A Faith For All People

Rev. Abhi Janamanchi

October 26, 2008

The late Douglas Adams, a British author, is well-known among science fiction fans for his comedic five-novel series about an Englishman who is rescued just moments before the destruction of Earth in order for an intergalactic highway to be built. Arthur Dent, the Englishman, is whisked away in his bathrobe by a friend who turns out to be an alien in disguise. The two of them then roam the galaxy assisted by a travel-guide similar to the ones we find in bookstores. The first book in the series, the most famous of all five, is titled "A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy."

Some of the folks who have come through our doors have described their experience as being rather like Arthur Dent being taken out of his comfortable surroundings and dropped into an alien territory. Not many arrive accompanied by an alien traveling companion who is familiar with the lay of the land (except of course, on Sundays such as these) but once here, they might encounter some alien folks. And certainly, none of us have the benefit of holding a copy of a "Hitchhiker's Guide to Unitarian Universalism" in our back pockets for easy and quick reference.

I believe there is a need for such a guide given people's confusion and uncertainty about who we are, what we believe, and how we do 'church.' While it is true that, in some ways, we are a congregation unlike any other, we also come off looking like any other Protestant church. And that's part of the problem. Just when people think they have a handle on things, something trips them up, leaving them more off balance than before.

Take the worship service, for example. At first blush, it looks like a 'regular hymn sandwich' that one might encounter in a Methodist or Presbyterian church. The hymn tune sounds very familiar but as you start singing, you realize that the words are completely different. So, you read ahead to learn the new words and then you notice something peculiar -- your neighbors are doing the same! That's when you find out that Unitarian Universalists are actually people who read ahead to see if they agree with the words in hymns or not!

You expect the minister to preach a sermon and instead you get 'reflections' that tend to ask more questions than provide answers. You wonder why the minister's not telling you what or how to believe. You scratch your head when you hear him quoting Yogi Berra and the Bible, sometimes in that order and in the same sentence. Or, you don't know how to respond when he begins a prayer by saying, "To whom it may concern." And then, you are completely not sure about this religion when you see people lining up reverentially after service in the social hall in front of the coffee urn singing "Coffee, Coffee, We Adore Thee," to Beethoven's 'Joyful, Joyful. . .'

Given all these issues and challenges, I thought it might be appropriate and necessary to at least provide a provisional "Hitchhiker's Guide to Unitarian Universalism." You know, a cultural guide of how we do worship, when to stand, when to sit, when it's ok to laugh, and suggestions of how much to put in the collection plate. And also throw in an appendix of acronyms, phrases, and code language a visitor is likely to hear over coffee. For example, you may hear someone saying something like this, "I did not feel the AIW on GLBTQ rights passed at last year's UUA GA outlined how people might study the issue better through lifespan RE. I wrote to 25 Beacon about it but haven't gotten a response yet."

So here are a few provisional answers for you to ponder:

How did Unitarian Universalism develop?

When I first heard that name I wondered if it was a name coined by a committee. I was right.

Unitarian Universalism is a progressive religion that emerged from two liberal Protestant denominations - Unitarianism and Universalism.

Unitarianism appealed to the educated classes of coastal New England. It affirmed the unity and just and loving character of God, the moral and reasoning capacity of people, working out one's salvation with diligence. Unitarians believed in the humanity of Jesus seeing him as a wise teacher, prophet, and moral exemplar.

Meanwhile, Universalism took root mainly among farmers and laborers in interior towns and villages of New England. Universalism proclaimed the gospel of God's universal love, the inclusiveness of Jesus' message, and universal salvation. A loving God, Universalists insisted, would never condemn his own creation to eternal damnation.

Thomas Starr King, a 19th century minister fellowshipped as both a Unitarian and a Universalist, came perilously close to the truth when he quipped, "Universalists believe that God is too good to damn people whereas Unitarians believe that they are too good to be damned by God!"

Despite class differences, both religions worked closely together on the great moral and social issues of the 19th and early 20th centuries - slavery, temperance reform, women's rights, peacemaking, and civil rights. The two denominations consolidated in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.

What do Unitarian Universalists believe?

There's an old saying that Unitarian Universalists believe in and practice not just the open mind but also the open mouth. Mine's going to be open for the next 20 minutes trying to answer a question that in a real sense cannot be answered. The reason for this is simple. The heart of our religion is "individuals in community together." Ours is a religion that puts its faith in you, you, and you. To know the meaning of our religion, we would have to listen to each "you," each person, who is a part of our living tradition.

But there are a few things, a few values, that we share in common:

We believe that each and every human being matters - everyone has inherent worth and dignity, no exceptions. Just about all the rest of our values are connected in some way to the placing of high value on the individual person. Whether we see ourselves the intermediate product of an evolutionary process, a servant of God fulfilling a divine plan, an accident of fate, or seekers gradually awakening to an enlightened condition, we can all agree that each person matters a great deal and has enormous potential for growth and development. Each person, to the greatest degree possible, deserves the freedom and resources to have a satisfying healthy life. Each person has much to contribute to the wealth of the community. We believe in freedom, I would say more in freedom for, than freedom from. We believe in applying reason to our beliefs and convictions. We believe in acceptance, in radical hospitality and welcoming the stranger. We believe in diversity, that differences need not divide us. And we believe in love, an unconditional love that will not let us go.

What is the source of authority?

Because we see the individual as our primary value, we do not accept the absolute authority of any revealed scripture or truth. Our minds help us understand that no limited sealed revelation can apply universally to the human condition. Our source of authority emanates from deep within, whatever we may call it - conscience, soul, spirit, or the god within. In this process we value the freedom of individual belief and the right of conscience to stand aside from the will of the group.

Even though we put the individual first, we understand the dangers of unbridled individualism. We recognize and affirm that an individual's identity and humanity are formed and tested in community. We form a religious community voluntarily out of our own free will.

And we form a religious community around shared values, not beliefs. Our congregations contain Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, and Christians, Theists, Atheists, Agnostics, secular humanists, and a host of people whose personal beliefs fall under the category "Other." The values we hold in common are not exhausted in the 7 Principles and Purposes.

Furthermore, our religious communities are places where we encourage, support, and challenge people to grow their souls, cultivate an open and inclusive mind, and work together to repair a broken world.

Do Unitarian Universalists believe in God?

Yes and No. Some do. Some don't. Others are not sure. Most of us do not believe in a capricious and vengeful god who roots for particular countries or sports teams, who demands prayer in public schools, who clothes politicians in sanctity, or who condemns some people to hell just because they are in a committed and loving relationship with someone of the same gender. For some of us who are agnostics, we believe that anything that human beings say about god is never final or clear. And for those of us who are theists, God is not "God's name," but the name given to a mystery beyond our ken. By "naming" that mystery we affirm our faith that the universe is comprised of more than blind, random, indifferent forces. God, for us, is the glue that keeps us connected to our inner selves, our relationships with others, and the universe. God is a deeply personal love that transcends biology and hormonal urges and points us to a larger reality beyond our own isolating, selfish consciousness.

Then, what about Jesus?

Jesus was a first century Jewish prophet - a moral and spiritual teacher who sought to reform the Judaism of his day by placing emphasis on its moral and spiritual dimensions rather than on its ceremonies and rituals, who said, "love thy God with all your heart and love thy neighbor as thyself." While his message was designed for a first century agrarian society, the spirit of his teachings continues to inspire us today. Because he was a threat to the religious and political establishment of his day, he was crucified.

Do you celebrate Christmas and Easter?

Yes we do. We gladly celebrate Christmas as symbolizing that every night a child is born is a holy night. Easter is a festival that calls us to celebrate the tenacious, improbable miracle of life and a reminder that we all need to be practicing resurrection on a daily basis. But we also celebrate other festivals like Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, and Vesak, the birthday of the Buddha.

Is there life after death?

We do not know and we may never know. Many of us doubt such an existence, but do not close our minds to serious attempts at understanding the death process. We affirm the immortality of influence: those who have lived well live on in the lives of those they touch. We do believe in life after birth. We are committed to living this life to the fullest and not be overly obsessed with what happens after we die. We like to focus on the spiritual 401k in this life rather than try to accumulate credits for the afterlife.

Do you believe in original sin?

Sin in the Hebrew scriptures meant "missing the mark." We are constantly missing the mark - doing that which we ought not to do and not doing what we ought to do. We are our own most perplexing problem and our own final hope. We are neither sinners in the hands of an angry God nor saints in the arms of a loving one. We are both saints and sinners, but more importantly, we are seekers. We do not believe in original sin but do believe in 'original blessing.'

Then, what about salvation?

The Bible is a vast and valuable compendium of human wisdom and folly collected over a period of centuries. It is not the word of God to humanity, but the word of humanity about its understanding of being human and being divine and where they meet in life. There are other religious scriptures to which we would also turn. The ethical demands of the Quran, the beauty of the Tao Te Ching, the simple ethic of the Analects of Confucius, the mystical insights of the Upanishads, the existential wisdom of the Sutras of Buddhism - and the rich abundance of the whole human literary tradition be it poetry, literature, music, and dance - all these contribute to our human store of goodness and beauty and wisdom.

We celebrate a loose-leaf scripture which affirms that revelation is not sealed.

Is Unitarian Universalism, as a religion, Christian?

Not by any serious understanding of Christianity can Unitarian Universalism as a religion be considered Christian. But there are quite a few Unitarian Universalist Christians and quite a few Unitarian Universalist Christian congregations, particularly in New England. Unitarian Universalism is undeniably culturally Protestant. As someone once said, "the religion of Unitarian Universalism is outside the Christian consensus but the sociology of Unitarian Universalism is Protestant." Our institutional structure and practice, including some of our language, remain grounded more in Christian forms than any other. This makes those seeking a less dogmatic alternative to mainstream Protestant Christianity comfortable among us. But it also makes others from a non-Christian background somewhat uncomfortable about making a home among us.

Does one have to be a political liberal to be Unitarian Universalist?

One of the myths about Unitarian Universalism is that all religious liberals are political liberals (and most probably Democrats). This is a blatantly false claim and a totally erroneous assumption. The composite UU is probably more politically liberal than the societal norm, but there is no reason why a person who believes Jesus was fully human or who seeks truth in scientific insights and not just biblical revelation must also be labeled a political, social, or economic liberal. We UUs don't have a coherent, unified "position" on all types of political questions just as we don't on a whole host of theological questions. We believe that everyone has the right to hold their own opinions and vote according to the values they hold most dearly.

In reality though, we sometimes talk as if we are all liberal and unified in our analysis of the political situation and solution. We know the words of our Transylvanian Unitarian forbear, Francis David, "You need not think alike to love alike," though we don't always practice it when it comes to political issues and affiliations. I want our congregation to walk its talk when it comes to valuing and respecting differences of opinion and not engage in liberal fundamentalism. We fail as a faith if we cannot accommodate such differences.

At the same time I have to say that we do not shy away from political issues or moral quandaries of the day. As Unitarian Universalists we aren't permitted to separate ourselves from the larger society either by indifference or arrogance.

We believe in speaking up against unjust laws that seek to undermine or eliminate people's right to liberty and justice or promote inequality and second class citizenship.

The bottom line is this: we Unitarian Universalists are all in this together - all in the peculiar, mysterious struggle to make sense of Creation and bless it for its bounties. If we act with decency, respect, and caring toward one another, then we deserve to feel in our religious communities, if nowhere else in the whole world, that we are accepted, honored, valued, and treasured - regardless of our theological, spiritual, social, and political differences. If we can enable that in our congregations and fellowships, then we can go out and help it happen in the larger world.

Conclusion:

Our Unitarian Universalist way of religion is seldom easy. It entails a gradual, never-ending challenge. Many of us would even go so far as to assert that the full, robust existence means struggle.

Unitarian Universalism offers a vibrant religious vision: acceptance, pluralism, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; and deep faith - yes, faith - in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, in the interdependent web of all existence, and in the power of love and compassion, justice and peace.

And it offers a compelling mission. That mission is to take religion so seriously we believe freedom and responsibility are at the heart of it - that mission is to take our religion into the world so that all people may know love and peace and justice - that mission is to celebrate life in all its triumph and tragedy - that mission is to let our religion get in the way of shallow spirituality, egregious ethics, self-righteous religiosity - that mission is to help people develop a faith that will both comfort and challenge them - a faith that will call on them to give of themselves generously to make this world a better place.

We have an important liberal religious message Tampa Bay needs to hear, the state of Florida needs to hear, the United States needs to hear, and the world needs to hear. We have an important liberal religious message for our own ears. We have an important liberal religious message for our children's minds. Finding unifying words for this liberal religious passion will unleash our power to make a positive transformational difference in the lives of our members and friends, in our community, and in the world at large. May we be about living out that vision and mission in our individual and collective lives and in the world.

References:

A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The writings of Richard Gilbert, Bill Schulz, and Fred Small