we went to "church" yesterday

Dyslexia, I accept that you aren't Christian... as in church going-- but christian can also mean Christ-like (even though these meanings often contradict.)

You are a socialist leaning anarchist with a strong sense of right and wrong, a basic distrust of authority and a hatred of hypocrisy.

You may be the most christian person here.

kate4christ03 wrote:

We are a multi-faith group. As of 2006-JAN, we consist of one Atheist, Agnostic, Christian, Wiccan and Zen Buddhist. Thus, the OCRT staff lack agreement on almost all theological matters: belief in a supreme being, the nature of God, interpretation of the Bible and other holy texts, whether life after death exists and what form it takes, etc.(WWW.religioustolerance.org)
FROM THE UU CHURCH......THEY ARE AN INCLUSIVE GROUP OF ABOUT EVERY RELIGION OUT THERE........

Which therefore means that "real life" is incorrect to state that no UUA member is a christian.

real life, there are few UUs who consider themselves Christian. While there are a few UU Christian Fellowship churches, they represents a very small portion of American UUs. The sources of the UU Principles include Judeo-Christian, Buddhist and other eastern tradition, earth-centric, and humanist traditions.

You don't need that much creed. How about Peyote Way Church and Spiritual Retreat?

The lady Diane suggested that we need to expand our social horizons so yesterday we went to a Unitarian/Universialist "church." What a crock that was;
"let's all hold hands while we sing hymn 157"
I was very polite and did not bold out the door until the "service" was finished but we will not be going back.

Gulf Coast resurrection

The Rev. Tyrone Edwards stole the show in Friday evening's "prime time" plenary session about Hurricane Katrina and UU responses to it. He joined Courter, Sinkford, Charlie Clements, president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and ten others in a presentation about the hurricane's destruction, the inequities and moral challenges it brought into clear view, and the work of Unitarian Universalist volunteers and donors to the joint UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund, which has raised more than $3.5 million to help Katrina's victims.

Edwards is founder of a cooperative affiliated with Zion Travelers Baptist Church in Phoenix, a rural Louisiana community flattened by Katrina. The government did not help, he said, but the community came together to rebuild.

"And then we met a young lady," he said, "who was to us the Mother Teresa of the Unitarian Universalists. Her name is Martha Thompson [of the UUSC]. She came to our community, and she met with me and talked about our problem and she understood. And a month later $81,000 came our way." Edwards thanked the Assembly and explained that the grant had been used to buy lumber and other materials to restore the homes of ten families.

"And I didn't know what a Unitarian Universalist was," Edwards said, to much amusement. "Some of my Baptist brothers told me, ?'You better not mess with those people!' But I reminded them of a story in the Bible?-a man was blind and Jesus healed. And they began to attack Jesus, and that man told them, ?'I don't know what you know about him, but I was blind but now I see.'

"So now I know what a Unitarian Universalist is?-matter of fact, I stand here today as an honorary Baptist Unitarian Universalist!"

Sinkford and Clements thanked UUs for their generosity, and the presentation ended with a call for volunteers to help rebuild. "What happened on the Gulf Coast will take years of dedication on the part of all of us to rebuild," Sinkford said, "and together we can turn the tide." source

Interesting discussions.

Thanks, Intrepid for the article on defining Christians and Christianity. It makes the point perfectly.

The cornerstone Principle of UU is "A free and responsible search for truth and meaning". This Principle invites those on various paths to come together in worship and "works" while encouraging a personal journey. Sunday services are for any who wish to attend them, but the Buddhist meditation groups, or the Christian Fellowship groups, small covenant groups, social action group, the Wiccan group, the interfaith family group, and other groups within the church are where personal connections are the greatest. We have volunteer groups at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. Our youth are encouraged (and in the case of the older youth, required) to participate in community service projects. As in most churches, Sunday morning is a small part of what defines the religion.

Interfaith families make up a large portion of our membership. We honor and celebrate Jewish traditions at our annual Yom Kippur service in the fall where each of us participates in a day (or at least an hour) of atonement. The Seder is one the largest attended social functions of the year. Christmas and Easter services honor and celebrate Christian traditions. The Harvest Communion in November honors and celebrates those who work the land to provide for those of us who don't. We participate in pulpit exchange programs with other denominations and welcome Rabbis, Imams, ministers, theologians, and others to preach and speak to the congregation throughout the year.

This story from a Baptist minister in Louisiana talks about UU involvement in Gulf coast relief efforts. The article is describing this year's General Assembly where thousands of UU gather.

Quote:

Gulf Coast resurrection

The Rev. Tyrone Edwards stole the show in Friday evening's "prime time" plenary session about Hurricane Katrina and UU responses to it. He joined Courter, Sinkford, Charlie Clements, president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, and ten others in a presentation about the hurricane's destruction, the inequities and moral challenges it brought into clear view, and the work of Unitarian Universalist volunteers and donors to the joint UUA-UUSC Gulf Coast Relief Fund, which has raised more than $3.5 million to help Katrina's victims.

Edwards is founder of a cooperative affiliated with Zion Travelers Baptist Church in Phoenix, a rural Louisiana community flattened by Katrina. The government did not help, he said, but the community came together to rebuild.

"And then we met a young lady," he said, "who was to us the Mother Teresa of the Unitarian Universalists. Her name is Martha Thompson [of the UUSC]. She came to our community, and she met with me and talked about our problem and she understood. And a month later $81,000 came our way." Edwards thanked the Assembly and explained that the grant had been used to buy lumber and other materials to restore the homes of ten families.

"And I didn't know what a Unitarian Universalist was," Edwards said, to much amusement. "Some of my Baptist brothers told me, ?'You better not mess with those people!' But I reminded them of a story in the Bible?-a man was blind and Jesus healed. And they began to attack Jesus, and that man told them, ?'I don't know what you know about him, but I was blind but now I see.'

"So now I know what a Unitarian Universalist is?-matter of fact, I stand here today as an honorary Baptist Unitarian Universalist!"

Sinkford and Clements thanked UUs for their generosity, and the presentation ended with a call for volunteers to help rebuild. "What happened on the Gulf Coast will take years of dedication on the part of all of us to rebuild," Sinkford said, "and together we can turn the tide." source

We are Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, wiccans, theists, and searchers who join together in worship and works. real life stated many pages back the UUs are an extreme fringe group that has no business calling itself Christian (paraphrase). Based on his definition of what is 'required' to be a Christian, he is right. Based on mine, he is wrong.

We are Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, wiccans, theists, and searchers who join together in worship and works. real life stated many pages back the UUs are an extreme fringe group that has no business calling itself Christian (paraphrase). Based on his definition of what is 'required' to be a Christian, he is right. Based on mine, he is wrong.

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. (emphasis added)

Classically, Unitarian Universalist Christians have understood Jesus as a savior because he was a God-filled human being, not a supernatural being. He was, and still is for many UUs, an exemplar, one who has shown the way of redemptive love, in whose spirit anyone may live generously and abundantly. Among us, Jesus' very human life and teaching have been understood as products of, and in line with, the great Jewish tradition of prophets and teachers. He neither broke with that tradition nor superseded it.

Many of us honor Jesus, and many of us honor other master teachers of past or present generations, like Moses or the Buddha. As a result, mixed-tradition families may find common ground in the UU fellowship without compromising other loyalties.

My response to both of you is that it depends on your definition of Christian.

We are Christians, Jews, atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, wiccans, theists, and searchers who join together in worship and works. real life stated many pages back the UUs are an extreme fringe group that has no business calling itself Christian (paraphrase). Based on his definition of what is 'required' to be a Christian, he is right. Based on mine, he is wrong.

Based on this, the UU might have a Christian element, but would not be a Christian church.

Dyslexia, I accept that you aren't Christian... as in church going-- but christian can also mean Christ-like (even though these meanings often contradict.)

You are a socialist leaning anarchist with a strong sense of right and wrong, a basic distrust of authority and a hatred of hypocrisy.

You may be the most christian person here.

Yeah, what Snood said.