Creation.” P.53

Whether we know it or not, are willing to recognize it or not, willing to acknowledge it or not, we have a covenant with LIFE, the universe, that which sustains our existence here. The Buddhists call it “right relationship”. We, have lost our way as a species, as we destroy the planet we live on. The ecology is contaminated in significant ways and our wrong relationships with each other lead to genocide both intended as in the holocaust, and unintended as resource inequality leads to millions starving to death.

And further Buehrens writes, “Robert Bellah was right when he suggested that the radicalism of authentic covenantal hope is necessary to subvert our too easy, liberal complacency with any status quo – if we are ever to fulfill the promise of our heritage: the promise of covenantal, democratic community in right relation with others and with the creation. And that hope must now be both global in its vision and local in its realization.” P. 55

To overcome complacency, we, as a Unitarian Universalist people, must commit ourselves to continuing quality improvement. Our Universalist heritage tells us that our work is not done until the whole body of Christ is saved, brought to enlightenment, brought to salvation. It is a work which Teilhard de Charin called the evolutionary trajectory from Alpha to Omega. The work of humanity will not be done until we have achieved heaven on earth.

As we continue on the journey from Alpha to Omega, may our UU congregations be Oases of light and hope providing support and encouragement along the way. Our UU churches are the yeast in the dough, the salt in the stew, the source of nourishment and rejuvenation for weary travelers.

UU A Way Of Life - Book of the month - Following The Path

2013-01-01T09:55:00.001-05:00

While there are still many more comments to be made on December's book, A House For Hope by John Buehrens and Rebecca Ann Parker, it is time to announce the book for January, 2013 which is Following The Path: The Search For A Life Of Passion, Purpose, and Joy by Joan Chittister.

Not having finished the discussion on A House For Hope, we will begin a discussion of Following the Path the week of January 6th, so get your copy now. We are hoping you will read along with us and join in the discussion.

The topic for theme based ministry this month is Grace. So perhaps this theme can also be discussed on UU A Way Of Life.

2012-12-31T09:33:00.002-05:00

Last night I watched the documentary, Raw Faith, which is about Rev. Marilyn Sewell's life as the Unitarian Universalist pastor of First Unitarian Church in Portland Oregon for over 17 years.

During those 17 years Rev. Sewell grew the congregation to over 1, 000 people and in spite of her personal demons and insecurities nurtured a congregation with integrity and love. As she realizes that her time of ministry is coming to an end she makes the courageous decision to resign while she is ahead and begin a new chapter in her life to which she feels called, but not knowing exactly what God is calling her to do next.

Having created the space for God's grace to operate, and quite unexpectedly, for the first time in her life, Marilyn falls in love with George, a widower of many years. Marilyn is scared of her feelings of being loved by George because of previous abandonments and emotional abuse. Can she open herself up and make herself vulnerable?

With the help of her Spiritual Director, Marilyn overcomes her fears of intimacy, and allows George to love her and at the end of the film they marry.

In the bonus features on the DVD with the film, Marilyn discusses many aspects of the UU faith very articulately.

I liked the film much better than I expected. It is a film for older people over 50 who are reflecting on the meaning of their lives up to mid life and where to go from there. It is also a film for workaholics and high achievers who have been driven to prove themselves because of insecure childhoods. As Tim Robbins said one time, "It is never to late to have a happy childhood." Marilyn Sewell can be a poster child for that idea. She lives a very productive and satisfying life based on "raw faith". I highly recommend this film.