A young'n looking for advice (Jesus, ritual, tradition, beliefs)

[drummrguy14]

Hello there!

At the reccomendation of Maize, I have decided to come to all of you for some information about the UU faith. The last few years have been spent trying to find where I fit spiritually, but to no avail. I'm interested in learning more about this faith, having done only a little bit of research on it.

First off, let me tell you a little about myself. I'm a 19 year old student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA...guess which instrument I study heehee (hint - look at my username)....I have always been very introverted with my faith, I've always had a difficult time talking about it with people. Mainly this is because for quite some time now, I have not known where I belong.

So, what I was wondering was if anyone here can shed some light on what the UU faith is all about...I know that might be a little vauge, but I am an eager set of ears and I am very active in my search for a spiritual home. Also if you have a moment, and feel like it, I posted a conflict here and would gladly accept any advice on it as well.

Thanks a lot! Take care and God Bless.

[michel]

First and foremost, you could look at this link: Unitarian Universalism Overview You are psting in the right section; have a look at the part of the forum you are now in with this post, have a look around.

[Green Gaia]

Well, the first thing you learn about Unitarian Universalism is our Principles and Purposes, which I'm sure you already know about. They are what unites us and everything we as individuals believes stems from them. The faith part is up to you. You are not required to hold any beliefs outside the Prinicples and Purposes. UUism is an exploring faith, an inclusive faith, a hopeful and peaceful faith.

I think the best advice I can give you for this is, to visit a UU church (or 2 or 3, since you're in Boston!), talk with the people there, see what the individual church has to offer because we are congregational and you will see slight differences in emphasis from church to church.

Find out what YOU believe. What does your spirit or life need? What are you looking for in a faith or church? When you figure out what you want and need, you'll better understand what faith you fit into. I think UUism can help could help you on the journey because we've all been there, and UU encourage taking that journey.

[lilithu]

Namaste Drummrguy!

Welcome to RF! First and foremost, you will probably hear the UU is a non-credal religion. We don't have a set of beliefs that you must accept in order to be part of us. A lot of people like that about us because they've experienced religions that tried to force ideas on them that they didn't agree with. But our creedlessness also leads to some misunderstandings, which I want to address. Some people look at our lack of a creed and say that means we can believe anything we want. But that's not true.

UUs are non-credal because we believe that revelation is on-going, so no one knows the full story. And because we believe that humans are inherently good, so we trust that we can decide things for ourselves. We can look at the teachings (scriptures) and traditions that have gone before us and use our own hearts/consciences and our own minds/reason to decide what is right and what is not.

But believing that humans are inherently good means that there are certain things that we can never believe. For example, we cannot believe any doctrine that says it's ok to let people suffer without trying to help them. We cannot believe any doctrine that says that one group of people is inferior to another group of people, simply because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical abilities, economic status...

UUs believe that all humans have inherent worth and dignity, and that we are all interconnected, so that if any one of us is diminished, we are all diminished. We believe that, whether or not there is an afterlife, this life right here and right now is important. We believe that everyone is welcome at the table to partake of the richness of life, and that as a community we will help each person to reach their fullest potential. And if you believe these things, then the rest of the stuff - god or no, trinity or no, etc - is just not as important.

Regarding your conflict, I would ask her to consider this: Jesus taught us that God is love. Regardless of all the other stuff that Christanity believes, Christians know that God is love. Would a loving God really condemn someone for loving? Would a loving God lead her to love and then prohibit that love? I wouldn't ask her to give up her beliefs. I would ask her to trust that even if it seems like there is a conflict, if God led you two to love each other then somehow it will be ok. Ask her not to envision what the solution might be (lest she think that the solution is for you to convert), but ask her to remain open to the future. Faith is trusting that God will provide (or lead us to our own solutions) even when things seem impossible. So ask her to have faith in God and in your love.

Hope this helps,
-lilith

[drummrguy14]

Thank you Lilith, that was really great advice. I willl definitely keep that in my heart when we resume our discussions. Thank you again. God Bless