How can I know if I am really a UU?

A sermon delivered at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship ofthe New River Valley, November 10, 2002,by the Reverend Christine Brownlie.

This morning we will welcome eleven new members to our congregation This is always a time of joy for me as a minister and as a member of the congregation. To me, membership in our Fellowship represents an important decision and I ask anyone inquiring about membership take to think carefully about their own approach to religious and spiritual matters and discern if this place is a good fit for them. This discussion often brings people considering membership to ask “How can I know if I’m really a UU?” I offer them, and now you, some of the characteristics of our members, compiled by Tom Cook:

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if you think socks are too formal for a summer service.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if your idea of fish on Friday is dinner at a sushi bar.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if you know at least 5 ways to say “Happy Holidays” and your Holiday tree decorations include the symbols of at least 7 religions.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if your idea of a guy’s night out is attending a N.O.W. rally.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if unleavened bread is part of your Easter Brunch or you serve ham at your Passover seder.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if you make sure take your day planner church and leave the Bible at home.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if on Halloween you feel compelled to explain the pagan roots of the holiday with special emphasis on why the pointy black hats and facial warts on the tiny witch at your door is politically incorrect before you give the kids their all-natural granola bars.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if you can’t sing a hymn until you’re read the words and you think that it’s a huge concession to hum when you get to the ones you don’t like.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if the Sunday sermons quote NPR commentators more often than scripture.

You may be a Unitarian Universalist if "Whatever." and “Different strokes for different folks” are the sort of faith statements that you find most compelling.

But seriously folks, if you were asked to explain to someone how you know that you are a UU, could you? Many UUs find that when they are asked to explain why they chose to become a UU, they can only do so by stating what they don’t like about other religions. So the typical answer might sound like this;

‘When I was a member of ABCXYZ faith, I was very uncomfortable because I didn’t believe in a lot of the doctrines and teachings that I was exposed to there, and I felt uncomfortable with their take on the ordination of women or homosexuality. So I left that faith. One day I heard about Unitarian Universalism. I went to a service and I felt at home there because everyone was so laid back and nobody was forcing me to believe anything. So that’s why I’m a UU.”

I don’t meant to be harsh or critical, but if I were looking for a church home, I’m not sure that this answer would impress me. I hope we’re much more than a comfy place to meet our friends, though that’s a nice thing to be. I truly hope that this congregation, that our whole movement is about more something more permanent, more transforming and more far-reaching.

You see, I’m convinced that in a society that seems to be moving in the direction of greater controls over personal freedoms, rigid religious litmus tests for appointments to judgeships and other positions, and maybe even the propagation of fear and prejudice towards certain groups, the need to be able to articulate a cogent statement of our liberal faith is more important than ever. If our trinity of freedom, reason, the responsible search for truth, and our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and respect for the interdependent web of all life remains unspoken, then we’re failing our forefathers and foremothers. If our way of the spirit can only be expressed by lists of what we don’t believe in and is grounded primarily in our own need for acceptance, then the power, the beauty, and the lively values of our free faith will be unfathomable to those who may be looking for a new way of feeding their minds and hearts.

So, how you do you know if you, or someone else you may know is a Unitarian Universalist? I’d say that one of the first hallmarks of a Unitarian Universalist is the ability to live with the ambiguity that comes from struggling with tough questions that can’t be answered in a “once and for all” manner. Our idea of an honest and living faith is that it makes room for new knowledge, new ways of approaching the problems of life. We have a core that unites us, but we are also open to discoveries and new ideas.

We believe that religion is informed by reason and science: the discoveries the human minds makes about itself and the rest of the universe. This is fundamental for us. If you believe that disease or mental illness is a sign that you’ve been possessed by a demon or that you’re suffering the wrath of an angry god because of a parent’s sins, the world is a very different place than if you understand the life cycle of bacteria in the context of the relationship between brain chemistry and mental health, and how to manage these through drugs or other human methods.

For many of us the scientific method or rational thinking goes hand in hand with the insights of spirituality or the wisdom of religious teachers through the ages. Truth comes to us through many ways of knowing. I’m not sure that we could devise a double-blind study to prove the validity of our claim for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. I’m not sure that reason would support this statement either. To be honest I’m challenged to apply this to some people in this world. But I hold on to my commitment to this unproven, unreasonable claim because this bold, empowering faith statement has brought our movement to leading-edge work to end racism, sexism, homophobia, classism in our own congregations and society at large. We have helped to change the world because we uphold and affirm the value of women and people of color and people of different sexual orientations. Science and faith, knowledge and love, ideals and action all go hand in hand for us. The quest for truth leads us along many paths.

This brings me to a second characteristic of a UU. We find religious truth in many sources not just one scripture or one teacher. Revelation and the canon of accepted scriptures are not closed, but on-going and always expanding. We recognize that as a congregation of religious seekers we gather on Sundays to celebrate life and lift up those ideas and values that we cherish — even if we hold very different views on theology and look to different sources for wisdom and truth.

Historically, this tolerance has set us apart from other religious sects that focus on creedal statements and one book. Those of us who value our history like to boast that the very first declaration of religious tolerance was proclaimed by a young Unitarian king, John Sigismund of Transylvania in the mid-1500s. In this declaration King John said that it was the people — imagine that, it was the people — who had the right to decide if their minister was preaching truths they could accept. Remember the times and the culture. Remember the power of the state, the church hierarchy. In other kingdoms people were being put to death in all kinds of horrifying ways for heresy, for daring to choose their own religious beliefs! And here is this very young king, in a very vulnerable kingdom who has the courage to say that if the people like the minister, fine and if not, they may chose another and no one can force his or her religion upon another.

This openness to diversity within our congregations and tolerance for new ideas baffles some people. “How can you be a church if you don’t all believe the same thing?” This questions identifies another unique trait of UUs: the source of authority lies within the individual and not an external power. Our insistence on personal freedom, tolerance, and the inherent worth and dignity of every person are grounded in our deep commitment to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. While these words are not complicated, I’d like to contemplate with you about what they mean.

Let’s start with a negative statement that you’ve heard many times from this pulpit: I don’t believe that as a UU I can believe anything I want to believe. There are a lot of things that I could believe that would make my life less uncertain and the world a less disturbing place. Let me give you an example.

I don’t believe that everything happens for a divine preordained reason. This might be a comforting idea in time of trouble when I want to throw up my hands and say, “Why me?” But reason and experience don’t allow me to believe in a supernatural being that is in charge of every detail of the universe. It appears to me that things happen because of intertwining chains of events. As events evolve there are consequences that can’t be anticipated and which affect other events in unexpected ways, and some of these consequences impact me. What this means is that unlike some religious leaders, I don’t believe that God has used al-Qaida to punish America for falling away from the teachings of the Bible. I do believe that we can find an opportunity for growth and goodness in the most tragic circumstances. I believe that I can choose to learn from experiences that have been painful, and this is where I take my comfort.

My responsible search for truth leads me to other truths that aren’t comforting to me even in ordinary times. My understanding that I am personally responsible for some of the suffering in the world because of who I am and how I live as an American is extremely troubling to me. This awareness brings me to the belief that I must address the suffering in the world, even when it affects people I don’t know and never will. It has also led me to the belief that the choices I make have a ripple effect in the world and that I’m accountable for my behavior. I’d like to believe that what I choose ain’t nobody’s business but my own, but a free and responsible search for truth won’t support that wish.

We can deepen our free and responsible search for truth, sharing our beliefs with other people, seeing where we differ, and then exploring the territory between our beliefs and ideas. I believe that the work exploring our differences with respect and openness can lead us to creative solutions for old problems and to a more profound understanding of human nature.

Valuing our different beliefs and approaches to life is the backbone of our idea of worship. It also means that our Sunday services are radically different from the Sunday service in most other religions. In our tradition, the role of the minister is not to transmit wisdom and dictates from on high and to impose them on the minds of the congregation. Instead, the purpose of the Sunday service is to offer up for the congregation’s consideration ideas and understandings of life that have been tested in the fire of experience and thought. My goal each week is to stir your thoughts and imagination and encourage you to arrive at your own conclusions. Your reflections and comments and challenges return that gift to me as you share thoughts, memories, and feelings that have been awakened by what you have heard. Sometimes I can feel the sense of synergy in the room as thought and comments build on an idea in a sermon and something powerful and transforming and connecting is at work, weaving us together as a congregation of seekers, coming again to a new place of understanding and a deeper relationship. The experiences of synergy and creativity are truly religious, spiritual, holy times — moments to be cherished and savored.

On this Sunday when we’ve welcomed 11 new members into our Fellowship, it occurs to me that knowing what it means to be a UU is something that deepens and grows over the course of being a part of a congregation. We become UUs as we work together to create programs for children and youth, as we serve members in our own congregation or people in the community who are in need. We become UUs as we decide that we’re going to give some of our precious and sometimes scarce time and money because we love this liberal faith so much that we want our presence in this community to grow and become more visible and influential

This Sunday we have known the joy of receiving new members to our Fellowship. We have made a covenant with one another, pledging our support and care to each other for the well being and life of this fellowship. This is the time for each of us to recommit to this beloved community and to consider the health of our own membership. Welcome new members and welcome friends and inquirers. We hope you come to know this congregation as a place where you are accepted and challenged, nurtured and called upon for the special gifts and talents you bring. Above all, we hope your time with us, whether short or long, brings you to a deep awareness of the values and hopes that you cherish and which lead you embrace our UU heritage and ideals.

May it be so!

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