Any UUs in the house?
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| Sat, 01-01-2005 - 7:47pm |
I too am a refugee of the closed down Unitarian Universalist board. Like Barbara (and hey there, amiga! Funny seeing you here!), I took the Belief-o-matic a while back, and came up WAAAAAY UU, but unlike Barbara, there were a few nearby congregations. It was a good enough fit that our family joined the local congregation just before Christmas this year. Despite being raised RC, I've never felt like a real "member" of any religion before, so this is a great new feeling.
By way of introduction, I live in NJ with my dh and my 2 girlies, aged 2.5 and 5. I currently CL (as cl-triptakers) on the Visual Impairments and Travel Abroad boards, but suspect I'll be stepping down from one (or both) soon - I've become so active in the Freecycle movement that SOMETHING has to give! I'm a speech pathologist by trade, but have been a SAHM for about 6 years (yep, including a year before dd was born - we lived in Europe, and it would've been too tough to find work, so I figured if there was ever a time to just sit back and enjoy, this was DEFINITELY it!)
So that's the Cliff Notes version of me!
Looking forward to getting to know you all!
Edited 1/1/2005 7:55 pm ET ET by i_m_the_lorax

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Merry Meet and Welcome! :) Glad you found us. Sorry to hear about the UU board closing down. It's a shame when they must shut down or combine boards, but the economy being what it is... :-\ This is a great place where people come together in a nice harmony to share wisdom, experiences, even smiles.
Gypsy
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
Hi, trip!
Could you possible explain Unitarian Universalist to me? I've heard of UU's but I've never got a real explaination.
Thanx
converts from UU to Unity. It is called new age Christian.
The concepts are all of my beliefs, hurt someone, you hurt yourself
like Buddhism etc We have a mazzuza on the door, we have dynamite
music, jazz, anything. It is a place of love and humor. Love over fear.
If you have read marianne williamson, she is now a Unity minister
in Michigan. love, leila
Yes, we do have one near us, but I don't think I'm Christian... I prefer the inclusiveness of UU, where essentially EVERYONE is welcome, kwim? That makes it easier to really search for your own path, your own truth.
Sounds like your Unity church is great, though!
Oooh, that's a toughie, I'm still trying to get a grip on it! I guess that's how most religions are, though, aren't they?
OK, first, I'll cut & paste our Principles, which everyone tries to aspire to, then I'll share what UU is to *me*...sound good?
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Looks like stuff everyone would aspire to, but in reality, it's pretty tough, day to day. Respecting what everyone's views are is not for everyone. I confess it's tough to not pass judgement on people who do things to hurt others, like terrorists, people with "toxic" personalities, etc.
Atheists sit next to monotheists and polytheists who are sitting next to humanists and wiccans at services every week. Personally, I find it very liberating and stimulating to be surrounded with like minds...who still believe different stuff from me (did that make sense?). I enjoy getting into a conversation with people who think differently than I do, without fear of being judged or "converted". As my (previously super-against organized religion) dh put it after our first UU service, UU is the "thinking man's religion". We're all continually searching for our own truth, sharing what we think, and supporting the search of everyone around us. I enjoy the fact that I can "grow" in whatever direction feels right. I suspect both dh and I will become more and more earth-based in our spirituality as time goes on.
And I'm surrounded now by the sort of people I want to be more like. These people feel strongly about things - one is the head for our local Meals on Wheels, one is the president of the nonprofit children's museum in town, a few run the county's Giving Network (getting stuff for those who cant' afford it), one's daughter is currently in Ghana, teaching women who used to be in the sex trade how to make greeting cards, so they can quit their old "career" while still being able to support themselves....
Since becoming involved with UU, I feel I've become a better person. I'm much more involved in my community - I started our local freecycle group, which has kept TONS of stuff out of the landfill (which is great, since we actually have to ship all our trash out of state!) as well as building a gifting community in an otherwise rather "cold" area of the country, joined the planning board for our upstart Children's Museum, and am active in organizing non-school day "field trips" for my kids & their preschool classmates. We've actually JOINED the causes we care about - Nature Conservancy is my real biggie, and Sierra Club,....
OK, here's a piece of cake and a latte if you actually were able to read my whole monologue here.... sorry...
It is more spiritual than anything. I don't
do religion. There are many healers there. It attracts
people who don't want religion. We get great speakers, like
Jean Houston who wrote, Jump time. Twyman etc
We do great rituals,
meditate on what we want to get rid of, write it down and we
put it in a burning bowl. I am not good at telling it how it is.
If there are UU transplants, there is a reason. I'd check it out.
They are few and far between. I am not pushing it on you. Not
my style. Maybe someone else can tell you better what it
is about. I just don't want you to miss anything. Love, leila
Unity Churches are definitely Christian.
Edited 1/6/2005 2:46 am ET ET by gypsywolfwoman
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
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