Liberal heretics

The header on the press release announcing this week’s opening of a new building complex in Reno said “liberal church dedication.”

Liberal church? What does that mean? Who wants to be called a liberal nowadays? And never mind the word liberal—I’m not even sure I like the place I go to on Sundays called a “church” with those connotations of God and scripture and all. Shouldn’t we discuss this?

Often heated, seemingly pointless, it is this kind of debate over semantics—and by extension the underlying beliefs—that makes Unitarian Universalism a great place for seekers like me.

UUs (our awkward acronym) are teased incessantly about our capacity for debate: How many UUs does it take to change a light bulb? Nine: three on the committee FOR change, three on the committee AGAINST change, two abstentions and a secretary.

And it’s true. From the national level on down, there’s a committee for just about everything. Why? If you take a look at our “principles and purposes,” you’ll see that while we may not agree on the existence of The God, or any god, we do agree that all opinions and issues are fundamentally worthy of being heard. This makes for some long meetings, and that pesky democratic process can be time-consuming.

“But what do you believe?” is the most-asked question of a Unitarian Universalist. I’ve been guilty of the flippant answer: “Anything, everything and nothing!” (Another typical joke: What do you get when you cross a Unitarian Universalist with a Jehovah’s Witness? Someone who goes knocking on doors for no apparent reason.)

A more thoughtful response comes from the Rev. Catherine Linesch, extension minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Nevada, the aforementioned “liberal church” that dedicated its new building on March 3.

“You can’t do it in one sentence,” she began. “We believe that all should be free in their religious search; that tolerance of others’ beliefs goes hand in hand with free inquiry; that reason is a useful tool in finding understanding. [And we believe] in a profound unity at the heart of creation, known by many as love.”

Finding my religion
Before attending UUFNN, I had heard of Unitarians, associating them with a non-traditional sort of religion where people (like my parents) went to get married or take their kids to Sunday school if they didn’t have a church of their own.

When my parents introduced me to UU in December 1993, I wasn’t looking for religion—which is a good thing, since that’s not what I was offered on my first visit anyway. The service consisted of a reading of Truman Capote’s short story, “A Christmas Memory.” It told of childhood and age, friendship, loneliness and love, and it was probably the most moving experience I had ever had in a religious setting. If there was a dry eye anywhere in the house, I couldn’t find it. Spirituality and community, it was clear, can come from many unexpected sources.

Returning in subsequent weeks, I kept discovering that the individuals conducting these services were also amazing people in their day jobs: university professors, community activists, insurance agents, accountants, teachers, lawyers—intellectually stimulating folks sharing their own searches for truth and meaning without insisting that I follow the same path.

It was also a place where passions for social justice were openly discussed and acted upon. During my first years as a member, members educated themselves on how to become more inclusive toward bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people, leading to our official designation as a “welcoming congregation.” We explore world religions, regional politics, local justice organizations and personal theologies through children’s and adult-education classes and Sunday-morning forums, with the goal of creating a world of peace, liberty and justice for all.

A bunch of heretics
Social-justice work doesn’t set us apart as a liberal spiritual community, however. Religions and atheists all over the world dedicate themselves to making the world a better place. So what’s “sexy” about Unitarian Universalism? I asked Rev. Linesch what makes us different.

Separately, both Unitarian and Universalist beliefs date back to early Christianity. “Unitarian” refers to the conviction that God is one rather than a trinity of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. This later encompassed the idea that there is unity throughout all creation. Universalism grew out of a belief in “universal salvation"—that God is loving and not punishing, and therefore there is no Hell—which eventually extended to the understanding that there is wisdom in all spiritual traditions. Later philosophies were influenced by the transcendental and humanist movements of the 19th and 20th centuries.

It’s easy to see why a myriad of Christian groups would consider these churches sacrilegious. They were always rocking the boat. It was this thought that inspired Rev. Linesch to come running back after our brief history lesson exclaiming, “I know what’s ‘sexy’ about us! We’ve pushed the envelope. We’ve always been heretics!”

For practical and philosophical reasons, Unitarians and Universalists in the United States merged in 1961. Although we’re rarely considered heretical nowadays, it’s still no wonder people have a hard time figuring us out. You can find, affiliated with the umbrella Unitarian Universalist Association, a sub-group for just about anyone: CUUPS (UU Pagan), LUUNA (Latino), UUJA (Jewish) … and yes, even Christian, all united under seven Principles and Purposes and learning from one another.

To me, that’s what’s sexy about UU. It’s the chance to assemble my own theology from insights provided by world faiths and by next-door neighbors, in a place where everyone is free to offer our own sermons and creative approaches to the spiritual journey.

If this is what “liberal” means, then I’m all for it. But that word “church” may still have to go. Principles and purposes that Unitarian Universalists believe in:

· 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.