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Copyright 2005 Rev. Amy B. Freedman Confessing
Your Faith A few weeks ago, I spent the afternoon with our Coming of Age class and their mentors. The kids are beginning to write their credo statements. So I offered some exercises and questions to guide the process of defining their beliefs. This is an important step in becoming an adult member of this religious community, being able to articulate your personal faith. Toward the end of our session, I asked the group if they had any questions about ministry or Unitarian Universalism. One question was "Given that we have such an inclusive faith, why is Unitarian Universalism so small?" That is a very good question! According to the UU Association, there are currently 152,000 Unitarian Universalists, which is 2287 more adult members than the previous year or 1.5% growth nationally. As many mainline denominations are currently in decline, this is good news. However, the statistics are not so rosy considering there is the same number of Unitarian Universalists today as there was at merger over forty years ago! The population of the United States has grown fifty times since then so although it appears our Association is holding steady, actually in order to have the same percentage of Unitarian Universalists in the US population as we did in the sixties, would actually call for 75,000 more members. So, getting back to that burning question, "Given that we have such an inclusive faith, why is Unitarian Universalism so small?" Unitarian Universalism has remained small because although we are a liberal religion, we have not been liberal in sharing our faith. We have not let our light shine! We have not been generous about sharing our religion with other people. Why are UU's reserved about sharing? Part of it comes from experiences in other religious traditions. Many Unitarian Universalists have come out of different denominations and feel bruised from rigid doctrines that did not fit for them. Some people have wounds that have not completely healed from being told they'd suffer eternal damnation if they did not follow a certain path. However, what surprised me is that even our Coming of Age kids who grew-up Unitarian Universalist, as I did, quickly balked that they did not want to "shove anything down anyone's throat". There is a middle ground between proselytizing and not telling anyone about your religion. I am not suggesting that being a Unitarian Universalist is the one true path and our mission is to convert others from their errant ways. What I am suggesting is that there are many people who would benefit from knowing that a religious community like ours exists and if you do not tell them, they may never find out! There are too many people who find our church purely by chance. Newcomers often exclaim, "I have been a Unitarian Universalist all my life. I just didn't know that anyone else thought like me! I had no idea about this religion." Our deep conviction in the individual conscience is one
of the factors that has kept us from letting our light shine. As members
of a non-creedal religion, we believe each person has the right to think
independently. This is one of the great strengths of our liberal religious
movement that has given rise to many great thinkers, leaders, artists,
teachers, and activists. However, our staunch individualism is one of
the reasons that we have remained small. The focus this morning is on letting our light shine. How can we be more generous in sharing our church, religion, and values with others? Each Sunday we have guests and newcomers worshipping with us, I hope that you will use this as an opportunity to reflect on how you choose to share your values and community with others. This may also be an education as to why it took you so long to find Unitarian Universalism and why it never actively found you. So this morning we have the Top Ten Excuses for not admitting you're a Unitarian Universalist:
As I am sure you realize, that joke along with our Top Ten List are very poor excuses for not sharing our religion. Despite our fears, insecurities, and beliefs that other people will not care or might not understand, our message of love and acceptance is worthy of being shared with other people. In fact, there are many people who would love to be a part of this church, if they had any idea of what we are about. We do not need to knock on doors to let our light shine in the world. However, we do need to be more confident and generous in talking about the significance of Unitarian Universalism in our own lives and in the world at large. A few years ago, I taught a class here called "Articulating Your UU Faith". The five sessions were designed for people to explore what held them back from sharing their religion openly and gave us an opportunity to practice talking about Unitarian Universalism. Sometimes the memory of one awkward conversation is enough to make someone decide to never try again. I am here to tell you that if you truly believe in the power of individual conscience, then you are doing others a disservice in not letting them know. Spirituality and religion are becoming more common areas of conversation these days. People are actively searching for ways to live meaningful lives in a society that is spinning them out of balance. So, often times you do not need to knock on doors, the door of opportunity will open for you. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Peter and I are going to act out a scenario for you. Imagine we are co-workers on a coffee break. Role Play: Opportunity Knocks Peter: Hi, Mary. How are you? Amy: Oh, hello, Bob. I've been better. P: What's going on? A: Well, you know my sister's getting married. P: You don't like the guy? A: (laugh) No, that's not it! He's great. I'm really happy for them. But she asked me to help her find a church. She's always dreamed of a church wedding and I started calling around and they won't marry non-members. Her fiancé's Catholic family expects a full Mass but our family is definitely not Catholic. Anyway, she might have to get a Justice of the Peace but she really wants something more spiritual. I'm not looking forward to telling her. P: Have you called my church? A: You go to church? P: Yes, in fact I've been a member of Channing for many years. A: Channing? What kind of church is that? P: UU A: (pointing at him) You? You? P: I'm sorry, Unitarian Universalist. A: Is that one of those Unity non-denominational
churches? A: Really! Then why have I never heard of it? P: Well, I'm sure that you have heard of Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross. She was a Universalist. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau were both Unitarians. A: Really! I love Emerson and Thoreau. I've read "Walden" many times, I didn't know he was a . . . Unitarian. What does a Unitarian believe? P: Well, we are a non-creedal religion. There is no strict doctrine that everyone has to follow. Churches do not have beliefs, people do. A: So, you can believe whatever you want? P: Not exactly. There are people in the congregation who are Christian, some are Jewish, some practice Buddhist meditation. For some, the cycles of nature are most important and they find inspiration from science or earth-based spirituality. A: How can people with different beliefs belong to the same church? P: Even though we have a wide variety of personal beliefs, we feel that life itself is a spiritual journey. Our lives are strengthened by being in community, supporting one another, and sharing our experiences. A: Wow! That's really interesting. I'll definitely call Channing for my sister. P: (Aside) The conversation could stop here
but let's keep going… A: I don't know. I'm not really an organized religion kind of person. P: What is it about organized religion that you don't like? A: Well, as you know, my brother is gay and the church has not exactly been accepting of him. I have problem with that! P: I have a problem with that too! Unitarian Universalism has been committed to gay rights since the 1970's. We've had openly gay ministers since then. In fact, the President of the UU Association was the one who married the first gay couple in Massachusetts. A: I had no idea. Huh. If I was to go to church, that's the kind of church I'd like to be a part of. I can't go this Sunday. What time are the Masses? P: Our services are at 10 am year around. Channing Church is right across the street from the Old Stone Mill. You're welcome anytime or let me know and we can go together. A: Thanks, Bob. I'm going to find out more about this. P: Good luck with the wedding planning!
You may be thinking what if I start talking about my church and they're Catholic? Or Episcopalian? Or Jewish? What would a Muslim think if I shared about Unitarian Universalism? Remember you are not out to convert anyone, you are simply being honest and open about who you are and something that is important to you. In the end, both of you may have a meaningful exchange of ideas. Then when you pass by their house of worship and they pass by a UU church, both of you will have greater understanding. Imagine if you had discovered the cure for cancer. Not only that, imagine that the cure could be made from spices that the average American has in their home! You wouldn't wait for someone to ask you directly about it. You would tell everyone who crossed your path in case they needed the cure or knew of anyone who might. I believe that our message is just as urgent and as desperately needed. There are too many people in our surrounding area who are longing for what we have to offer. As Unitarian Universalists, we have a life-saving message of love and acceptance. Many people think that religion is about guilt and shame. We welcome people as they are flawed human beings with doubts, anxieties, questions, and deeply held convictions to come as they are into a supportive community working together to make the world a better place. There are many people of different religions with whom we hold values in common. Until we open up about our values, we will not be able to partner with them in the transformation of this community into a place where all people have equal access to education, jobs, food, clean water, health care, housing, and justice prevails. This is why I suggest that you take one step further in not only responding when opportunity knocks but actually confessing your faith. Do you need to come clean? Is there anyone in your life who has no idea that you are a Unitarian Universalist? Instead of waiting for them to ask you about it or for the door of opportunity to open, consider confessing your faith! So, let's return to the work place of Mary and Bob. What if Mary's sister had not gotten engaged? Would she have never found out that Bob was an active member of Channing Church? What if after attending today's service, Bob decided to come clean? Role Play: Confessing Your Faith (Peter from the lectern)
Our world is in need of our message of love and acceptance.
It is up to each one of us. We can keep our treasure hidden or we can
let it shine beckoning others to join us. The vitality of our movement
depends on our generosity of spirit. Religion is becoming common in public
discourse. Instead of claiming defeat, let us proclaim the way of love
and the ongoing search for truth. Instead of remaining silent, let us
look always for the door of opportunity and confess our faith openly with
a spirit of love. |