I AM A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST AND THIS IS WHAT I BELIEVE
Given by James Covington on March 7th, 2010
A couple of weeks ago after the service, I introduced myself to one of our visitors and became engaged in a great conversation about religion and Unitarian Universalism. I invited her questions about us, which I readily attempted to answer….But a comment that stood out the most for me was her observation about the use of the word God in my sermon. She admitted that she often cringes or has difficulty staying tuned when someone mentions the word God. To her mind, (and I am paraphrasing) God and even religion in general is something about which one must be suspect.
A few minutes later, I introduced myself to another visitor and entered into an equally engaging conversation….during which this individual asked if he could be a member here if he believed in God…..not an anthropomorphic God, but as a presence in the world and in his life.
I share these stories to highlight the differences of attitudes, needs and expectations by those who visit us, looking for religious community. In general, according to a recent survey, people in our nation are more skeptical about religion than other previous time, particularly amongst the millennial generation-those young adults under the age of 30. In a recent poll taken by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, it is found that compared with their elders today, young people are much less likely to affiliate with any religious tradition. The millennial generation is quite skeptical of religious dogma, creeds, and beliefs. Yet more than three-quarters of young adults (76%) agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong, a level nearly identical to that among older age groups (77%). More than half of young adults (55%) say that houses of worship should speak out on social and political matters And 45% of young adults say that the government should do more to protect morality in society, compared with 39% of people ages 30 and older. And in spite of their negative attitudes toward religion, most young adults still believe in God, prayer, life after death, similar to older adults. [1]
In fact Harvey Cox has written a powerful volume entitled The Future of Faith in which he claims that there is a growing religious movement in the world today away from beliefs and dogma and moving more toward social justice and spiritual experience. I find all of this very interesting and I will speak to it again later in the sermon. [2]
For now, I want to simply define for those of you who are new and are checking us out, as well as to those of you who have been long time members, the religious beliefs we hold. This is a bit of an irony for me, because on one level, I don’t think beliefs are that important. We tend to think of religion as a set of beliefs as defined in a creed. That is a huge mistake. Religion is much more about what we love and do than about what we think. Yet, in light of the long traditional association of religion with beliefs, I think we still have to be ready to say what our beliefs are to give people an idea of our religious view and our faith. But even our faith is understood differently: not a belief in creeds, but our “confidence” in the values by which we attempt to live our lives.
Interestingly over the years many people have said to me, “I’ve been a Unitarian Universalist and didn’t know it.” Certainly that was true of me. When I first attended a UU congregation, I knew I was in the right place. I joined that congregation, because it represented and defined the values which I had come to embrace for myself through my own thoughts and experiences.
Unfortunately, people will often leave a conversation about our faith with the conclusion that we can believe whatever we want…which is absolutely not true….Yes, we do hold diverse theological beliefs, but our belief system has more to do with deeds rather than creeds or theological beliefs. So, no, you can’t believe whatever you want. We believe in those values that when followed will make us better citizens, parents, partners. If your beliefs don’t do that, we don’t go with them.
There is an old story in the Jewish tradition of the man who asked Rabbi Shamai to teach him Judaism while standing on one foot. Shamai, notoriously impatient, chased the man away. Then he went to Rabbi Hillel and made the same request. While standing on one foot, Rabbi Hillel responded: “Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t have them do to you. That is all the Torah; all the rest is commentary. Now go and learn it.”
While I am not delivering this sermon while standing on one foot, I will attempt to answer some frequent questions about our faith.
What is your view of religion?
To be human is to be religious. Being alive and knowing we shall die, we can’t help but ask questions about the meaning of life. I call this the religious impulse, our response to the dual reality of being alive and knowing that we shall also die. To be religious is to make connections. Religion means to bind together the frayed strands of our being - to bind together a broken humanity. It is a core of ultimate meanings and values and convictions to which we commit our lives. To lead a meaningful life among the many competing forces of the twenty-first century, each of us needs support in making meaningful re-connections to the best in our global heritage, the best in others, and the best in ourselves. Ultimately, religion has more to do with love and justice than to creed.
What does Unitarian mean?
Theologically, a Unitarian believes God is one; historically this is denial of the trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unitarian also refers to a cosmic reality held together by natural law in distinction from the supernatural. Everything is naturally divine and partakes of the power of being. We are all one. We are born of the same source and share the same destiny.
Then, what is the meaning of Jesus?
Jesus was a first century Jewish prophet - a moral and spiritual teacher who went about doing good. He sought to reform the Judaism of his day by placing emphasis on its moral and spiritual dimensions rather than on its ceremonies. While his message was designed for a first century agrarian society, the spirit of his teachings, which had to do more with love and justice has inspired people across the ages, and moves us today. Because he was a threat to the religious and political establishment of his day, he was crucified.
Is there life after death?
We do not and cannot know. Many of us doubt such an existence, but do not close our minds to serious attempts at understanding the death process. Others do feel strongly that there is life after death and have had powerful experiences that have convinced them. We do affirm the immortality of influence: those who have lived well live on in the lives of those they touch. At other times I feel that we are too busy with this life to worry about a future one. The more important question is - is there life after birth?
What about heaven and hell?
Heaven and hell are mythic creations of ancient peoples. We need no thought of heavenly reward or hellish punishment to motivate us to be and do good. Our heavens and hells are here on earth and are of our own making. They are states of the soul. Heaven is participation in the Beloved Community; Hell is indifference to our neighbors.
What does Universalism mean?
Historically Universalism refers to universal salvation - the final harmony of all souls with God. It was a reaction to Calvinist theology in which some were predestined for heaven and others for hell. Universalists believed in a God of love who would ultimately restore all people to a state of grace. Today, theologically, we believe that cosmic and eternal source of conscience and meaning that is greater than all yet present in each, is refracted through many different windows. In the Cathedral of the World there are many windows through which the Light of Truth is refracted.[4] This “light” illuminates human minds and human hearts in different ways, but ultimately leads us to live compassionately and justly. Those religions from either the right or the left that proclaim that the Light of Truth shines only through their window pane, enshrine a very tiny egotistical god on their altar. Ethically, Universalism refers to our responsibility for the human family of which we are all members.
Do you believe in salvation? If so, what is it?
Salvation means health or wholeness of being. We do not accept salvation as the gracious act of an omnipotent God who redeems us from sin. Salvation comes through the work of our own hands and the compassion of our own hearts. It is the struggle toward wholeness as a human being - generosity of spirit, depth of meaning, responsibility of action. It is the work of justice. Salvation is accomplished by deeds not creeds.
What about human nature? Do you believe in original sin?
Human nature is neither tainted at birth with original sin to be expunged, nor are we born noble savages corrupted by an evil society. We are born in finite freedom. On the one hand we are selfish creatures who think we are the center of creation. On the other, we can transcend that self-centeredness and expand our interests to include our neighbors. We are intriguing and sometimes tragic contradictions - the “glory, jest and riddle of the world.” We are our own most perplexing problem and our own final hope. We are neither sinners in the hands of an angry God nor saints in the arms of a loving one. We are both saints and sinners, but more importantly, we are seekers.
Do you believe in God?
I believe in a creating, sustaining and transforming power - a cosmic creativity which is the power behind the natural world of planets and flowers, pine cones and photons. It sustains our very existence, but it does not play favorites; it is indifferent to us as creatures - the rain falls on the just and the unjust. Some among us personalize this power in prayer; others do not; Some Unitarian Universalists employ God language; some do not. It really doesn’t matter. Forrest Church has said, “God is not God’s name. God is our name for that which is greater than all and yet present in each.” [3] Call it what you will: spirit of life, ground of being, life itself; it remains what it always has-in Rudolph Otto’s definition of the Holy-a mysterium tremens et fascinans, an awe-inspiring mind-bending mystery.
Do you believe in spirituality? To me, spirituality describes a way of being-an openness to truth-the truth of one’s own soul and the truth of the unfolding cosmos as we understand it. It is living from the depths of being. Spiritual experience springs from two primary sources, awe and humility in the face of the miracle of life, the miracle of consciousness, the miracle of hope. Spirituality is not really something you discover, but something you live.
What about the Bible as a source of truth?
The Bible with its Jewish and Christian scriptures is a vast and valuable compendium of human wisdom and folly collected over a period of centuries. The lovely legends of creation, the poetry of the psalmist, the insight of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, the zeal of the prophets, the moral imagination of Jesus, and the eloquence of Paul are a rich resource. It is a human book, however, shot through with the best and the worst of human nature. It is not the word of God to humanity, but the word of humanity about its understanding of humanity and divinity and where they meet in human life. There are other religious scriptures to which we would also turn. The ethical demands of the Koran, the beauty of the Tao Te Ching, the simple ethic of the Analects of Confucius, the mystical insights of the Bhagavad Ghita, the existential wisdom of the Sutras of Buddhism - and the rich abundance of the whole human literary, artistic tradition - all these contribute to our human store of goodness and beauty and wisdom.
We celebrate a loose-leaf bible which affirms that revelation is not sealed. Truth has not been embalmed in any one age or tradition; it is an unfolding process. The truths of yesterday are often the superstitions of today. We need the freedom to remove from our loose-leaf bible ancient ideas that no longer stand the test of time, keep those that do, and add our own insights to its pages.
In closing I want to return to a comment I made earlier that true religion is less about beliefs and more about love and justice…In light of all that I have just shared with you about our beliefs, this is what I mean by that statement: [5]
True religion for our time must draw upon many religious traditions while transcending them all. I need not reject the precious gifts of community, compassion and passion for justice from my conservative Baptist Christian upbringing. Yet I must transcend the narrow theology that would have me think of everyone else is condemned to hell.
True religion must be about wholeness, integrity, and engagement. It must promote the spiritual practices that give us depth and insight: worship (as we are experiencing this very moment), meditation, prayer, listening, small groups, and music. It must touch our hearts as well as our heads.
True religion must promote deep reflection, but it must never, never, become an escape from life or descend into navel gazing narcissism. True religion must be prophetic. It must speak truth to power. It must raise a powerful voice against violence, injustice, racism, economic exploitation, and the destruction of life on our planet. True religion is not afraid of power. It uses power. A religion for our time must strive to transform the world.
Beyond this, true religion must have a vision of the future. It must invite people to come together in love to help create new world-a world of peace, justice, equity, compassion and stewardship of the environment. It must draw upon ancient and undying human longing for harmony, for beloved community, for bringing the reign of love and justice to earth.
Just imagine such a religion! Imagine a religion that believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people; that seeks justice, equity and compassion; that draws upon the wisdom and insight of many faith traditions; that is open to new learning; that invites and welcomes scientific discovery; that respects and celebrates human diversity; that promotes peace; that demands good stewardship of our planet. Can you imagine that? Do you know of such a religious view? Do you know of a religious community anywhere that believes all of that?
I am sure there are many such communities. But you know where I’m going, don’t you? Surely, I believe one such religious community is us! All the rest is commentary. Now go and live it and spread the word.