First Universalist Society of
Central Square, NY
Celebrating
Our Theological Diversity
Rev. Margaret A. Hart
February 24, 2008
This Day In Unitarian Universalist History for today
reads:
1566 The first
disputation on the Trinity in Transylvania was opened under the leadership of
Francis David and authority of Prince John Sigismund. This brought to a close a
period of outbursts against the Trinity by local clergy and congregations
throughout the country.
As
Unitarian Universalists, we often lose sight of our
history, and focus instead on the pressing issues of today.
. . issues of social justice and human rights, which are very
significant. But looking at these issues
in the context of our history can help to put them in perspective. We can discover
effective ways in which to approach these issues, while remaining true to our
values. It has been said that he who fails to study and learn from history is
destined to repeat it. Let us not go
there!
I recently
read a book called Engaging Our Theological Diversity, by the Commission
on Appraisal of the Unitarian Universalist
Association, 2005. The Commission on
Appraisal is an independent body selected by the delegates at General Assembly
every four years to choose an issue significant to the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, to conduct a
study of that issue (a sort of self-assessment which is designed to be helpful
to the Association), and to write a report of that assessment. The Commission selected Theological Diversity
as the issue which they felt was most important to the Association of
Congregations at that time. I have to agree with
their choice. Even people who have grown
up within the Unitarian Universalist church are often
unclear about just what it is that they believe in. We pride ourselves on being a creed less
church, and value individual freedom of belief.
I don’t disagree with this stance at all, but realize that there must be
something more-
something which binds us together in community.
When my son
was a young teen, he said “My friends at school believe thus and so; what do we
believe?” He had learned a lot about the beliefs of neighboring churches, but
didn’t really have a sense of his own beliefs. When he became an older teen, he stopped
attending church, not for lack of my encouragement. (I was studying for the
ministry!) When I inquired what would
attract him to church, he said “Duh, put up a basketball hoop!” On Monday nights he went to the local
elementary school gym to shoot hoops, an activity sponsored by a local
Christian church, and he put up with prayer at the half-time break, unless he
could escape to the restroom. His
priorities were pretty clear.
As I read
the book by the Commission on Appraisal, and reflected on their discussions
with youth and young adults, it became clearer why Unitarian Universalist churches lose so many of our young
people. As teens, many of them enjoy relationships and
activities with other youth in the church. When they bridge to adulthood and
the regular church, if they come at all, they find it to be quite different
than the youth group was. They are
expected to sit still and be quiet for most of an hour in a much dryer, should
I say “boring”, atmosphere. According to
the study of the Commission on Appraisal, many adults of various ages, as well
as young adults, would enjoy a more interactive and lively church service. We have a lot to learn from listening to our
young people and their suggestions. Perhaps
we need to invite some of them to participate in advisement roles on such
committees as Worship (or Celebrations) and Religious Education (or Religious
Exploration). Language does make
a difference. So does inviting, empowering, and truly listening to each other,
especially when we encounter people with different points of view.
When I was
required to write a theological reflection paper in seminary, I found myself
asking what the professor meant by theological reflection. She described it briefly as God-talk. For Unitarian Universalists,
who may or may not believe in God, that isn’t particularly helpful. Later in seminary, and in reading the book Engaging
Our Theological Diversity, it became clearer to me that theology involves
discussions of such things as the role of Divinity, the place of human beings
in the cosmos, the source of our Authority, the meaning of death, and so
on. Each of us can reflect upon our
theological beliefs in these various areas. As Unitarian Universalists,
we have the freedom to examine our own beliefs. As Unitarian Universalists,
we also have the responsibility to examine our own beliefs, and to
support each other in doing so. As we do
so, we will find that there is much theological diversity among us.
As I have
studied diversity, I have found that it is a lot more than the tolerance of
differences. After all, who wants to be merely “tolerated”? True diversity
involves the acceptance, respect, and celebration of differences. While it can
seem easier to be with people who are just like us, there comes an appreciation
that differences enrich the tapestry of our being in community. While differences challenge us, and can make
us feel inadequate and vulnerable, they also make us grow in unexpected
ways. When I visited a new physical
therapist recently for testing, I found that there were things that I just
couldn’t do. It was frustrating. But the
physical therapist shared an insight on which I will continue to draw- he said:
“it’s supposed to be difficult; otherwise you wouldn’t grow.” That’s a good thing to remember as we receive
feedback from others, and as we encounter obstacles to our ordinary way of
doing or seeing things, whether here at church or in the wider world. If we are already perfect, or if others say
we are, there doesn’t seem to be any room for change and growth. And without encouragement to grow, we can
become stagnant.
And yet, if
we are always criticized, and never appreciated for who
we are. and how we are, we can become inhibited and
stop trying to contribute to the community.
Even if we have what might be great ideas, we will hesitate to share
them, for fear of being wrong, and being rejected. So we need to find a balance which respects
the freedom of the individual to believe as he or she chooses, and a respect
for the community which depends upon each of its members to contribute what he
or she can. This balance requires that
we develop a deep trust and respect for each other. This balance is rooted in our covenant to be
with each other in a Unitarian Universalist
community. And this covenant extends
beyond this local church community, to our sisters and brothers throughout the
Unitarian Universalist movement. It also extends to all human beings, as we
are citizens of the world. And, as Unitarian Universalists,
and as world citizens, the covenant extends beyond humanity to all creatures,
to the earth herself, and to the larger cosmos.
We covenant to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web
of all existence which we are a part.
As we
strive to work together, it can be helpful to remember these words from Hosea Ballou, the father of modern Universalism: “If we agree in
love, no disagreement can do us any harm. If we do not agree in love, no other
agreement can do us any good.” In other
words, the bottom line in our sense of community is love. It takes daily effort to keep that love alive
in our midst.
This brings
me to a modern-day story- actually it just happened about a month ago. I am in
the habit of calling people who used to come to church and who haven’t been
here in a while- to see if they are all right, to let them know we miss them, and to
learn something about why they might not be coming. Well, I called someone recently, and he said
that the people here are “the nicest people in the world”. He went on to say that he is a skeptic, and
that it bothered him that we had a psychic fair (actually it was a holistic
wellness fair). He said, “There’s no
such thing as a psychic; they don’t exist.”
He expressed his belief that people who believe in psychics,
ghosts, and other paranormal things are just wrong .
He doesn’t want to insult them by discussing it, but he also doesn’t want to be
around such wrong ideas. I listened and
then felt I needed to say something. My
response was: “not everything can be proved with scientific evidence, but that
doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist”, and I gave the example of love. He didn’t disagree with that, but said,
“Margaret, you’re comparing apples and oranges.” We talked a bit more, and I felt we were
agreeing to disagree in love. But if I
hadn’t inquired, I wouldn’t know what he was thinking, and that would be too
bad. I asked whether he wanted to keep
receiving the UU World, thinking that would provide at least some
connection, and he did.
Later, I
watched the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”.
The Greek father, who attributed everything good to its Greek origins,
said that the bride’s family name Portugalis
came from the Greek word for orange, and the groom’s family name Miller
came from the Greek word for apple.
He said happily, “apples and oranges are different, but we are all
fruit.”
Having
recently read the book Engaging Our Theological Diversity and a
wonderful article in the newest UU World- Home Grown Unitarian
Universalism: Developing home-based community rituals that root UU adults and
children, and having reflected on the role of theological diversity in the
UU movement, I was saddened as I thought about the loss of the skeptic to our
church community, and his loss in leaving the community. And I have become aware that although we try
to make this a safe place in which we can be free to fully be ourselves, there
can still be a reluctance to share deeply about our beliefs and our spiritual
journeys. Why is it that we are reluctant?
Are we afraid of being rejected? Do we think it is unimportant to share
what we believe? Do we even know what we believe?
We have
institutionalized some ways of sharing, for example the sharing of spiritual journeys from the
pulpit on occasion. There is sharing in
the video/discussion group, Adult RE, the men’s group, the chanting &
meditation group, coffee and chat, and potluck lunches. There is a regular
opportunity for sharing in the teen group on Sunday mornings. Many churches have Small Group Ministry,
Covenant Groups, or Chalice Circles, which agree to intentionally and regularly
meet to build community and to deepen their members’ spiritual growth. In some churches there are diners’ clubs, in
which people take turns serving as hosts, and a small group of people are
assigned to visit the home, all contributing a part of the meal. Through
sharing a meal and informal conversation, people get to know each other more
deeply than they would in small-talk during coffee hour. They may connect with
people they might not otherwise stop to talk with.
There has
been talk recently in the UU Circle about planning more social events- times to
relax, enjoy each other, and laugh together.
We’re having a hot cocoa social and marshmallow
sculpture this coming Friday evening.
And there is a mid-March dinner and drama planned. The success and joy of these events, and the building of community here depends on all of
us. Let it not be another obligation,
but a joyous coming together to celebrate the covenant that binds us
together.
There is a
commitment in the Unitarian Universalist church to
freedom of belief, but we also covenant to affirm and promote Acceptance
of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations and
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Underlying
it all is our first principle that we covenant to affirm and promote the
inherent worth and dignity of every person. May that commitment begin in
our families and our church, and extend out into the larger world.
One thing I
have noticed, which was reinforced in my reading of the report of the
Commission on Appraisal, is that many Unitarian Universalist
churches seem to be almost allergic to the use of Christian scriptures and
references... even to the use of the words God, church, and sanctuary.
And yet, this Universalist Society has pews, a
pulpit, an off-center cross, and stained glass windows, and looks very much
like a church. The Unitarian and Universalist
movements both arose out of the Christian church. Many members and friends of this congregation
came out of other Christian denominations, and sometimes had bad experiences
before becoming “come-inners” to the Unitarian Universalist
congregation. Perhaps it is this
experience of many which leads to the ambivalence, if not outright antagonism,
toward Christianity. Some old time
members who grew up in this church, when it was more Christian in it’s orientation, have left, feeling that it is no longer
their church.
I know a minister who was accepted by her
congregation for being disabled and lesbian, but they couldn’t quite accept the
fact that she was a self-proclaimed UU-Christian. And now, with more young people and newer
members in many UU churches being interested in spirituality, humanists, who
were once in the majority, are starting to experience some dislocation. But it
is still their church. It is our church, however our beliefs may differ from others within
the Unitarian Universalist church.
It is time,
past the time, for us to be sharing more openly with each other about our
beliefs in a way that respects, even celebrates, the richness of the diversity
of our theological differences, even as we find common ground in our commitment
to freedom, justice, reason, and love.
Ann Peterson and the Rev. Libbie Stoddard are
planning an ARE session in April based on a curriculum from the UUA called “The
Haunting Church: Reclaiming Our Religious Past”. I used this curriculum in Ithaca during my
internship, and found it to be very helpful as a way of examining and valuing
parts of our past, rather than throwing out the proverbial baby with the
bath water. I hope you will choose
to participate in it.
In this way
we will become less reactive and more integrated as we seek to grow spiritually
as individuals and to build a beloved community. It is important that we not
let our fears hinder us, but that we support each other in examining and
articulating our beliefs. As Francis David advised over four centuries ago: ”We need not think alike to love alike.” Let love be our guide and our support. May it be so.