Unitarian Universalist Meeting of South Berkshire

 

 

June 20, 2004

  

 

“Unitarian Universalism:  Friends at the Welcome Table”

 

 

Rev. Kathy Duhon

 

 

            About 10 years ago some Unitarian Universalist youth applied to work in a Methodist volunteer work program to repair homes for people in need in the Appalachians.  They had to fill out a theological questionnaire to be admitted to the program.  The first question was, “How will the plumb line of Jesus’ teachings align or possibly realign your group’s service with [this project]?”

            Their answer helps to demonstrate who we are as Unitarian Universalists.  The students wrote, “We accept Jesus Christ’s teachings of service and love, while recognizing that individuals may have a distinct and parallel plumb line to Jesus’ teachings.  The plumb line works through the force of gravity, a natural force in the Universe; so must what guides our lives be congruent with the forces of the Universe.”  The students were accepted into the program.  These UU youth demonstrated that they were both inclusive and truth-telling, respecting the Methodist Church and the larger truth.

Some of them were probably Christians, some from Jewish backgrounds, some might have tried a meditation practice or found Earth-centered spirituality meaningful, and some probably thought of themselves as atheists.  They were all Unitarian Universalists, and actually, they were likely good representatives of the religious life of modern American society.  It has been said that if today you wanted to invent the perfect religion for our pluralistic, free society, it would be Unitarian Universalism, although our religious roots are really centuries old.  I’ll say something about our history in a little bit.

            Unitarian Universalism is wide open, and intimately personal; simple, but hard to define.  Lately, some of us have been trying to write elevator speeches -- what we’d say about our religion if we had to do it in a few minutes, as the elevator we’re sharing with a religiously inquisitive stranger travels to the lobby.  We do this exercise partly because we break the mold as a religion and so we’re hard to define, and partly because most of us would rather spend hours, if not years, trying to explain all the marvelous aspects of Unitarian Universalism.  We are passionate about this religion.  That’s not a bad thing, but newcomers tend to want a quicker answer. 

I have many elevator speeches.  Here’s a short one, some version of which I might say to a stranger, but usually I would manage to make them hang on for much longer.  “Unitarian Universalists believe in covenanting together to affirm and promote universal values such as acceptance, compassion, justice, and peace.  We try to live our principles in all our relationships, from the personal to the interdependent web of all existence.  Ours is a living, interfaith tradition which draws on many sources of belief and spiritual practice, inviting all to seek their own path together in beloved community.”

I rarely get to give such a short explanation, however, because people ask questions.  “Are you a Christian religion?”  We came out of two Christian religions, the Unitarians and the Universalists, and some of us are Christian, but we are not a Christian religion, more of an interfaith one.  “Do you believe in God?”  We believe that the concept of God is too small to be held captive by ours or any religion, which means that we have many, widely varying beliefs about God among us, including disbelief.  “What do you believe in?”  Our beliefs are open and hard to fit into small categories.  We believe in love, freedom, reason, acceptance, truth, justice, seeking, questioning, choosing, ethics, ongoing revelation, the unity of experience, the worth and dignity of all, the democratic process, peace, the importance of religious community, and more.  “How do you all manage to worship together?”  It’s a miracle of the spirit.  We search for the universals, for the common wisdom, and we challenge ourselves to live in right relationship and to create a better world.  So despite our many differences, we share a great deal in common.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how to describe Unitarian Universalism in ways that are less explanatory and just as true.  “We are a joyful, loving community” – that pretty much says it all.  Another one:  “Whenever we’re together it feels just like a banquet is being served.”  Of course, we are also doing the serving.  And that feels good. 

The third description I want to leave you with is “We are friends at the welcome table.”  From the first time you step through the door here, you are our friend.  You are fully welcome, all of who you are is welcome here, and that is a great blessing.   

Our religion encourages us to live a life of integrity, of harmony.  Mahatma Gandhi said, “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.”  That must be why Unitarian Universalists are so happy.  The common saying is that becoming a Unitarian Universalist is like “coming home”; here is where you can truly be yourself.

Now I want to just give you a little slice of our history.  It’s hard to do so without bragging, really.  There are so many amazing Unitarians and Universalists that it’s tempting to just list a bunch of the ones who have been leaders in making our world a better place.  But we don’t mean to say that Unitarian Universalists are the best, although we tend to think we have found the best religion for us.  We also keep trying to make our religion better.  The spirit of openness to change, of questing for the truth, is central to our religious history.

During the Radical Reformation, a new version of Christianity appeared that was first called Unitarian in the 16^th century by Frances David.  He lived in Transylvania, a small country that is now Romania and Hungary.  Transylvania had the first and only Unitarian king, King John Sigismund, who was the first to proclaim an act of religious toleration.  In those days, you were usually compelled to follow the religion that your government chose, or else face the worst.

But in Transylvania, for a brief time, a light of reason and tolerance shone.  Back then people would debate for hours, days even.  Religious and political debate were big events, well-attended, and of great importance.  I cannot imagine thousands of people coming to hear the South Berkshire Clergy debate our differences over the course of a few days, but that’s what happened when 5 Unitarians, led by Frances David, debated six Calvinists, led by Bishop Peter Melius.  The debate was held at the palace, in Latin, and lasted 10 days! 

Now this was not just a debate for edification and entertainment, but rather had serious consequences for the country and for what religion would be favored by the government.  Melius told David, “If I win this debate, you will be executed.”  David replied, “If I win this debate, you and everyone else in this country will be given complete religious freedom and the tolerance due to every [one].”

David won the debate.  The King, who was not yet a Unitarian, chose him to be his court preacher and was impressed enough to sign the Act of Religious Tolerance and become a Unitarian.

The David/Melius debate is an extreme example of the difference between two types of religions that theologian Rosemary Radford Ruether points out are in the Bible and undoubtedly helps to define many kinds of religions.  One is a “sacred canopy” – all of the folks under the sacred canopy are accepted, saved, part of the divine order, they’re right, etc., while others are wrong, damned, not acceptable, not a member of the true religion, and, at various times in history, liable to be executed.  God is under the sacred canopy, and the devil is out there.  The other type of religion, according to Ruether, is “prophetic faith”, which is one way to look at Unitarian Universalism.  The prophetic faith questions the sacred canopy, believing it to be idolatrous, in other words, a way of worshipping a false understanding of God or the Holy, of wrongly thinking that you know the mind of God. 

One example recently of our prophetic faith has been our leadership in the area of rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender folks.  It was two Unitarian Universalists, Julie and Hillary Goodridge, who began the lawsuit which resulted in the legalization of same sex marriage about a month ago in Massachusetts.  I officiated at my first same sex wedding this past week, and I was so happy that we have been a leading religion in championing this precious cause.  And I am amazed and saddened that there are very few other ministers in South Berkshire who will do these weddings – not that they are against them personally, most of my colleagues – but because their religious governing bodies prohibit them, or their congregations oppose it.  We prophetically say to the world that everyone can come under the sacred canopy of the wedding, and we will be there to support their loving commitment.

Unitarian Universalists have long been accepting and inclusive.  Hosea Ballou, a Universalist in the early 19^th century, was debating with a Baptist about Universalism being an early part of Christianity.  He was quoting from the letters of Paul.  The Baptist said, “I suppose you think that Paul was the first Universalist.”  Ballou answered, “No, I think that Jesus was the first Universalist.”  I think Ballou was right, that Jesus was a Universalist who didn’t believe in damnation.  And I think Buddha was a Universalist, and Lao Tse and Confucious, and many others.  The great religious leaders were not trying to cut people out, but to welcome people into an understanding of the sacred unity of existence.  The great religious scriptures are always inviting us to be friends at the welcome table.

Now I want to tell you something a little bit surprising about Unitarian Universalism.  Most religions ask you to give up a little of yourself to be under their sacred canopy.  Maybe that can be a good thing.  If you dump the parts of you that no one wants around anyway – the obnoxious, greedy, mean side, then religion has done the world some good.  We don’t ask you to give up any of yourself.  Oh, you might give up the same sort of icky things as folks do in other religions.  You might sacrifice your pride, give up an addiction, surrender to the Compassionate One, lessen your attachment, become less materialistic.  You’ll probably find that when you are on this journey your life is transformed for the better in some way.  The difference is that you choose to do so, and are not asked to by Unitarian Universalism. 

This becomes crucial in cases where religions ask you to give up something of yourself that you should not give up:  a little of your reasoning, some of your passion for justice, your sexuality, or maybe even your integrity.  We don’t ask you to give up even a little of yourself, but rather ask you to be fully yourself, to be mindful and wake up, as the Buddha said; to be present and loving, as Jesus taught.  You are invited to be here with us, friends at the welcome table.  Blessed Be.