Monday, April 14, 2008

To answer CV's question

I do think that there are fervent UUers. I am still working this out, on paper, but i suspect that, much like Judaism, UU is a "religion"primarily of practice, or praxis- if you want to get academic about it.

So in both, and there is scholarly research to support this grouping of the two together, the emphasis is on doing Right (v. believing the right thing: doctrine).

of course, Judaism is monotheistic and dogmatic in ways that would make UUers sick.

Still, UUers live by 7 principles and the first is that all beings have worth and should be respected. I feel sure that no UUer worth any salt would convert to a hateful regime.

IN the research i did after i posted, I read that UUers are practicers of a Different Religiosity. They are quite different from traditional religions. For example, UUers as a set value spiritual growth highly, but value "Salvation" so lowly that it almost qualifies as a disvalue.

not your mama's Faithful, now, huh?!

Did i mention i love this stuff?

9 comments:

R said...

thanks for continuing to post this stuff . . .
so interesting.
the salvation aspect interests me - - i love the story of redemption, but i find myself really disliking the great commission side of salvation.
fascinating stuff.

Unknown said...

Fascinating.

I haven't heard anyone use the word Religiosity since my Mental Health Professional days....

I love that word....

Religiosity.

Thanks so much!

Sandra said...

To be honest, this post and the last make my head spin! I agree with so much of the philosophy of the UUers, but have my doubts too. It's one of those "sounds too good to be true" sort of things.
One of the families we met while going through the process of adopting Erin were UUers. They were not the generous kind people one might imagine. Their religions and political views were very narrow. Basically, if you didn't agree with their "everything is okay" philosophy, you were wrong. I guess this sort of thing happens in all church groups.
Of course, I am sure there are genuine people who attend UU and I would probably love them. I would like to attend a UU service just to see what it's like.

R said...

i worried about that too, Sandra. can open ended thinking be dogmatic?

Sandra said...

Becky, and so the circle of thought continues. Part of me says yes, part of me says no. If you truly can believe that everyone has a piece of the truth what do you do with the truths you simply don't want to accept? Do you just go on letting someone else accept them and let that be okay for them?
My friend Nicky often tells me that my right can not make another persons right wrong and their right can't make my right wrong. If this is true then everyone is always right and no one is ever wrong. UU seems like this to me, and I just can't wrap my brain around that idea no matter how hard I try.
Who gets to decide which part of what religion is the truth and which part is not? Is it an individual choice or a group decision?
Now my head hurts! :)

Unknown said...

I have to come back to the core principle of balance.

I think in everything, even in an 'open minded' religion like UUism, people can become unbalanced.

There are people who just by there very nature cannot be balanced in their lives. Extremes are what they understand and how they function.

Kristen said...

I have nothing to add right now (too tired), but I love that you guys are discussing this stuff and I get to "listen in."

Lizzie W. said...

Aimee misses Judah. When you are finished with all the end of semester craziness, you need to come over for breakfast. Maybe we can go to the zoo or something.

R said...

Yea! you're done. Right? Here's hoping you had a huge catharsis when you turn it in

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