My Trip to the Unitarian Universal Church

by NewChapter 32 Replies latest jw friends

  • snakeface
    snakeface

    I am so glad this subject has been brought up. As a child I was a devout Catholic, very involved in church. Was an altar boy, played the organ on Sunday...it was an important part of my life. When I became a JW I again was very high profile in the circuit. On the platform at just about every meeting giving talks, and very active in many activities. After leaving I became irreligious. I wondered of most ex-jw's become that way, irreligious.

    Over the past few years, at times "worldly" friends have invited me to visit their churches. Not to join, but just to visit with them on particular holidays such as Easter or Thanksgiving, to be followed by a meal. I've always told them I'm not "a church person". Now I realize that was rude of me and that I was missing out on many things.

    So recently I've been thinking of joining a church, mostly for the "fellowship" and networking and because I would want to participate in the music and singing (such as chior). I do realize this would involve a committment on my part. I started reading about various religions on Wikipedia, and found two that seem to interest me. One is The Unity Church and the other in The Unitarian Universal Church. Maybe I will visit one this Sunday, and the other next Sunday. Also, last night I emailed a friend who had invited me to his church some time ago and told him I've been thinking of looking into it, and I asked him to tell me about his church. I haven't heard back from him yet.

    I wonder if what most of us ex-jw's experience is, not the fact that we may not believe every single thing a particular religion teaches, but that we are conditioned to believe that have have to believe everything that religion teaches or we don't belong there; in other words, "all or nothing". Religions such as these two (Unity, and Unitarian Universal) apparently allow for members to have their own thoughts/beliefs/conclusions; members apparently are not required to believe everything and in the same exact way.

  • Ding
    Ding

    Unitarian Universalist churches provide social groups where people really don't care if you believe in God or not.

    If you want to believe in God there, you can pretty much choose what you want your God to be like.

    However, if you believe John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except by him, you'd best keep that to yourself because that's considered judgmental and unloving.

    Likewise with Jesus' comments in Matthew 7:13-14: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the
    road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
    few find it."

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    newchapter - "They do light candles, but it wasn't super ritualistic."

    Huh. Like I'd mentioned to you before, I was leaning towards UU for a while early into my fade, but anything ritualish kinda turned me off. If your experience is fairly standard (and if there are some individuals in my general age group there) I might still check a UU church out some day (there isn't one nearby where I live, though).

    You going back?

  • mindmelda
    mindmelda

    I love UUC, they're about as non-religious as religion gets. One of my atheist friends can even stand to go to one occasionally with her family. Great place for ecumenicists who like the social aspect of religion without focus on one sort of doctrine.

    It's one of the few places where my combination astrologer/ Pagan, Christian, Buddhist, agnostic hodgepodge of ideas are tolerated. LOL

  • chickpea
    chickpea

    i attended a UU service this past fall
    because there was a regional singer
    performing and it was like getting to
    go to a free concert!

    there was a candle ceremony which was
    for attendees to share good news and bad,
    hopes and dreams, and at the end the person
    "leading" that part lit one for people with grief
    too deep to share...

    there were some readings, some out of the bible
    but contained in a one-love-fits-all kind of book,
    some readings from other sources, and yeah
    kids split off at one point, and afterwards there
    was food.... no pressure just people coming
    together to share peace

    it was nice, not overly anything, including inspiring
    but i would do it again if i wanted to drive to the
    same town the KH is in, about 15 miles down the road!

  • moshe
    moshe

    I attended a UU church a few times- once when they had a dance on a Saturday night. I'm not sure why anyone would want to be a member and pay dues to the UU, just so they could have interesting people to kibbutz with.

  • NewChapter
    NewChapter

    You going back?

    Hey Vid, I went back last Sunday. I really enjoyed it. The people were still very welcoming, and they are so interested in social justice. I feel at ease. The pastor wasn't there because SHE was on a LESBIAN retreat with her PARTNER. LOL They had some talks on ethical eating, which were informative but not dogmatic. It feels good to associate with a group. I did miss the feel of community.

    However, if you believe John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one comes to the Father except by him, you'd best keep that

    to yourself because that's considered judgmental and unloving

    I don't feel I have to keep anything to myself--they don't use language like that. However, if you do believe such things, and I don't, this may not be a good fit. They accept wiccans, pagans, hindus, buddhists, christians, atheists, agnostics, etc, and if you believe that scripture, that would probably make you uncomfortable. they don't consider the bible the final authority, and they haven't read out of the bible in my last 2 visits. They do however respect the bible, but they respect all religious writings---so...

    t was nice, not overly anything, including inspiring

    I came away feeling pretty inspired. But like I said, they are interested in social justice, where as JW's just wait on the new system. It makes me feel good to have some direction in really helping others.

    It's not for everyone, that's for sure. But it made me feel better to be part of a group again. They have much more faith in people and trust them to make good decisions. I just wanted to share so that if anyone felt like me---wanting community without all the garbage they've endured---this could be a nice place.

    Right now, some extra meetings available are yoga, writing, women's history, cakes to the queen of heaven, a service auction/talent show coming up next week, a social group for stay-at-home moms. There is much much more, members set things up. Also, they take the donations from the first Sunday of the month, and give it to an outside charity.

    NC

  • free @ last
    free @ last

    Good to know. Are you still going new chapter?

  • 30 years out
    30 years out

    I have attended the UU near me and find it to be a very good fit for me. Some congregations with which I have participated are very vibrant, but some do lack in the inspiration department.

    In a UU you are encouraged to think, question and be open to all paths. The local group had a class on designing your own theology. Meditation is encouraged and inclusiveness is the standard. There is no creed or doctrine to which to subscribe and being civil to all of nature is the only rule. If I were to join another organized church it would be the UU.

    Thomas Jefferson was perhaps the most notable and famous Universalist, even writing "The Jefferson Bible" which is an account of the life of the prophet Jesus and his teachings. Rather than espousing the pivotal christian teaching of a resurrection fable, his account simply ends with the words "and he died".

    Thanks Newchapter for bringing it up:

    30

  • WontLeave
    WontLeave

    Tolerance is one thing, but if I want that kind of diversity of thought and belief, there's already a place I can go for that; it's called "anywhere". I mean, any random gathering of people will do, so what's the point in having a church where nobody believes anything and everybody believes everything? While I don't buy into the Theosophy religion, I love their slogan:

    No religion is higher than truth.

    Several mutually-exclusive beliefs is not truth; it's religious pandemonium. I don't see the point in meeting together, if there is no goal or desire for anyone there to seek a plausible truth. If you're looking for somewhere nobody will care what crazy things you want to believe, you can stay home and do that. UU just sounds like a club for people who have a sociological need to have people accept their ideas. They lack the confidence in their beliefs for them to stand on their own, without outside confirmation.

    This is the kind of "spiritual" discussion to be had in a circle of stoners smoking out. Please forgive me for not being interested in such a pointless waste of time. I already avoid meetings and conventions because I don't learn anything from them and they don't motivate me. Church services, in general are pointless except for brainwashing into the cult's/denomination's ideology. Remove that and there's nothing left, which is a UU church.

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