Comments on PeaceBang: Having Opinions

Not at all, not at all. We should know this about...

2006-06-15T13:46:00.000-04:00

Not at all, not at all. We should know this about ourselves, though, and honestly discern whether or not we implicitly dis-invite many seekers if we assume that one can be a UU only if one has those qualities. What about the non-robust seeker who wants to encounter a healing God and a healing community and who wants nothing more than to lay down the burden of seeking and finally come home?

... am coming to deeply believe that Unitarian Un...

2006-06-15T13:39:00.000-04:00

... am coming to deeply believe that Unitarian Universalism is only a viable religious path for the most chronically curious, robust and self-directed spiritual seekers.

*gulp*
Is this bad?

am coming to deeply believe that Unitarian Univers...

2006-06-15T12:23:00.000-04:00

am coming to deeply believe that Unitarian Universalism is only a viable religious path for the most chronically curious, robust and self-directed spiritual seekers.

Speaking as a non-UU who has dabbled in UUism and was a regular attender at a UU church many years ago, I always thought that this idea of a religion of "chronically curious, robust, and self-directed spiritual

The Art of Prophecy consists of making a generaliz...

2006-06-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

The Art of Prophecy consists of making a generalization about the present crisis

and offering an alternative vision of possibilities

the shadow of prophecy is that those counter examples to the generalization do not get any light, and stay hidden in the shadow of the generalization.

The "new UU" orientation does make our public worship banal at times, and the

The Art of Prophecy consists of making a generaliz...

2006-06-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Just posted a long meta-reply.

2006-06-13T22:40:00.000-04:00

Just posted a long meta-reply.

It was to share the power and the unity and the wa...

2006-06-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

It was to share the power and the unity and the warmth that comes with saying we are ALL ONE THING, religiously. If we can start embracing that,and articulating what it means....

What does it mean? What are we? I heard Rebecca Parker talk about that at District Assembly a few weeks ago, and what she said sounded great. I just can't remember what it was now. I find that happens

Kim, how about if EVERYONE is a Unitarian Universa...

2006-06-12T22:07:00.000-04:00

Kim, how about if EVERYONE is a Unitarian Universalist? Would you be able to feel there is still a place for you? My point about the UCC wasn't to suggest that we should all be Christian. It was to share the power and the unity and the warmth that comes with saying we are ALL ONE THING, religiously. If we can start embracing that,and articulating what it means without nitpicking each other to

Kim said:"I would not be comfortable in a congrega...

2006-06-12T21:03:00.000-04:00

Kim said:
"I would not be comfortable in a congregation where everyone was Christian (or Buddhist, or Jewish, or Moslem, or Shinto, or Hindu or etc.). Are you saying there is no place for me?"

That is exactly what I've heard from others as well.

As for the other points, that's why I'm hoping to get folks in my church thinking about approaches to religious pluralism that

How can we be like-minded people and be diverse to...

2006-06-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

How can we be like-minded people and be diverse too? How can we be really introspective people who want to 'build our own theology" and be very diverse too? How can we think hard about religion all the time and not seem to be "too" intellectual? How can we say we are not spiritual enough but not define spiritual? How can our "thin gruel" be nourishing, and still be palatable to all? Hinduism

FWIW, I just posted my thoughts on this at Arbmark...

2006-06-12T16:27:00.000-04:00

FWIW, I just posted my thoughts on this at Arbmarks. I'm thinking maybe our first theme could be, "What's the purpose of the UU Carnival?"

That would be a nice, ironic start...

I think we're closer to the same page than we may ...

2006-06-12T16:02:00.000-04:00

I think we're closer to the same page than we may at first seem.

"Having opinions" perhaps isn't the best term for what I'd like to see in UU blog writing - "Deep personal reflection" is more like it. And I don't think we can get to your vision of "improved UUism," which I love, by the way, without doing some individual delving first. Many many of our congregations are full of people

In brief, an improved UUism would "look like" a re...

2006-06-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

In brief, an improved UUism would "look like" a really energetic, visionary group of people who, when you saw them, would seem like the most loving, inviting, and free people you'd ever come upon. They would be truly diverse not just in race and ethnicity but in economic and educational background.
Our gatherings (and some of them do) should consist of teachings from congregational life,

What would an improved UUism look like? What shoul...

2006-06-12T15:04:00.000-04:00

What would an improved UUism look like? What should a UU gathering consist of?