Do you miss a place to connect with others?

by zarco 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  zarco

  After fading away a couple of years ago and going through the stages of transition away from the WTS – anger, disappointment with them and with myself for staying so long and now disgust at their harmful doctrine– I no longer think of myself as an ex-witness.

  Recently I have had a longing to check out other groups.

  I recently went to a Buddhist meditation but the religious symbols didn’t feel right to me. The people were warm, welcoming and genuinely interested in me. And Buddha seemed happy enough, at least he is smiling in many depictions. I also attended an Episcopal church – a very liberal, active thought provoking group but a little too “jesus” for my tastes.

  I finally found a place that feels right. I attended and will continue to attend the Unitarian Universalist Church in my town. The attendees are very diverse made up of, Christians, deists, pagans, agnostics and atheists. The church is focused on good deeds, feeding the homeless, social activism and general alignment philosophy (aligning behaviors with whatever your beliefs are).

  The do not have a doctrine, rather follow seven principles:

  1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

  2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

  3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

  4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

  5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

  6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

  7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

  If you, like me, ever need a place to connect with people and if the WTS has knocked the desire to be religious out of you, I really recommend the UU. It seems that most congregations are similar to mine.

  Best,

  Zarco
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  wobble

  Thanks Zarco ! They sound like a sensible and pleasant bunch of people, as long as they like a drink, they will get on well with me !

  I may just check my nearest one out, what do they do in the way of, not worship I suppose, but Services etc ?
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  zarco

  The place that I go to has a band and they play about 4 songs throughout the service. There is a short reading or two from a philosopher or from a "thinker". Last week the reading was from the writing of an Native American Chief

  There is a talk on a current topic. Last week it was about how the way a universalist looks at "sin" is far different than a religious person. If we find ourselves acting in a way contrary to what we aspire to be or to what we hold dear, it is a sin to us. So in this talk it was more about working to be consistent with our deeply held beliefs. For many in the congregation I went to it was being consistent with environmental causes.

  There is a short story that involves the children in the congregation. Then the children go with a youth director for activities. Folks from the congregation can share good and bad things that they are experiencing as part of the service. Some talked about their anniversary, others a birth. Still others lost a family member, etc.

  The entire service is about 70 minutes.

  A state government official came to the church to talk about budget matters. He came during the week, not at the Sunday service.

  The indeed like to drink :)

  Best,
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  Black Sheep

  The attendees are very diverse made up of, Christians, deists, pagans, agnostics and atheists. The church is focused on good deeds, feeding the homeless, social activism and general alignment philosophy (aligning behaviors with whatever your beliefs are).

  Sounds like my pub
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  Broken Promises

  I've heard similar good stories about the Unitarian church.

  Glad you've found a good place to go.
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  Open mind

  Sounds like Cheers!

  "Where everybody knows your n-a-a-a-me."

  Seriously though, the UUs have always been at the top of my (very short) list of groups to check out.

  Maybe I'll fly over to the Chatham Islands one of these days and join you.

  om
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  zarco

  OM -

  If you fly all of that way, I will provide the steak and wine. It is how we celebrate the memorial now days :)

  zarco
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  CoonDawg

  I joined an auto club. I met one of my best friends there. I think that some have the misconception that the association has to be of a spiritual nature- but that's simply not the case. Get a hobby and associate with the group in an amount commensurate with your liking of meeting up with others.