The New York Times publishes a weekly advice column in which their Ethicist (Kwame Anthony Appiah, author, philosopher, and New York University Professor of Philosophy and Law) responds to moral dilemmas described in readers’ letters. The headline for his column this week reads, “Can I Go to Church When I Don’t Believe?” The query begins, “I grew up in … Continue reading UU Beliefs and Service Attendance (#132)
Unitarians are known for having open minds and open hearts. Members of the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship are welcome, for example, to hold whatever opinion they arrive at regarding the existence of a god and what they prefer to call that god. And they can change their opinion over time. They are encouraged to follow … Continue reading UUs Have No Taboo Opinions (#131)
Unitarian Universalism has always been multi-racial. UU theology aims to be both liberating and inclusive, to free people from constricting dogma and to welcome everyone just as they are. Yet believing in diversity is not enough. Like their wider society, most UU congregations have practices that privilege the norms of white culture. Many people from … Continue reading UUs Move Beyond Diversity (#130)
Worship at the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship encourages and enables congregants to fit their lives into a larger whole. They grow by engaging with what is greater, wiser, and more compassionate than their individual selves. Worship elements often vary, but a constant theme is relationship. The Sunday service connect congregants to their faith, their values, … Continue reading How UUs Worship (#129)
We’re all growing older. No one is exempt from aging. Therefore, the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people, at all ages, and views the last years of our lives as every bit as important as the first years. For UUs, wisdom development continues as long as we live. We are … Continue reading UUs and Aging (#128)
The central spiritual value of Unitarian Universalism is Love. UUs believe Love holds us together and should be the common ground for conducting our lives. This perspective emerges from two great heresies that distinguished Universalists and Unitarians from (and often caused them to be ostracized by) most 19th century New England congregations. The Universalists’ heresy was … Continue reading UUs Worship Love (#127)
What beliefs do all Unitarians hold? None. Instead, Unitarians affirm every individual’s right to search freely for their own truth and meaning. This lack of an imposed, predetermined doctrine reflects UU’s nature as an “orthopraxy.” An orthopraxy is a faith community that affirms peoples’ ability to develop wisdom based upon their own personal experiences involving … Continue reading UU Is an Orthopraxy (#126)
Many people these days are frustrated about the contentious, divisive nature of civic discourse, especially what they saw and heard during this past election year. They are fearful about what the future might bring. However, they’d rather not spend their time endlessly doom scrolling online sources of news. They prefer to channel their concerns about … Continue reading How UUs Channel Their Civic Energy (#125)
You’re invited to celebrate a new Unitarian Universalist holiday—Chalica, which runs from Monday to Sunday of a week in December and focuses on a different Unitarian Universalist Principle each day. A chalice is lit each evening, and gifts can be given and received. Gifts may be made, bought, verbal, written, or acts of compassion. Here are some … Continue reading UUs Celebrate Chalica (#124)
In 1961, two denominations, Unitarians and Universalists, merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (SUUF) is the local affiliate of this international organization. Overall, UUA’s numbers are relatively small, but its members have made outsized contributions to our world. Below is a list of 40–affiliated with one branch, the … Continue reading Renowned UUs You May Know (#123)
