Ask the UU!

[hartlandcat]

What is there profession of Faith? What do they believe? What are the specific things that every one of it's members must believe, to be able to truthfully be able to tag UU to their beliefs?

We must affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Edit: Maize beat me to it! But we don't actually use the 'Seven Principles' in that way in British Unitarianism (although we'd probably still agree with them).

 

[Rae]

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

To make things even more confusing, I've seen UUs argue that since this is what the churches/congregations AS ENTITIES covenant to, only the churches themselves are bound to do this, and individual UUs are free to believe otherwise as they see fit.

 

[Rochir]

Well, I don't think you need a belief in the supernatural to have a religion, the Buddhists have shown us that. In dealing with beliefs and theology, it's important to note that UUism is a way of being religious rather than a religious doctrine. For us, religion is an ongoing search for meaning, purpose, value and spiritual depth in one's life.


Well I described our Sunday services earlier so I guess you're asking about special days/holidays?

Birth, marriage, death - we mark all of these occasions with ceremony. These ceremonies are not considered sacraments. The minister tailors each service to the people personally involved, so that the ceremony will be especially appropriate to them.

The type of ceremony varies by congregation; there is no officially sanctioned induction ceremony. Two or three times each year, many congregations conduct an informal ceremony as part of a Sunday service in which new members are formally welcomed to the church.

We celebrate holidays such as Christmas and Easter. The difference may be that we tie these holidays more to the changing seasons than we do to traditional Christian themes. They are honored as celebrations of the winter solstice and the spring equinox -- the hope and promise symbolized by the lengthening of the daylight hours in December, and the renewal of life in spring after the winter season of darkness.

The traditional accounts of the birth of Jesus and of the Resurrection are sometimes included in these celebrations and cited as myths which contain a positive message about human life. The birth of a child, for example, represents the hope and promise found in each new life. The crucifixion and Resurrection are symbolic of how new life can emerge even after a time of pain and suffering. As with the Bible itself, these stories are not taken literally but for what they symbolically tell us about human life.

We celebrate Easter as the return of spring and the renewal of life; in this respect we draw more on the pagan rather than the Christian origin of this holiday. The New Testament accounts of the Resurrection may be cited as a symbol of the strength, power and renewal of life. We do not accept the idea of a physical resurrection.

Also, it varies from congregation to congregation, but will we celebrate and recognize holidays and holy days of other religions as well. Though practices vary in our congregations and change over time, UUs celebrate many of the great religious holidays. Whether we gather to celebrate Christmas, Passover, or the Hindu holiday Divali, we do so in a universal context, recognizing and honoring religious observances and festivals as innate and needful in all human cultures.

Thank you for this wonderful explanation. Thank you!!!

 

[Rochir]

No, there is no profession of faith.

We covenant to affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

But individual freedom of belief is paramount in UU.

Very true what you said there. Unitarians as a whole believe in freedom of thought, we belong to a creedless church.

However ( and I hope you will not see this as highjacking your wonderful thread, Maize ) as far as Christian Unitarians (CU) are concerned, we believe that

• God is One, undivided and not a trinity as many other Christians believe;
• CU believe that Jesus was a God-inspired man and not divine, and that the bible, while created by men, was nontheless God inspired;
• finally the Holy Spirit is widely perceived as urging menkind on to do good and selfless deeds and thus manifest itself.

What UU and UC have in common mainly is the believe in a non-trinitarian God who with many UU has a different position of import as with many CU

 

[Rochir]

UU Churches are a lot like protestant Christian Churches in structure and style. They have a minister (often several) and a very protestant Christian church facility. They tend to be the larger UU Churches, and are a bit more formal in style. They usually are very well organized, and often have long histories (though not always).

A Fellowship is, well, different. Often, they are Lay lead. They do not have a Full time UU minister, or even a minister at all. They are generally smaller, and fiercely independent. Services are planned and presented by members, members serve as "Lay ministers" for weddings and other such life ceremonies. They generally have smaller "fellowship halls" but sometimes meet in rental spaces. Sometimes they develop into UU Churches, but not always.

I think what you described here is the difference between Christian Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists!

 

[Catholicism]

We must affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Where does this inherent worth and dignity come from?

 

[hartlandcat]

Where does this inherent worth and dignity come from?

What do you mean? From where is it supposed to come?

 

[Maize]

I think what you described here is the difference between Christian Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists!

Possibly, but it does describe different types of UU congregations, we have both.

 

[Maize]

Where does this inherent worth and dignity come from?

I am as confused as hartlandcat as to your question. What do you mean where did it come from?

 

[Druweid]

We must affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

Where does this inherent worth and dignity come from?

Main Entry: in·her·ent
Pronunciation: in-'hir-&nt, in-'her-
Function: adjective
: involved in the constitution or essential character of something : belonging by nature.

IOW, we were born with it. We were not born flawed, inadequate, or responsible for the mistakes or flaws of our ancestors. Each of us is worthy and dignified in our own right, and we should strive to recognize that in others.

 

[Maize]

IOW, we were born with it. We were not born flawed, inadequate, or responsible for the mistakes or flaws of our ancestors. Each of us is worthy and dignified in our own right, and we should strive to recognize that in others.

Thank you Druweid! (I didn't recognize what Catholicism was asking.)

 

[Maize]

To make things even more confusing, I've seen UUs argue that since this is what the churches/congregations AS ENTITIES covenant to, only the churches themselves are bound to do this, and individual UUs are free to believe otherwise as they see fit.

Yes that is true. Thank you for making that point so I can clear something up. You do not have to agree with all seven of the principles to be a UU. In fact, the principles are not "binding" on individual persons at all. They are, in fact, only binding on UU Congregations as a whole. Look at the preface to them...

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
​

We, the member congregations.... the principles are not binding on individuals, though most UU's have taken them to heart. But, for the individual, the right to disagree is written even into the principles....

The right of conscience
​

The principles are only binding on congregations, not on individuals. If a congregation were to, say, call for and end to democracy in America, they would be removed from the Association.

For the individual, the line is drawn as to whether or not you are a UU by whether or not you abide by the covenant you are in with your local UU Congregaion (or the Church of the Larger Fellowship, if there is no UU Church near you). No individual can be a member of the UUA, only congregations. Individuals are members of independent churches. The full name of our denomination is the "Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations". We are a free association of independent and interdependent churches.

 

[Maize]

Anyone want to ask me anything else?

 

[Druweid]

Anyone want to ask me anything else?

Well, not a question, but some news.

My girlfriend (formerly, a non-specific Protestant)and I have recently become members of the local UU Church. Some of it is somewhat new to her, but so far, she really seems to enjoy it.

She really doesn't have what I would call a 'strong' grasp of religion, but rather likes having the leeway to explore any and all possibilities. She's also of a mind to not judge other people for their beliefs, as long as they are basically 'good peoples.' And yes, some of the information provided by Maize and Rochir was very helpful in making this decision. Thank you all!

Regards,
-- Druweid

 

[Maize]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing that! The best to you both.