Why aren't there more Unitarian Universalists?

T'shirts (lol, just kidding)

We are very into social action, but we should be more open about it. Perhaps put in newspapers "The Unitarian Universalist Church is doing a fundraiser for _________, all welcome to particpate" rather than just encouraging social action through our congregations. (Make it a UU sponsored event rather than a UU event).

Team up with other churches on social action efforts.

All around just work to make the name Unitarian Universalism more well-known in the community, so eventually people will seek, on their own, to find out what Unitarian Universalism (as a religion rather than a social action group) is.

I think that UU's eclectisism (sp) makes it difficult for many people to accept... when someone asks what UU believes the answer is pretty much everything...

for people who like answers in black and white intoducing grey to the palette can be difficult. :roll:

wa:-do

"Eclecticism", I think... yes, it does seem to discourage some people. When people ask about another person's church, they merely want to see if that church believes the same things they do. An answer that implies that the church "believes anything" is too general... unfortunatly, most people want concrete answers and therefore will shy away from a religion that seems to encourage them to think for themselves...

However, Unitarianism is one of the 6 fastest growing religions in the United States, so we must be doing SOMETHING right!

A religion that wants people to think for themselves still seems like a contradiction in terms to me. Does the UU church acknowledge that there is only one reality even if people seek it in different ways, and would a minister point out some logical flaw in a member's beliefs if s/he spotted it?

Alaric, there are SOME principles that the UU congregation holds as "truth". They are:

*Every person is endowed with inherent worth and dignity (rejection of original sin)
*We are a part of an interdependent web of existence and must respect and protect it, not lord over and exploit it.
*Evil does exist in the world and must be fought responsibly with justice, compassion, and love.
*Both men and women are equal spiritually (meaning both can be prophetic and both are worthy of giving spiritual council. Obviously most religions regard men as being "above" women, and the holders of religious power.)

Other than that... well, we're free to build our own worldview.

I think many people view UUers as uber-tolerant peace nicks and refuse to accept pacifism and moral flexibility as a true religion. I don't necesarily believe this myself, but I know many who do.

Then again I know many people who believe that 5/6 of the world is going to hell, but that's another story.

I think many people view UUers as uber-tolerant peace nicks and refuse to accept pacifism and moral flexibility as a true religion. I don't necesarily believe this myself, but I know many who do.

Then again I know many people who believe that 5/6 of the world is going to hell, but that's another story.

Hirohito18200 said:

I think many people view UUers as uber-tolerant peace nicks and refuse to accept pacifism and moral flexibility as a true religion.

Click to expand...

I agree. I think many people view us that way... but these people fail to see the difference between the SOCIAL aspect of UUism and the SPIRITUAL aspect. They'd have to actually go to a service to see the spiritual aspect, rather than reading about the social actions and political views that most UUs (most, but not all... we do have some people who lean in the conservative direction... but even they are generally more moderate than in many other "church" religions) have in common.

Another key issue--a religion/philosophy may help one live in this life. As we all are curious and have thought about an afterlife, regardless to which religion (or anti-religion) we subscribe, a religion which is not authoritative about that afterlife leaves this unending curiousity unsatisfied.

Does UU address this issue in any authoritative way?

The first time I read of UU was a few months before joining this forum, when I happened to take one of those Internet quizzes. It ranked fairly high on my list. I was utterly dumbfounded. I had never heard of such a thing, and I found no Internet hits in Sweden, any way I translated the name. Probably there is no organised UU here. As for the rest of the world, I think that people who think for themselves have less need than others for formal bodies.

I think that is part of the reason why there is so little emphasis on authority in the UU church. Our ministers are more here to guide than lead-- often we have lay services run by people within the congregation (at least in my church). Usually our services are about exploration of ideas rather than about presenting one idea and expecting others to simply believe it because someone in charge said it was so. Those who think for themselves DO like to get together with others who think for themselves. Within my covenant group there is lots of debate. We have science and religion discussions in which everyone participating researches and then comes into the forum ready to discuss. The UU church is not so much about meeting with others to reinforce what we believe or (even worse) to allow others to tell us what to believe, but to explore and exchange ideas and have healthy dialogue. In a way my church services and a few of the groups I'm in remind me a lot of this forum... there are a lot of individual thinkers on here who come just to be able to bounce ideas off of other individual thinkers.

I have to say, it sounds like someone finally got it right. Wow, an acceptance that things can be OK and all people are worthy of love and respect. Kind of tremendous. Granted, I am no pacifist, but I am pretty much where I desire to be spiritually, or rather well on that path. But I must say it sounds amazing. I often sat around and thought:darn it someone should make a religion that doesn't try and scare the hell out of you and accepts all colors and creeds. And then I come here only to discover I am way behind the power curve... ah, well.

***MOD EDIT***

Offensive posts WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!

I'm new to the forums and to the church. I am a 16 year old African American male living in Baker, Louisiana, who has been attending the Unitarian Universalist Church in Baton Rouge for nearly 2 months. I kind of get the church. It is a good place to go to, to learn. Well, before arriving in May I was thinkin of being an atheist as i kind of believe in the Big Bang Theory, but my Health teacher told me about the place and said I would like it. I kind of do, because I'm kind of soul searching. That does sound strange for 16, but I am. I'm still new, I will take the classes i August to formally join. I'm like the only Black kid in the whole church, not to mention the Adult sessions :talk:

Hey United!

I'm pretty new to the UU church as well. I was raised Unitarian Universalist, but after the age of about 10 my parents stopped taking me to church. I am also the youngest in any adult activities I go to (new UU classes, covenant groups, choir), although I'm a couple years older than you.

However, if you want to hang out with kids your own age, you should check to see if your congregation has a Unitarian Youth or High School UU group. Mine does, and I know there is a national group for UU youth... so I see no reason why your congregation would not have such activities.

As for being or not being atheist... it is perfectly acceptable to be atheist within the UU church. It is a people-centered religion rather than a God-centered religion. If that is what you feel, do not think you need to hide it. I think you may be surprised to find that the UU church is filled with agnostics and atheists... I am definitely a UU agnostic, and if philosophical Taoism can be considered atheism, then I am a UU atheist. I'm in a college UU group and there are more people in the group that fit those catagories than people who believe without a doubt that there is a God.

This is a religion where you are free to be yourself!