UU Salad Bar

[SoCalUni]

Hi everyone I chose other because potluck wasn't in the list .
I do believe in a creator and identify mostly with the concept of God ( Christian ) but I am monotheistic I do not be in a holy ghost and I do not believe that Christ was a savior only that he did exist and may have been a prophet of some kind (I believe those of the Muslim faith accept him as this also if my memory serves me).
I really feel that who ever created us had the compassion to come to us in any form or concept that each individual or group chose to identify with in the past or does so now.
I believe in some kind of afterlife but that may be from having it burned into my head from childhood. More so than afterlife I think the important thing is the relationship you have with your creator and whether or not you use it to be a good person. If there is no creator in your life then being a good person because of your exclusive membership in club humanity works...... anything to encourage behavior that does no harm (some people do not contribute or give aid but never hurt anyone so this is why I say do no harm). And lets face it there some pretty hideous people that have done horrific things in the name of religion or their perception of religion so having the relationship does not make an automatic good guy.
There is something to be said for most other beliefs like Buddhism, Taoism,Judaism, Wiccan, just about any you can think of there are so many out there that have insightful ideas, and much to contribute and I look forward to learning everything I can.

[J Bryson]

I really like that take on it. Say, where in SoCal are you?

EDIT: Oh...I just saw Sunland. What church do you go to? I'm at Throop in Pasadena.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by SoCalUni

I do believe in a creator and identify mostly with the concept of God ( Christian ) but I am monotheistic I do not be in a holy ghost

If you believe in the Christian "God" but not Christ and the Holy Ghost, I presume you believe in "God, the Father." Why do you believe in "God, the Father" and not the Holy Ghost? Just curious.

William Ellery Channing believed in a loving Father God. (Hence, sermons like "A Father's Love for Persons.") Ralph Waldo Emerson, otoh, believed in "the OverSoul," which is an English translation of the Hindu Brahman. In my opinion, the OverSoul is the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit (or Spirit of Life). When I pray to God, it is to the Spirit whom I pray.

But of course, there is no right or wrong here. Each part of the trinity represents a valid (but incomplete) view of deity. I am just curious as to what about God, the Father speaks to you.

Originally Posted by SoCalUni

and I do not believe that Christ was a savior only that he did exist and may have been a prophet of some kind (I believe those of the Muslim faith accept him as this also if my memory serves me).

Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet. But he was a very special prophet, higher than Moses or Elijah, etc. Even higher than Mohammed in some ways. Out of all the humans who have ever existed, only two were created by God's own "hands" (figuratively, as opposed to via the process of procreation), Adam and Jesus.

[bicker]

Not to speak for SoCalUni, but I took SoCaUni's statement to be one indicating a belief in something different from what Christians believe, despite the label "God (Christian)". I personally won't read into that labeling, as much as you have, until SoCalUni clarifies it.

There are folks ("Deists") who do (essentially) believe in what is probably most closely mapped into Christianity as "God-the-Father", specifically; i.e., that some supernatural entity created reality, set it in motion, and then stepped back, allowing reality to exist without inference.

[lilithu]

Originally Posted by bicker

There are folks ("Deists") who do (essentially) believe in what is probably most closely mapped into Christianity as "God-the-Father", specifically; i.e., that some supernatural entity created reality, set it in motion, and then stepped back, allowing reality to exist without inference.

Yes, I agree that Deism is a good match for "God, the Father. And I would ask them the same question.

[Trey of Diamonds]

*bump*

We have some new UUs on the forum so I thought I would resurrect this old poll.

[EverChanging]

The best term for me is probably UU/Humanist, but I have found that none of these labels are adequate, and that's okay.

I chose Christianity, Secular/NonReligious/Atheist/Agnostic, Neo-Paganism and Other (to include my own form of pantheism, which depending on your perspective might also be considered panentheism, but both words wouldn't really encompass my experience there, either, only come close to it.)

I probably could have chosen Buddhism in some ways, but I didn't because I still don't know a lot about it. I have experimented with centering prayers, sometimes in Christian form, though there isn't much of a difference, at all, from Buddhist centering prayer/meditation. It is my understanding that Christian monks and nuns picked up the practice from Buddhist monks centuries ago. A UU friend of mine, a very special and joyous person to me, has introduced me to an Al-Anon group. The God language is uncomfortable to me, but God can be anything in Al-Anon, even the Al-Anon group itself. (She had the same issues coming into Al-Anon.) In many ways, its principles and slogans remind me of Buddhism -- there are slogans, mantras, thought-stopping/meditation techniques to deal with anxiety, anger, etc., and an emphasis on acceptance, one day at a time, take it easy, focus, meditation, prayer. In many ways I find it similar to the Buddhist idea of detachment. Al-Anon literature draws from many sources -- poetry, world religions, etc.

As for Christianity, I find many traditional practices and holy days beautiful in their own way, but that is probably because of their similarity to neo-paganism, which I also find beautiful. A History of God really influenced me and the Eastern Orthodox view of the trinity strikes me as more spiritual and more compatible with the Christian doctrine of Unitarianism than the doctrine of the trinity as it is emphasized in the West. (The Orthodox are trinitarians, but their orientation is more mystical and emphasizes the mystery and unity of the Godhead whereas in the West, the trinity is often more intellectualized and the distinction of the persons is emphasized over unity.) While I don't believe in gods, the trinity was once described to me as a communion between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (also referred to as the Mother, Child, and Womb in some liberal churches) and that the love between the Father and Son is so strong that the Holy Spirit is the love itself between them, the bond of union. I thought this was extremely beautiful as poetry. However, I don't feel completely comfortable in Christian churches. It feels like something is missing. I don't feel much inspiration from reading the Bible, either. While there might be appealing aspects of Christianity, it is my understanding that Christianity is something different from the Bible -- there are connections, Christianity is based on the Bible, but the Bible is often so ambiguous, strange, and antiquated that I don't think there is any "biblical" Christianity -- the Bible is often contradictory or confusing or lost in translation, etc. I have read some of the books left out of the Bible, like the Gospel of Thomas, and I find these even less fulfiling.

Neo-paganism is interesting to me, especially because of its compatibility with pantheism and even Humanism -- there is no universal, authoritative neo-pagan creed. I have neo-pagan friends who have influenced me. I don't have any connections with the gods, but I enjoy reading about them -- in Greek mythology recently -- because of how human they are. They are reflections of ourselves, our psyche. I find Greek mythology a more rich source than the Bible, but everyone's different.

Secular/Non-Religious/Humanist/Atheist/Agnostic. This describes my worldview and the ethics that I (try) to live up to. I think all Unitarian Universalists are humanists in a more general sense of the term in that they stand up for their ethics and challenge perceived injustice whether it comes from secular or religious authority. There is no room in UU'ism or Humanism for quoting an ancient text, even the Bible, to justify cruelty or injustice. This type of general humanism is a natural outgrowth of democracy and the separation of church and state -- human good (and life on the planet in general) comes first, and religion is not a legitimate excuse to harm others or to excuse ignorance. Both UUs and Humanists believe in a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning."

I chose "other" for pantheism or panentheism. That one's a little difficult to explain. A short explanation is that, for whatever reason -- I look toward neurotheology for an explanation -- I have had experiences that some neo-pagans might say were the gods, though I tend to think of them as "friends" or "helpers." It is my understanding that they are a part of me, my psyche, and come from me, representing an interconnection between "me" and the rest of the universe. They exist in my mind, my mind stems from my body and brain, which stems from the universe, an interconnected whole. They are emergent from the universe, as I am, but I don't think they objectively exist any more than I do. I just call it pantheism/panentheism, but if anyone asked, I'd just say I was an atheist because I doubt most people would get what I'm saying (like I said, no labels seem adequate for me, except UU). I don't believe these experiences are supernatural in any way, but I doubt some of my other atheist friends would really relate to it, and often times, I don't even know how to relate to it or how to connect with them on a more consistent basis. Since learning about UU, though, I have heard of other Humanist/atheists with similar experiences, and they often blend their Humanism/atheism with neo-paganism and pantheism. It might help to join a meditation group, though I don't know of any nearby. There is a Christian church nearby that practices centering prayer (also used in Buddhism), however, and I might try that.

[Timerider3]

My "other" is gnosticism.