Category: Unitarian Universalism

Below is an excerpt from an evening worship service led by Dan Harper at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, in Kensington, California. As usual, the text below is a reading text. The actual worship service contained ad libs, interjections, and other improvisation. The dialogue below is copyright (c) 2003 Daniel Harper.

“Four Voices”

Dan:

How do politics and liberal religion relate to each other? Do religious liberals speak only in one political voice? Hear these voices speaking words that might be spoken by religious liberals.

One:

I am a religious liberal. I believe in the use of reason. I support the democratic process. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether or not my neighbor believes in God. I believe that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, and that I can work to make this world a better place.

And I believe that large corporations represent a threat to democracy. There is too much power concentrated in their hands, and as they push towards globalization, the voice of the individual gets lost. I believe we must fight globalization.

Two:

I am a religious liberal. I believe in the use of reason. I support the democratic process. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether or not my neighbor believes in God. I believe that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, and that I can work to make this world a better place.

And I believe that a strong economy makes for a strong democracy. If people can’t eat, they won’t take the time to vote. Corporations serve as necessary and important sources of capital to keep the economy strong, to provide jobs, to continue economic development. Global corporations bring economic development to Third World countries, thus helping the spread of democracy.

Three:

I am a religious liberal. I believe in the use of reason. I support the democratic process. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether or not my neighbor believes in God. I believe that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, and that I can work to make this world a better place.

And like Henry Thoreau, who was raised a Unitarian, I believe “that government governs best which governs least.” Government should stay out of the lives of individuals, and should not, for example, legislate against homosexual marriages. Our government should not get involved in wars or military actions overseas, and should resist a military build-up that requires raising taxes. Government should not limit the free market by restricting corporations.

Four:

I am a religious liberal. I believe in the use of reason. I support the democratic process. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether or not my neighbor believes in God. I believe that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, and that I can work to make this world a better place.

I might be a political conservative. I might be a political liberal. Politically, I might be a libertarian, a radical leftist, a moderate. But I will always be a rleigious liberal, committed to free and open discussion of all issues.

Dan:

We Unitarian Universalists have never had a creed — we have never believed that any one person, or any group of people, can ever have the complete and final answer to any question. Because of this, we have historically believed that we must talk openly and honestly with people with whom we may disagree. And this should be as true for us in the political realm as it is in the religious realm.

Once we lose our openness, once we become defensive, once we stop talking with and listening to those with whom we disagree — then we begin to slide into the position of creedalism. And then democracy is in danger. It’s hard work to listen carefully, and to talk openly. In this presidential election season, may we remember that one of our deepest religious ideals is free and open discussion, even with those who hold opposite political views from us.

Meditation

Let us enter into a time of meditation and prayer, first with music, then with spoken word, and finally a time of silence.

“If it is language that makes us human, one half of language is to listen.
“Silence can exist without speech, but speech cannot live without silence.
“Listen to the speech of others. Listen even more to silence.
“To pray is to listen to the revelations of nature, to the meaning of events….”

So wrote Unitarian Universalist minister Jacob Trapp.

Whatever we may call it: God, Spirit of life, that which represents the best part of our selves
This we call upon to give us strength
To be with one another, to listen to one another
It is good to be with people
It is good to feel others near by, to know that there are those near us from whom we can draw support
May we overlook petty differences
May we tolerate the largest differences
May we always see that common links that link person to person, that link me to you and both of us to all humanity
If we have come here to find peace from the troubles of life, may we have a moment of peace
If we come here to find strength to again go out an face a difficult and even hostile world, may we find that strength here and now
May we be granted the hope to make things better, the courage we need, and the love of others; that a day may come when all shall make together a life worth living.

Below is an excerpt from an evening worship service led by Dan Harper at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, in Kensington, California. As usual, the text below is a reading text. The actual worship service contained ad libs, interjections, and other improvisation. The dialogue below is copyright (c) 2003 Daniel Harper.

Reading

The reading tonight is from the bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association — this immediately follows the so-called “principles and purposes,” but is rarely quoted:

Section C-2.4. Freedom of Belief. Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and Unitarian heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test.

Dialogue

Voice One

I don’t believe in God. It’s an outmoded concept, a pretty good fairy tale in its day, a good explanation for things that human beings couldn’t otherwise explain. God helped us human beings to feel powerful, back when we had very little control over our common destiny.

But these days — I mean, seriously, it’s hard to understand how any thinking, rational person could believe in God in this day and age. Thank goodness I’m a member of a Unitarian Universalist church, so I’m not forced to believe in that God stuff.

Voice Two

Years ago, I didn’t bother about God one way or the other. After the birth of our first child, I slipped into a profound depression. Medications didn’t help. Didn’t want to live, when you really come down to it.

Somehow, in the midst of that profound depression, I had this feeling of deep love. I mean, I had this unexplicable and very real experience of God’s love. It was like turning a switch inside me: Life did matter. I began to read the Bible, and I found in it a message of love and hope and liberation for all peoples. Thank God, I’m a member of a Unitarian Universalist church, so I could let my beliefs evolve.

Voice One

You mean you believe in that God stuff? You actually read the Bible? What are you, a — a Christian? Don’t tell me you’ve gone out and joined some fundamentalist church!

Voice Two

What’s wrong with believing in God? You know, you can believe in God and still be a Unitarian Universalist! Don’t you remember? There is no creed in Unitarian Universalist congregations, no one can tell us whether or not to believe in God. It sounds to me like you’re the fundamentalist — a fundamentalist atheist!

Voice One

Who are you calling a fundamentalist? I’m no fundamentalist, I’m just holding the line against creeping superstition. I feel like you God people are taking away my religion. I don’t want to have to hear about God in worship services. Yet there he is, God manages to creep his nasty little way into my worship service.

Voice Two

First of all, who says God is a he? Second of all, in my opinion it’s you atheists who are taking away my worship services. We never hear Bible readings in worship services any more, because you guys complained so much. And we hardly ever hear about God because God has to be called some namby-pamby name like “spirit of life” or “force of the universe” or something. Atheism has become some kind of credal test for Unitarian Universalists.

Voice One

Oh, yeah?

Voice Two

Yeah!

Voice Three

Hey, wait a minute, you two! What is all this? What’s going on here, anyway?

Voice One

I was complaining about the lack of respect atheists get in Unitarian Universalist churches these days.

Voice Two
I was complaining about the lack of respect Christians get in Unitarian Universalist churches these days.

Voice Three

Good grief! I’ll bet that you aren’t all that different in your beliefs. For example [turning Voice One], when you say you don’t believe in God, what do you mean when you say the word “God”?

Voice One

Well — ummm — you know, that notion people have of God. Some guy with a long white beard, sitting up in the sky somewhere. Like you see in those paintings done by Michelangelo. This all-powerful dude who runs humankind.

Voice Three

[to Voice Two] Is that how you think of God?

Voice Two

Please! I’m a little more spohisticated than that.

Voice Three

And how would you define an atheist?

Voice Two

Wellll — an atheist — really it’s someone who wants to get rid of all the poetry and metaphor and symbolism of religion. They just want to turn worship services into a series of college lecture classes on comparative religion.

Voice Three

[turning to Voice One] Is that how you think of atheism?

Voice One

No, no! My atheism is very poetic — I read the stories of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, and I love the poetry of Margaret Atwood. Atheism can be very poetic.

Voice Two

You like Margaret Atwood? I love her poems! But that’s the same reason I read the Bible — it’s like this huge anthology of poetry, and poetic prose, dealing with the high and low points of human experience.

Voice One

I have to admit — I do like the book of Ecclesiastes. “Vanity, vanity, said the prophet, all is vanity.” Very poetic, very existentialist, if you ask me. So — you see God as a kind of metaphor?

Voice Two

I guess I’d say God has more force of reality than that — but — yes you’re right, in the sense that God is a poetic understanding of the world. And I’m with you when you say you don’t believe God is some white guy with a beard wearing a bathrobe up in the sky! We may not agree, exactly, but I guess we have some common ground….

Voice Three

Do the two of you have to agree completely? After all, we Unitarian Universalists are a non-creedal religion, so we explicitly agree that we don’t have to agree on everything. Aren’t we all about having tolerance for each other’s point of view?

Voice One

Mmm — if you put it that way — I have to say you’re right.

Voice Two

Mmm — now that you say it like that — yes, I suppose you are right.

Voice One

As long as we don’t have to hear the word “God” in worship services.

Voice Two

Now wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute here, buster!

Voice Three

[throws up hands in dismay] Here we go again! You know, when the two of you get into these arguments, I feel like I’m caught in the middle. Not only that, the whole God argument doesn’t interest me much one way or the other — it just seems so old school. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just the two of you having these violent arguments.

Voice One

[in a hurt voice] They’re not violent arguments, they’re healthy discussions.

Voice Three

They sound pretty violent to me.

Voice Two

[in a hurt voice] “Old school”? What do you mean, “old school”?

Voice Three

You know — quaint, even cute, but out-dated. Something from another generation.

Voice One

Outdated! But don’t you see? We have to have this kind of argument to keep from sinking into having a creed.

Voice Two

It’s true. I hate to admit it, but every time I start getting a little complacent about my belief in God, those atheists come at me and I have to rethink everything. Keeps me on my toes.

Voice One

And I hate to admit it, but every time I start feeling that atheism is so obvious, the whole world should believe exactly the way I believe, the theists challenge me and I have to rethink everything. Keeps me on my toes.

Voice Two

It’s like the old joke — the Unitarian Universalist dies and winds up on the road to heaven, when she sees a sign post at a fork in the road. One sign points to the left, and says “This way to Heaven.” The second sign points to the right, and says “Discussion group about Heaven.” Needless to say she goes to the right. That’s what I’d do!

Voice One

If you believed in heaven. As for me, I’m convinced that heaven is actually an eternal discussion group.

Voice Three

I’m not sure I’ll ever understand the two of you — [impulsively] but I’m glad we’re all in the same church together.

This worship service was conducted at First Church, Unitarian, in Athol, Mass. The sermon itself was extemporaneous, and the readings and introduction exist in manuscript form only. I do plan to convert the readings and introduction to electronic form Real Soon Now.