This is who we are
not some imagined version of who we are
A short one today, because it’s somewhere in those six days between Christmas and New Year’s and I’m not supposed to be working today.1
But I wanted to pause here to say how sorry I am to the people who are so angry that Unitarian Universalist congregations celebrate Christmas that they have to write screeds to their ministers, reduce their pledges, and in some cases relinquish their membership.
I’m sorry that we didn’t do a good enough job of explaining to you that Unitarianism and Universalism are historically Christian denominations.
I’m sorry that we didn’t explain well enough to you that when we talk about spiritual growth in our congregations, and responsible searches for truth and meaning, we meant some people may find resonance in the Christian scriptures or the teachings of Jesus.
I’m sorry we didn’t emphasize enough to you that one of our sources of wisdom is the Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
I’m sorry that the desire of some to hear about God, and Jesus, and doing unto others - in the context of our broader understanding of Love at the center of our faith - made your ears burn.
I’m sorry that including Christmas and Easter into our liturgical calendars, along with holy days from other faith traditions, was a bridge too far for you.
I’m especially sorry that we let you think Unitarian Universalism was a secular club for atheists and not a pluralistic faith community.
And it pains me to know that we did not remind you enough that Unitarian Universalism meets you as you are but does not leave you as it found you - that this isn’t a haven so much as a grounding.
It is so sad to me that you are so hurt that you would rather hide in the cave and remain wounded that come out and let us nurture and love you back into healing. I feel pained that you struggled so much you left.
You were a part of our community, and we needed you. We miss you.
But we need you to soften your grip on your pain and see the joy that abounds when we celebrate the various holidays and holy days - and the teachings and wisdom - of the world’s religions. Including Christianity.
There is so much beauty and meaning to wrestle with in these stories - I’m just sorry you won’t be with us to experience it.
And to those of you who received those screeds and demands, those who had those conversations over and over again, those who noticed the people missing, I am so very sorry. I know that you struggle between the exasperation and the pain. I know you have more than likely said all of the right things, taught and preached and celebrated our faith in its full expanse - maybe until you’re blue in the face. I feel your pain and struggle deeply, and I long for ways to repair these deep, deep wounds. Please keep teaching and preaching and celebrating the full expanse of our faith, the full expanse of humanity’s (and the earth’s) wisdom, the full expanse of love.
Yes, that was a quote (almost) from the Kevin Smith film Clerks. A little present for those who know. :)
As a lay person I have been concerned about some of the anti-Christian sentiment I have seen in fellow UUs. I belonged for awhile to a small fellowship that was firmly in the humanist camp. There were people who hated the use of the G-word or the J-word, even in hymns. I tried to soften their antagonism by pointing out that both Unitarians and Universalists came out of the Protestant reformation.
I also had a chance to speak up at GA in Portland when we were in small group discussions about the Article II changes. Someone in the group asked how a UU with a Christian background would react to the central value being Love. I replied that the message of the New Testament is "God is Love" and I thought it was an excellent foundational value.
Thanks - I thought this was great. I'm a congregant not a minister so fortunately do not receive any holiday screeds, but it strikes me as odd that someone would think that a Christmas (or Easter) service is antithetical to UU teachings.
In my view, at least, being non-creedal doesn't mean excluding all religious traditions from our services, but instead simply recognizing and respecting that we don't all believe the same thing. In fact, I would suggest that, at a certain level of intensity, opposition to all language or ritual resonant of traditional religion is at odds with we UUs say we believe. A "free and responsible search for truth and meaning" indicates that we may find that truth and meaning in different sources and beliefs including but exclusively humanist teachings.