For even more information on Unitarian Universalism, visit www.uua.org.
What are your church services
like?
Our service is about an hour. Our dress is "come
as you are". The centerpiece is usually a sermon delivered by our minister. The sermons are usually thematic and rarely
follow a lectionary. The subjects are usually universal themes of life, truth and meaning. They use stories, myths and poems,
as well as scripture from a variety of world religions.
Services often begin with the lighting of the chalice-the symbol
of Unitarian Universalism. Brief words of reflection are usually read as it is lit, inaugurating the start of the service.
We sing from our hymnal Singing the Living Tradition, which contains a wide range of traditional and contemporary songs,
using gender-inclusive language. We reserve a time in their services for lighting "Candles of Joy and Concern."
Members are invited to come up and light a candle at the front of the church to honor an event in their lives, to share an
idea, or to ask for the thoughts and prayers of the community.
After the service, we have a "coffee hour"—a
chance for people to socialize informally and to discuss the worship service.
What
do you teach children?
Our children are taught to think
for themselves, while receiving guidance on moral and ethical behavior. They learn Bible stories and talk about them, allowing
their individual beliefs to unfold without a dogmatic interpretation. We present them with thought-provoking themes and allow
them the space to develop points of view and convictions. We do include the children in part of the main worship service
before they go to another part of the church for church school.
Children learn about the beliefs and practices of the
world's major religions. They are encouraged to respect differences in theology.
I've heard that Unitarian Universalists can believe anything they want to. Is that true?
No. One could not be considered a Unitarian Universalist and believe that subscription to
specific doctrines or creeds are necessary for access to God or spirituality or membership in our congregations.
Unitarian
Universalists could not believe that God favors any group of people based on any inherent qualities, such as skin color, gender,
sexual orientation, physical ability, etc.—or that any group of people is more worthy of access to opportunities than
any other as a result of these qualities.
We don't believe that autocratic, undemocratic or overly hierarchical
systems are appropriate methods of organizing our congregations or the larger society.
We don't believe that humanity
has the right or moral authority to exploit the environment or other life forms with whom we share this planet.
How are Unitarian Universalist ministers trained?
Technically, our congregations are free to call whomever they wish to be ministers of their
communities. However, almost all our churches select from a group of ministers that have been approved by the Ministerial
Fellowship Committee of the UUA. To obtain approval from this committee, ministers must have earned a Masters of Divinity
degree from an accredited theological school, completed a year of supervised internship, read materials from a required reading
list, completed a course of clinical training in pastoral care, and met other requirements before interviewing in front of
the committee itself.
There are two specifically UU seminaries in the United States: Meadville/Lombard Theological School
in Chicago and Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA. Many of our ministers graduate from other seminaries that
are non-denominational. Both Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, and Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, MA,
have sizable numbers of Unitarian Universalists enrolled in their programs.
What is the significance of the flaming chalice, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism?
The flaming chalice is made up of two archetypes—a drinking vessel and fire. It is
rich in symbolism as a result. The chalice represents sharing, generosity, sustenance, and love, among other interpretations.
The flame symbolizes witness, sacrifice, testing, courage, illumination and more.
The origin of the symbol comes from
the Unitarian Service Committee. The USC was founded during World War II to assist war refugees who needed to escape Nazi
persecution. Artist Hans Deutsch drew the flaming chalice in 1941 so that the USC could have it as a symbol for official documents.
The director of the USC, Charles Joy, wrote this about the symbol when it was first drafted:
"It represents,
as you see, a chalice with a flame, the kind of chalice which the Greeks and Romans put on their alters. The holy oil burning
in it is a symbol or helpfulness and sacrifice. . . . This was in the mind of the artist. The fact, however, that it remotely
suggests a cross was not in his mind, but to me this also has its merit. We do not limit our work to Christians. Indeed, at
the moment, our work is nine-tenths for the Jews, yet we do stem from the Christian tradition, and the cross does symbolize
Christianity and its central theme of sacrificial love."
Today, the flaming chalice is the official symbol of the
UUA. It also functions as the logo for hundreds of congregations. It is also a part of worship in many congregations—services
often begin by lighting a chalice while saying some brief reflective words.
There is no one official meaning of the
flaming chalice. Like our faith, it stands open to new and ongoing interpretation and significance.
Since Unitarian Universalists don't have a creed or doctrine, how can one describe a set of beliefs that they hold in
common?
Our association of congregations has covenanted
to affirm and promote seven basic principles. They can be found here: www.uua.org/principles.html
One of our ministers, David O. Rankin, described our beliefs in ten statements.
They are:
We believe in the freedom of religious expression. All individuals
should be encouraged to develop their own personal theology, and to present openly their religious opinions without fear of
censure or reprisal.
We believe in the toleration of religious ideas. All religions, in every age and culture,
possess not only an intrinsic merit, but also a potential value for those who have learned the art of listening.
We believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The ultimate arbiter in religion is not a church, or a document,
or an official, but the personal choice and decision of the individual.
We believe in the never-ending
search for Truth. If the mind and heart are truly free and open, the revelations which appear to the human spirit are infinitely
numerous, eternally fruitful, and wondrously exciting.
We believe in the unity of experience. There is
no fundamental conflict between faith and knowledge, religion and the world, the sacred and the secular, since they all have
their source in the same reality.
We believe in the worth and dignity of each human being. All people on
earth have an equal claim to life, liberty and justice-and no idea, ideal or philosophy is superior to a single human life.
We believe in the ethical application of religion. Good works are the natural products of a good faith,
the evidence of an inner grace that finds completion in social and community involvement.
We believe in
the motive force of love. The governing principle in human relationships is the principle of love, which always seeks the
welfare of others and never seeks to hurt or destroy.
We believe in the necessity of the democratic process.
Records are open to scrutiny, elections are open to members, and ideas are open to criticism-so that people might govern themselves.
We believe in the importance of a religious community. The validation of experience requires the confirmation
of peers, who provide a critical platform along with a network of mutual support.
If you have a question
not answered here, please fill out the form below. We'd love to hear from you!
