Sometimes, Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship members discuss whether science and spirituality complement or contradict each other. They explore where hope, love, and human values fit into a universe of quarks and quasars. In a world seemingly governed by relentless physical laws, how does science co-exist with religion? Rev. Gary Kowalski, minister of the Unitarian Universalist … Continue reading UUs and Science [#71]
Members of the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship affirm everyone’s “free and responsible search for meaning.” In other words, they don’t expect each other to proclaim a common creed. They are not required to accept any theological position as true unless it resonates for them within their own soul. But that doesn’t mean they lack beliefs. … Continue reading SUUF and Beliefs [#70]
A pot-luck meal can surpass one with a predetermined menu because a group of creative people often bring a delicious variety of contributions. What do people bring to the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship’s pot-luck? Some bring their attitude of gratitude–they want to express their thankfulness for the good that has come into their life. Some bring … Continue reading SUUF as a Potluck Community [#69]
We’re all growing older. For some, aging evokes fear—often about declining mental and physical abilities and diminished self-worth. However, 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 … Continue reading SUUF and Aging [#68]
Many congregants in the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship draw deeply on two (or more) spiritual traditions. They “hyphenate” their religious identity. For example, SUUF has quite a few UU-Buddhists. Some of them brought Buddhist practices into their Unitarian Universalist faith journey, and others expanded their engagement with Buddhism to include participation in SUUF, where their … Continue reading Hyphenated SUUFers [#67]
At the core of the Unitarian Universalist path is the celebration and presence of love. For them, love isn’t an abstraction or platitude, but their primary way of saying thank you for the wondrous gift of abundant life. They view their purpose on earth as not only to praise love, but to embody and practice it. … Continue reading SUUF and Love [#66]
Unitarian Universalists seek to be whole human beings, which includes being sensitive to the sacred. They do this simply–believing that holiness can be present in ordinary, everyday life situations. They also recognize that people hunger for a special time and place where minds are stimulated, hearts are opened, bodies are embraced, and spirits are uplifted—at their weekly service and … Continue reading Holiness at SUUF [#65]
Unitarian Universalists often say theirs is a religion of deeds more than creeds. Or, as Albert Schweitzer said, “My life is my argument.” To acknowledge the wondrous, bestowed gift of being alive, UUs respond with overflowing gratitude and compassionate service. They live as religious beings not so much when or where they worship as the situations in … Continue reading Unitarians and Service [#64]
Unitarian Universalism differs from mainline faiths primarily by recognizing that truth is multi-faceted and elusive. UUs affirm that we all learn many different partial truths in our life, but believe that “the whole truth” is inaccessible to human grasp. They accept that we earthlings are saddled with imperfect vision and incomplete knowledge. They offer no required pathway to God or enlightenment. Instead, they affirm the numerous worthy … Continue reading On Religious Truth [#63]
We play favorites from the moment we emerge from the womb. As babies, we establish primary connections with those nearest and dearest to us, and we’re uneasy with strangers. As we mature, our challenge is to outgrow the mindset of estrangement. People differ, so we thrive when we’re curious about them, get to know them, … Continue reading On Prejudice [#62]
