I've never attended a UU service. But I was really surprised that so many are about God. Rebecca, you said God wasn't mentioned at the services you attended. Anyway, I am confused. And I admit.... disappointed.

Because UU's believe in God :)

We just tend to define God differently. Or basically, however we want to.

I wanted to elaborate. UUs are so varied. There is no theology. Unitarians (do not believe in the trinity) and Universalists (God does not dam* people to hell) are "God" based faiths. How much of God is taught, what hymns are sung, and how the congregations are run can vary wildly from place to place. UUs tend to lean on to many other faiths in their search for their own. It is often preached that there are "many path to the Holy" and for some, what is holy is God, though, God probably not in a Christian sense of God. I do believe in God, but my interpretation of God is one of a collective conscience, not of a father/creator figure. Interpretation of God would vary greatly between UUs.

I'm glad you elaborated.

So you are saying UU's believe in a higher power of some sort? I thought it left room for atheism... hmm...

I'm glad you elaborated.

So you are saying UU's believe in a higher power of some sort? I thought it left room for atheism... hmm...

Some UUs are atheists. Some are humanists. Some are Christians. Some are Buddhist. Some are pagan. Some agnostics. All are open to learning and exploring.

Basically... a UU "church" is one that is liberal, explores all faiths in addition to their own, is involved in politics and social action, is full of highly educated people, embraces gay/lesbian/transgender members, teaches children a religous education that explores many faiths and religious texts in addition to our own UU heritage, uses a Jeffersonian Bible. While as Unitarians, you don't believe that Jesus was the son of God, many often embrace the teachings of Jesus. As a UU, you say, I am here, I am now, and I am going to do all that I can to help my fellow man and to explore my own life here. When I die, that will be another stage. Our congregation here celebrates Easter and Christmas, as well as Solstice and non Christian holidays.

Anyhow, that has been my experience.

My partner, Rose, and I met at church. :-)

And we are totally different UUs. She's atheist, not anti-God for other people, but she clearly doesn't believe in God for herself. For me, God may or may not exist; it doesn't matter. I cannot believe in a God who would so clearly select a chosen people and **** everyone else to hell forever, but I don't know that such a God doesn't exist. I prefer to think that if there is one God, it is a God (and I do keep capitalizing that, it's easier than thinking about when to capitalize and when not to, lol) who ...ok, I lost that train of thought. Anyways, I believe that something bigger than us unites us all, whether that is a God, or just our common history. I believe that we are surrounded not only by those who currently share our earth but also by the wisdom of those who have gone before and those who will come after.

Now, if you actually saw that UU hymnal in practice on a Sunday morning, what you would see would depend from church to church. Some wouldn't sing any that mention God, others (there's actually an evangelical UU church just south of me--I have no idea what that church must be like, but the idea makes me smile) that would have no problem singing more traditional hymns, others where every time the word "God" was sung, you would hear multiple subsitutions. Unlike a church which sees its song as praise, I think UUs usually sing for the community building inherent in sharing our beliefs (such as they may be) in song.

It does leave room for atheism. [My husband is a UU atheist.] One of the points of the church is to support and encourage members in their individual spiritual journey, and for some that includes atheism. An atheist can still claim the UU principles as their own. There is no UU principle that states that a UU member must believe in god or a higher power.

I believe the standard hymnal has many hymsn about god because the UU church is descended from the Judeo-Christian faith. You'll find that one UU church may be more god-based than another, depending on the flavor of the congregation. My congregation is incredibly diverse: Christians, Jews, Pagans, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists, and people who don't have a handy label for what they believe (I'm in that category myself ;) ). Our services are inclusive and our activities outside services encompass just about any interest and belief you could imagine. For instance, I'm attending an adult RE class this fall about feminine spiritual power. Can't wait for that one. :)

My congregation doesn't only sing the god hymns, but we do sing some of them. The one short hymn that is part of every one of our services is called Spirit of Life and doesn't mention god at all. We also sing a lot of protest songs and African spirituals because our congregation has a fair amount of African-Americans and aging hippies. I think that each church chooses the hymns that would best speak to its members.

Do you have a UU church in your area that you could "audit"?

Tara

Having read Tara's post, I would have to say "Spirit of Life" is very dear to me because it was a large part of my UU experience in Maine. Here, it gets "rotated" in with the other hymns, but at many churches, it is sung regularly, as Tara noted.

Everyone has elaborated really well. The service totally depends upon the minister of the church. We had one that was an athiest and I really wished for some more "spiritual" sermons once in awhile. Our next minister put a little more oomph into the sermons and mentioned God (no promoting of any certain belief, just talking about God) more often. I went to one sermon at the UU church in Fayetteville (sp?) Arkansas and he was very spiritual (felt like a Christian church) but definitely still clear that the belief is very open. I do love the hymnal.

Go read the national UU website. :) It answers most questions there.

http://www.uua.org/

Mary, do you not like the songs?

Do you want to sell it?

I've never attended a UU service. But I was really surprised that so many are about God. Rebecca, you said God wasn't mentioned at the services you attended. Anyway, I am confused. And I admit.... disappointed.


When you said Rebecca, were you saying this to me???

If so, sorry I somehow confused you. The UU Congregation we attended mentioned God all the time -- including discussions / sermons about the Christian God. Of course, I also presented several sermons on Paganism, etc.

When you said Rebecca, were you saying this to me???

If so, sorry I somehow confused you. The UU Congregation we attended mentioned God all the time -- including discussions / sermons about the Christian God. Of course, I also presented several sermons on Paganism, etc.

nope, she meant me. I said that I would really like to regularly attend a UU Congregation, but I wished that they had prayed and talked about God. The service (1) I went to did neither.

You should go try a service or 2 and see how you like it! Our current UU congregation is tilted to the judeo-christian side, whereas our one in SC was more than 1/2 pagan/athiest.

The thing I love about UU, is that it doesn't matter! No one in the community should expect any other member to believe in a particular higher power.

It does depend. I have friends who drive right by our UU on Sundays to go to a different one 5 more miles down, cos they like the feel of it better. You just have to foind a good fit.

Anyways, I believe that something bigger than us unites us all, whether that is a God, or just our common history. I believe that we are surrounded not only by those who currently share our earth but also by the wisdom of those who have gone before and those who will come after.


:heart: I love that. Thank you Hana, your whole post really clarified a lot of things for me!

I have 2 UU churches nearby. I posted earlier about trying to go to a UU's "religious transitions" group... I still plan on that. I have gone to a few Humanist meetings at another UU church. Those are lectures w/keynote speakers.

I do like the hymnbook. Just wish I had a piano again! Ugh! But I'm gonna keep it. :) I was just surprised. If you want one though, I found mine on half.com. I really enjoyed looking through it and singing the songs I know. My 5 yo has never really been around me singing much, so he repeatedly told me to be quiet. :p But it felt so good to feel the connection again that music has for me.

The whole concept of UU is so completely foreign to me, as I grew up in a very legalistic church which is the same all over the entire world. Therefore, ALL our hymns would be strictly doctrinal. So to see some hymns on God in the Traditions book, made me wonder if all UU's believe in a HP. Just trying to understand a new mindset. :) You all made sense, thanks for helping.

Anything in particular I can expect from a UU meeting? I guess I can just show up and walk in?

OMG. You do not realize the buttons you've pressed for me. I've been a UU atheist nearly my entire life. I don't go to UU services anymore because I can't stand the bickering. I don't believe in 'God' but I love that others are free to believe what they wish. There is supposed to be room for *all* beliefs in UUism, but in some churches there isn't. I will sing about God-- I think the beauty and mystery of nature is 'God'-- . Works for me. What God are people objecting to in these hymns? Basically I think singing old cool songs with other cool people is a wonderful thing. Find joy where it is. Be open to what your fellow UU thinks.

Instead of people just understanding that UUs have freedom, too many UUs (mostly UUs new to UUism, mostly recovering from dogma) start fighting about whether we should say the word God and get bent out of shape about some hymns. (Not saying this is the OP). I just can't take how literal some people are. I can't take all the **** commities and sub commities, and arguing at Joys & Concerns. Hello? Why is *anyone* in a UU church telling anyone else what they should believe or sing. Believe or don't. Sing or don't. They'll be another service.

UUs spend too much time fighting, imo, and too little time finding the joy in the life and letting other people find joy in whatever they believe 'God' to be.

I miss church, but not the arguments about petty crap.

Arent you glad you asked?

OMG. You do not realize the buttons you've pressed for me. I've been a UU atheist nearly my entire life. I don't go to UU services anymore because I can't stand the bickering. I don't believe in 'God' but I love that others are free to believe what they wish. There is supposed to be room for *all* beliefs in UUism, but in some churches there isn't. I will sing about God-- I think the beauty and mystery of nature is 'God'-- . Works for me. What God are people objecting to in these hymns? Basically I think singing old cool songs with other cool people is a wonderful thing. Find joy where it is. Be open to what your fellow UU thinks.

Instead of people just understanding that UUs have freedom, too many UUs (mostly UUs new to UUism, mostly recovering from dogma) start fighting about whether we should say the word God and get bent out of shape about some hymns. (Not saying this is the OP). I just can't take how literal some people are. I can't take all the **** commities and sub commities, and arguing at Joys & Concerns. Hello? Why is *anyone* in a UU church telling anyone else what they should believe or sing. Believe or don't. Sing or don't. They'll be another service.

UUs spend too much time fighting, imo, and too little time finding the joy in the life and letting other people find joy in whatever they believe 'God' to be.

I miss church, but not the arguments about petty crap.

Arent you glad you asked?

LMAO, ah, how many UU services have I attended adressing SEMANTICS?? More than one that's for sure! Yep, UUs do argue about petty crap, pretty much like everyone else. We had a big to do because ours is a "fellowship" and not a "church" and if the name were changed to church, well then, people would simply no longer be able to attend ;) The UU faith certainly has its pitfalls like anywhere else. That said, I am UU to my core and I think the children's religious ed program can't be beat.

Arent you glad you asked?

Yes, very much. I'm sorry you have been through that. :( I am glad you wrote all that though, b/c I could see myself like that. I come from such strong literal dogma. My mind can't yet wrap around openness in that sense. And honestly, I'm not sure if I will ever get to that point or not. But I would certainly never want to get to the point that you describe, so I'm glad you shared.

My old church was very much like Laurie described, but it was all very much done in a loving spirit. We might take forever to get to consensus, but nothing would be done until e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e was happy, lol. So, we moved at the speed of turtles, but with a great amount of caring.

My new church (well, I don't really go since we moved, but the church here) doesn't seem to have these same concerns. They just don't get caught up in it. Someone makes a decision, the others say fine. Hardly feels UU to me, lol, but things certainly get done faster!

It's kind of like the UU services--they're a lot like the weather. If you don't like it one week, try it again the next; it may well have changed.

"It's kind of like the UU services--they're a lot like the weather. If you don't like it one week, try it again the next; it may well have changed".

OMGosh! Yes! :bow: There's plenty of room for everyone.

I will always be a UU. And my children go to Sunday School (sometimes lol). I get my fill of 'God' at Ferry Beach in Maine in the summer. They have 'services' every morning. Sometimes on the beach. We sing-- sometimes about God. People are more tolerant towards others when they are on vacation. The sun, the trees, the relaxation, the relief from committies. Those services sustain. I hold those magical moments in my heart through the year.

"I will always be a UU. And my children go to Sunday School (sometimes lol). I get my fill of 'God' at Ferry Beach in Maine in the summer." Oh, goodness--were you there in 2004 and 2005? (Ooh, maybe it was 2003 and 2004). My daughter, Bronwyn, worked there two summers. She was an ice cream sundae maker extraordinare in the gift shop, did some childcare, and some cleaning. (Unless you met her and thought she was a PITA, in which case I never met the girl!)

"They have 'services' every morning. Sometimes on the beach. We sing-- sometimes about God. People are more tolerant towards others when they are on vacation. The sun, the trees, the relaxation, the relief from committies. Those services sustain. I hold those magical moments in my heart through the year." Yes, yes, yes. It is so beautiful there. I've never stayed there, only visited Bronwyn. My old church used to own Hersey Retreat, farther up in Maine, and all my older children (stepchildren) went there. Then they all were junior counselors and Rose was director. Nothing like UU summers! Ack, now I'm all homesick.

"I will always be a UU. And my children go to Sunday School (sometimes lol). I get my fill of 'God' at Ferry Beach in Maine in the summer." Oh, goodness--were you there in 2004 and 2005? (Ooh, maybe it was 2003 and 2004). My daughter, Bronwyn, worked there two summers. She was an ice cream sundae maker extraordinare in the gift shop, did some childcare, and some cleaning. (Unless you met her and thought she was a PITA, in which case I never met the girl!)

"They have 'services' every morning. Sometimes on the beach. We sing-- sometimes about God. People are more tolerant towards others when they are on vacation. The sun, the trees, the relaxation, the relief from committies. Those services sustain. I hold those magical moments in my heart through the year." Yes, yes, yes. It is so beautiful there. I've never stayed there, only visited Bronwyn. My old church used to own Hersey Retreat, farther up in Maine, and all my older children (stepchildren) went there. Then they all were junior counselors and Rose was director. Nothing like UU summers! Ack, now I'm all homesick.

We've headed up to FB for about 8 years now. I've stayed at FB, but have never done a workshop.

Isn't it gorgeous there??!!

What is Ferry Beach? You've made it sound so lovely.

Tara

I wish you could come to my church, Mary! We have an eclectic mix of pagans, heathens, christians, new age white lighters and athiests alike. Our hymnal is Singing the Living Tradition. I'm very excited, I'm going to be teaching my first adult class starting in October: What Would Buffy Do? What can we learn about the principles and values of Unitarian-Universalism from a television series about a vampire slayer? Each week, we will discuss love, forgiveness, courage, integrity, sacrifice, loyalty, loss, and spirituality, based on the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

OMG. You do not realize the buttons you've pressed for me. I've been a UU atheist nearly my entire life. I don't go to UU services anymore because I can't stand the bickering. I don't believe in 'God' but I love that others are free to believe what they wish. There is supposed to be room for *all* beliefs in UUism, but in some churches there isn't. I will sing about God-- I think the beauty and mystery of nature is 'God'-- . Works for me. What God are people objecting to in these hymns? Basically I think singing old cool songs with other cool people is a wonderful thing. Find joy where it is. Be open to what your fellow UU thinks.

Instead of people just understanding that UUs have freedom, too many UUs (mostly UUs new to UUism, mostly recovering from dogma) start fighting about whether we should say the word God and get bent out of shape about some hymns. (Not saying this is the OP). I just can't take how literal some people are. I can't take all the **** commities and sub commities, and arguing at Joys & Concerns. Hello? Why is *anyone* in a UU church telling anyone else what they should believe or sing. Believe or don't. Sing or don't. They'll be another service.

UUs spend too much time fighting, imo, and too little time finding the joy in the life and letting other people find joy in whatever they believe 'God' to be.

I miss church, but not the arguments about petty crap.

Arent you glad you asked?

omg, Laurie. I could have written that post. So could my sister, for that matter. I still think of it as my church home, but I don't really have any desire to spend my Sunday mornings with cranky recovering (insert religion here) persons. The last church I attended regularly was almost entirely composed of current and retired professors. It made for far too much thinking and debate over pointless stuff.

I haven't recovered enough to start attending any of the churches I've visited in Atlanta, but they all seem nice enough from the couple of services I've seen. I'm just leery of getting to know them well enough to find out that they are actually willing to debate for 4 months over whether lighting a freaking chalice is too ritualistic.

Now, if Logan were up here teaching that Buffy class, I'd be all over it. And my husband would, too. We'd request that our (now geriatric) dog, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, be allowed to attend, as well.