GOD - Dec 2011
You might not like to be reminded of last summer’s Washington Post article about Unitarian Universalism, the one that gave all of us much pause ("Grappling with the G-word").
It was published on Saturday, July 9, 2011 just after our annual General Assembly in Charlotte, NC. We were painted as too fearful of “god talk” to grow.
Yes, for years UU’s have struggled with how to talk about god, mostly because so many of us came from theistic faiths that very uncomfortable for them. I’ve been told that in some UU churches god was not allowed even in the pews -- never mind the pulpit (despite our claim to freedom of both!)
I wish the reporter, Daniel Burke, had spoken to me, though, because in my 15 years of ministry, no one has ever criticized me for talking about god, whether from the pulpit or person to person.
And I wish the reporter had been at MVUC this December, when god was talked about in the pulpit, pews, dinner tables and committee meetings. The talk was good, rich and from what I hear totally safe. I’ve heard from a lot of you that you’ve really enjoyed being able to hear about concepts of god and to talk about your beliefs.
I’m hoping our atheist and non-theist members have also enjoyed the conversations, offering their perspectives. It is, after all, about perspectives. Each of us brings our perspective based upon life experience. Being respectful of that variation is what our principles are all about. So, why shouldn’t we talk about god while respecting each other’s journey as valuable? We can, we will, and we must. Because -- if the reporter’s story was correct -- Unitarian Universalism may not grow if we don’t.
In faith, Kate Walker
Yes, for years UU’s have struggled with how to talk about god, mostly because so many of us came from theistic faiths that very uncomfortable for them. I’ve been told that in some UU churches god was not allowed even in the pews -- never mind the pulpit (despite our claim to freedom of both!)
I wish the reporter, Daniel Burke, had spoken to me, though, because in my 15 years of ministry, no one has ever criticized me for talking about god, whether from the pulpit or person to person.
And I wish the reporter had been at MVUC this December, when god was talked about in the pulpit, pews, dinner tables and committee meetings. The talk was good, rich and from what I hear totally safe. I’ve heard from a lot of you that you’ve really enjoyed being able to hear about concepts of god and to talk about your beliefs.
I’m hoping our atheist and non-theist members have also enjoyed the conversations, offering their perspectives. It is, after all, about perspectives. Each of us brings our perspective based upon life experience. Being respectful of that variation is what our principles are all about. So, why shouldn’t we talk about god while respecting each other’s journey as valuable? We can, we will, and we must. Because -- if the reporter’s story was correct -- Unitarian Universalism may not grow if we don’t.
In faith, Kate Walker
