Oy vey, you're a what?

Edited on 4/5/05 if interested, please contact me for the full post.

I have been accepted to attend the Claremont College, School of Theology beginning this fall. (With a scholarship nonetheless!)

I have told some of you of this new direction in my life and others I haven’t, but as of now I am “coming out the closet” yes. . . I am a Unitarian Universalist. I have found religion, well religion such as it is. I still believe that religion as it is practiced today is the cause of many evils, and I think of myself more of a humanist so mom, don’t worry, your little Jewish boy hasn’t really switched teams. To paraphrase Will Rogers, I am not a member of an organized religion, I am a Unitarian. If you read on you you will read the principles of the Unitarian Universalist Faith. These are things that I feel are important beliefs, especially in today’s world.

The primary reason for this new direction in life couldn’t be summed up any better than this quote from the story, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, “The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart.” This is my place for change now. This is how I intend to do my best to leave my mark on this world.

The day after the election I wrote the following paragraph. This is my next step in my personal pledge to take action to do what I can to affect change.

“Today I say that there needs to be a new vision for America and it can't be the same retread of 20th century democratic thought. It has to be a vision, a cause, a movement that connects real meaning and hope for our world's future, to the millions of voters who could have made a different choice if given the proper motivation. I am not sure today what all this will look like, but I will work the best I can to find it and to tell others when I see it. Yes today I make that pledge and I ask that you do too. We need to move past our history and into the future, it won't be easy, but to me it is the only choice we have.”

Unitarian Universalist Association Principles and Purposes
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
• Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
• Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.

As a marketing person I struggle, as I believe others do, to have an “elevator pitch” for the question “What is a UU?” I have just begun my education on this subject but for now I would say – Unitarian Universalism is a multicultural and multidenominational spiritual community coming together for common purpose.