Members of the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship hold a variety of beliefs.  Some are Humanists.

Their take on religion is grounded in what’s natural, not supernatural.  They emphasize the potential of human beings, rather than relying on God. They consider social responsibility more important than personal piety.  They value the guidance of reason and the results of science, and they try to avoid idolatries of the mind and spirit.

Some are atheists, but others believe that the existence or nonexistence of a God matters less than what we each do every day to support each other and the well-being of our planet. They focus on how ethically they live; they wonder and rejoice in the natural world; and they believe in humans’ capacity to dismantle injustice and care for one another.

As UU Rev. Ginger Luke once said, “When I look at a sleeping baby or the wrinkled, arthritic hands of my mother; when I listen to Kiri te Kanawa sing; and when my eleven-year-old grandson gives me a hug and says, “I love you, Grammie,” I am stopped in my tracks at the wonder of life.  I pause with great awe, and I am filled with gratitude.”

UU Rev. Kaaren Anderson also finds transcendence in human relationships.”  She acknowledges that “Sure, people have let me down many times.  But they also have repeatedly saved me from a selfish me-ism that diminished my well-being. They’ve loved me so fiercely that I was brought back from despair, loneliness, and isolation. They’ve cajoled me into my better self and challenged me to aspire to possibilities that I feared were beyond me. They saw capacities in me that I couldn’t see in myself. Their Humanism now has transcended my intellect, buried itself deep inside me, and continues to inspire and heal me daily.”

June 21, 2024