tell me what tradition you follow and how it manifests itself in your daily, weekly, and monthly life.

I am a Unitarian Universalist. I'm fairly new to this religion. I was born and raised Catholic, but left the church about 15 years ago. In the past year or two, we started attending the UU church as a family, and it's really grown on us.

I fully embrace my religion because:

* instead of the church telling its congregants what to believe, it encourages and supports each individual member on his or her own spiritual path

* it respects the right of each person to determine their own belief system

* it respects the inherent worth and dignity of each person, as well as the importance of community and the environment

It's a wonderful feeling to be part of a faith community that will embrace and support my spiritual journey as I grow through the different stages in my life.

Tara

I am a Unitarian Universalist. I'm fairly new to this religion. I was born and raised Catholic, but left the church about 15 years ago. In the past year or two, we started attending the UU church as a family, and it's really grown on us.

I fully embrace my religion because:

* instead of the church telling its congregants what to believe, it encourages and supports each individual member on his or her own spiritual path

* it respects the right of each person to determine their own belief system

* it respects the inherent worth and dignity of each person, as well as the importance of community and the environment

It's a wonderful feeling to be part of a faith community that will embrace and support my spiritual journey as I grow through the different stages in my life.

Tara

I've really really liked every single thing I've learned about the Unitarian church. Do they ever talk about a God or a higher power or spirit? Do they ever pray? I went to one that felt like I was home, but there was no prayer and no discussion of God, but I cannot tell you how much I loved it otherwise. I just wish our local one wasn't such a long drive away.

Do you have any good books you would recommend for those that want to learn more?

I am Byzantine Catholic. It is a very mystical spirituality, very eastern. We focus on fasting, which takes place for about half of the year if you add all of the time up. We have a long tradition of meditation. We have a beautiful liturgy which is chanted, and there is incense and candles. The meditation provides me with a mantra for stressful situations and I use it daily. I have come to see God in all people and in the beauty of nature which is a part of my church's traditons and teachings, and this is manifested in my everyday life. We go to church twice a week, and stay for fellowship once a week. Seasons are marked by the changing liturgical seasons and our traditions also include a lot of natural symbolism (recently we blesssed fruit, a few weeks later flowers).
I think the focus of my tradition is humility, and walking humbly towards God, always striving for holiness through that humility. It is hard to explain how this is expressed daily or monthly, it just is.

I've really really liked every single thing I've learned about the Unitarian church. Do they ever talk about a God or a higher power or spirit? Do they ever pray? I went to one that felt like I was home, but there was no prayer and no discussion of God, but I cannot tell you how much I loved it otherwise. I just wish our local one wasn't such a long drive away.

Do you have any good books you would recommend for those that want to learn more?

The thing that is good (or bad) about UU churches is that they can vary a lot in terms of the flavor of their congregations or services.

My particular church (which is www.usguu.org) does talk about a higher power and God, and we do pray, but it's done in such a way that it feels inclusive to the wide range of beliefs present in our church. I believe in God, and I would feel that something was missing if prayer was gone, or if discussion of a higher power was gone. However, my husband is an atheist. He also attends church, enthusiastically, and he feels completely comfortable participating in all aspects of the service. This is how I know it is inclusive to even the most different of belief systems.

To give you an idea of what it's like, our service is pretty traditional. The beginning of the service starts with announcements and the lighting of the chalice. Then we sing a hymn (which usually, but not always, mentions God--sometimes it's a civil rights hymn, sometimes it's a pagan hymn, but lots of times it's a traditional church hymn). Then they have readings that play on the theme of the service. These readings can be drawn from religious texts like the Torah, Bible, Koran, etc., but they also might be drawn from great books (Love in the Time of Cholera was recently used) or from essays by UU ministers around the country. More singing. The passing of the peace feels a lot to me (former Catholic) like "peace be with you." You shake hands and say hello to the people sitting near you. More singing and a reading. Then the offertory where you contribute money if you wish. Then the minister delivers his sermon. Sometimes it's another member of the church instead of the minister. More singing or an instrumental music piece. Then we usually have a guided meditation at the end, where we are all quiet and still (eyes closed if you wish) and listen to someone read a short piece that is pertinent to the theme of the service. It sort of solidifies what's been on our minds for the past hour. A lot of the time it's a poem. The service ends with a song and after the service we have a fellowship hour with tea/coffee and doughnuts where you can chat and find out more about various service projects that are going on.

Our religious education program is top notch IMO. The little kids focus on learning about the world and how it works. The older kids focus on learning about themselves, and their place in the world. It's completely inclusive but does teach the children about all the various religions and their important celebrations/holidays.

If you want to know more, LMK. We just got a book about the UU faith. I'll post the title later today because I am running late this morning as it is!

Tara

I'm a Pagan, what some would call a witch, what I call a Cunning-Woman. My tradition is called Pellory, it comes from Cornwall / the west country of England. I'd say that my beliefs manifest in my daily life as I constantly strive to find balance. This is one of the cores of our tradition -- that there is a natural, divine balance in the world, and that we should all try to work towards that balance staying. I need to get back into my daily meditations and prayers. I find when I try to concentrate on my faith every day in some sort of ritualized manner that I'm able to hold on to that balance much easier.

I pray, I try to live out good principles, most of which I have learned from Jesus, others I have learned from witches, green party folks,midwives, progressive secular humanists, herbalists, etc...

I ask God to help me find the way that I should go. That is my religion.

I belong to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). But we're currently attending a Congregational Church for now.
I feel like I'm going to be an extended stay guest there. It's working out okay for now.

The way my faith most influences me is by challenging me to see the Light of God within everyone. I don't get to pick and choose who I see it in. If I don't like someone or something they have done, I still am challenged to see the Light. That is VERY hard to do sometimes. It's a great lifes work.:hippy:

I am also called to live simply and with intention. It's relative and personal. That's one of my favorite parts of the Friends. My religion truly ties all aspects of my life together. My faith in God and my relationship with Him provide this foundation.

There is so much more but I'm tired, have a cold and feel like I'm not making any sense.:p

I'm a Pagan, what some would call a witch, what I call a Cunning-Woman. My tradition is called Pellory, it comes from Cornwall / the west country of England. I'd say that my beliefs manifest in my daily life as I constantly strive to find balance. This is one of the cores of our tradition -- that there is a natural, divine balance in the world, and that we should all try to work towards that balance staying. I need to get back into my daily meditations and prayers. I find when I try to concentrate on my faith every day in some sort of ritualized manner that I'm able to hold on to that balance much easier.
You're always so helpful when it comes to discussing religion!

I belong to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). But we're currently attending a Congregational Church for now.
I feel like I'm going to be an extended stay guest there. It's working out okay for now.

The way my faith most influences me is by challenging me to see the Light of God within everyone. I don't get to pick and choose who I see it in. If I don't like someone or something they have done, I still am challenged to see the Light. That is VERY hard to do sometimes. It's a great lifes work.:hippy:

I am also called to live simply and with intention. It's relative and personal. That's one of my favorite parts of the Friends. My religion truly ties all aspects of my life together. My faith in God and my relationship with Him provide this foundation.

There is so much more but I'm tired, have a cold and feel like I'm not making any sense.:p

I would really like to learn more about the Quakers. Every single time I have taken the quiz at belief.net, I always come up with 100% liberal quaker even when everything else changes, but there isn't a group anywhere in my area and I'm wondering how I could go about developing a better understanding if the quaker religion without the benefit of a larger group.

Rebecca, I can look around and see if I can find a few titles for you. There are some really good, basic books. Also, did you check quakerfinder.org. That's the easiest way to find a Meeting.

It's really difficult to nail down exactly what the Quakers believe because we have nothing set in stone. There are a few basic tenants but even those are open to the individual to interpret. It's a challenge for sure. Most Meeting houses have a statement of faith that will provide info about what the group there believes to be important. It's by no means a hard and fast rule in order to go there.

Some groups will publish a Faith and Practice like this one
http://www.nyym.org/quakerism/fnp/fp_12pt.pdf
that gives a lot of great information.

Another thought would be to look for American Friends Service Committee in your area and see if they can help you locate Quakers in your area. A lot of people hold Meetings in their homes or have some amazing service group.

Busy toddler, need to go. Feel free to ask anything, I love talkin' Quaker;)

Then we sing a hymn (which usually, but not always, mentions God--sometimes it's a civil rights hymn, sometimes it's a pagan hymn, but lots of times it's a traditional church hymn).

Tara, Is there a standard book of hymns for UU?

I am Catholic, and the reason I love it is that it is beautiful and true. The more I learn, the more I am drawn to love God. My family and I go to mass weekly and pray as often as possible. The main point is doing God's will and living your life in a way so that when you die He will call you home to heaven to spend all of eternity in God's love.
The one thing I would encourage you to do more than anything else right now is to pray to God to lead you in the direction He wants you to go, and to lead you toward His truth and light.

I am spiritually a

philosopher.

I think about logic, reality, subjective reality and so on.

My very favorite saying in the world is

"I think, therefore I am" Rene Descartes



It impermeates my life. Logic is how I gauge nearly everything. The actual equations of logic in a statement. I also use the guide of ethics to make decisions. What I would want any other individual in a given situation to do. I make aesthetic judgements using my understanding of subjectivity.

Oh, I could go on. Its late though and I have to head off to bed.

Follower of Jesus. (not affiliated with any sect)

I try to walk each step and breathe each breath in awareness of what a awesome responsibility I have to show the face of my Lord to all those I touch in my life.

I pray often. (beyond my formal morning and evening prayers) During my informal prayers that I send up during the day, I usually am asking for God's strength in areas I know I am weak and need help in at this time...until I have moved to another level of growth. I praise a lot in my prayers and focus on peace and joy. Prayers for others and thanksgiving.

I use music for praise in my life.

I do daily study the Bible. (every morning)

The time when I hear God most clearly in my life is when I am running alone outdoors. (and meditating after doing yoga)

I know I am leaving things out.....there is no way to explain in word the dynamics of my faith and belief and how I live it out daily.

I guess to sum it all up; I am very aware of my need as a individual person and know I do nothing in my own human strength.

Michelle

Christian - Christ follower.

Currently we are in a Southern Baptist church (dh is a pastor) but we have served other denominations and even served in non denominational churches. For us it isn't the denomination but the individual churches beliefs that are most important to us.

Individually I try to follow the teachings of Brother Lawerence on prayer, to be mindful and pray every minute of the day about everything in my life. This may be in praise or worship or in confession or intercession. I try to take several times during the day to center my mind back on God and what he might be trying to tell/teach me during me day.

I also try to read my Bible and a devotional every day. I have been lax in this lately and need to get back into this habit.

Corporately we attend church services every Sunday. The boys go to Sunday school and I either teach one of their classes or help. Then we have service where we worship and dh teaches. On Sunday night I have all the children but we haven't been having an organized teaching time. Wednesday nights I help with the kids misison programs.

We are currently in the process of major change in our church. We are deciding if this is where we will be long term (dh is currently the interm pastor). If we stay here we will change the structure of most everything and that means I will probably be leading a children's worship time on Sunday mornings. We will not have church on Sunday night but I may begin a women's Bible study on night a week. We also will have some sort of missions training for children on Wednesday night. I may or may not lead that. Also if we stay here we will start a college ministry in the college close to us. I will help dh with some sort of women's dorm Bible study and will attend a weekly worship with him at the college, too.

Tara, Is there a standard book of hymns for UU?

I'm pretty new to the religion, so I don't know if there is one standard hymnal. But this is the one we have in our church: "Singing the Living Tradition"
http://www.uua.org/bookstore/product_info.php?products_id=490

HTH!
Tara

I don't have time to respond to as much here as I would like, but yes Singing the Living Tradition is the main UU hymnal. (and I like it!)

Thank you Tara and Hana! I just ordered it from half.com.

Dang... now I need a piano again. :)