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 have
never comfortably used terms of theological belief, formal descriptions
of “who we are and what we believe.” My experience is that they describe
more of what we are NOT to each other rather than to find, and lovingly
describe, what we most ARE to each other.
You know how the conversation goes. “I’m a (fill in the blank, lets say,
theist), what are you? Well, I’m a pagan, and since you are a theist, I
don’t want to talk to you anymore.” Those are just two of our many
theological descriptors of course. In addition to theist and pagan,
there is, humanist, agnostic, atheist, pantheist, and panentheist, with
many shades of all. Or there is short hand for how we are different. How
about, those who believe in a power greater than themselves and those
who do not. Or, to use traditional language, how about those who believe
in God and those who do not. Are there enough classifications so far to
find something to hang your hat of belief on to and find out how you are
different from your fellows? Oh, and there are all the “legitimate”
theological classifications and traditions to remember: Christian
including sub-groups of Protestant and Catholic including sub-groups of
Lutheran and Episcopal and UCC and Church of Christ and Pentecostal and
so on. And the Catholics from progressive to traditional. The sub-groups
exist in every group, the liberal to the conservative. We do array
ourselves along lines of belief, continuums of belief, wherever we are.
Then there are all the other religions of the world, parts to which many
of us subscribe. Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, the Bahai’
faith, and so on, all of which have continuums of belief from
conservative to liberal. Enough divisions of belief for you? I’m sure we
could find more. There’s earth centered belief. Indigenous practices.
Wican. Christian Science. Unity. Scientology. And theological partridges
in a pear tree.
Whew. Can we stop? Good. Let’s take a deep breath. As you do, notice
what happens. How the breath travels up from your diaphragm and fills
your lungs with air, then subsides as you exhale. Notice that if you
stop breathing, you die! This breath, this life force that flows in and
out of us every few seconds all of our lives, this sacred breath, is the
theology in which I am most interested. For this life giving breath is
what symbolizes the human journey.
The Human Journey.
Our mother’s egg was penetrated and impregnated by our father’s sperm.
We grew inside our mothers until the right time to come out and face the
world. We were protected and nurtured to varying degrees. We evolved
through the life stages of infancy, childhood, adolescence, young
adulthood, then adulthood. We learned language and the rules of life, we
grew physically in strength and agility, we experienced myriads of
emotions depending on life circumstances, and we began to wonder. What
is the meaning of life? Why are we here? What happens to me when I die?
Is there a God, a benevolent force beyond my understanding who brought
the universe into being? Or are we alone on this journey. Is this
completely up to me?
This is the human journey. We are all upon it. None will escape its end.
We all share this in common. The universal words which describe this
phenomena are what I would submit to you as the symbols that bring us
together, rather than the beliefs that pull us apart. Words like:
Journey.
Wonder. Universal. Fellow humans. Brothers and sisters. Awe. Love.
Compassion. Spirit. Tolerance. Sacred. Kindness. Peacefulness.
When you hear that list read, do you think of how different you are from
the “other?” Do you feel the tension of disagreement about differing
belief? I don’t. I feel the kinship of what it means to be on the human
journey with each other.
There are some requirements in order for the consciousness of such
kinship to evolve. We can, unconsciously, just let our time on Earth
pass without learning anything of great value. Probably the most
important action in order to open our consciousness is the process of
sharing. If I share the details of the struggles and joys of my life
with you, a veil is lifted. For as I share those vulnerable parts of my
life with you, you are inspired to share the same with me. Safety and
trust evolve. And, voila, we see each other’s humanity. We see the
sameness of our journey. The shared fears and joys open doors of
communication and, eventually, love. And the depth and meaning of that
experience have the same deep meaning whether those who are sharing are
deists, humanists, or anyotherist.
Well, sure you say. But what does that have to do with theology? A lot.
Theology is a term first used by Plato in The Republic (book ii, chap
18). The term is a compounded from two Greek words theos (god) and logos
(rational utterance). It has been defined as reasoned discourse about
God or the gods, or more generally about religion or spirituality.
Theologians use various forms of analysis and argument (philosophical,
ethnographic, historical) to help understand, explain, test, critique,
defend or promote any of a myriad of religious topics. It might be
undertaken to help the theologian understand more truly his or her own
religious tradition,[1]
understand more truly another religious tradition,[2] make comparisons
between religious traditions,[3] defend a religious tradition,
especially a creed or required belief, facilitate reform of a particular
tradition,[4] assist in the propagation of a religious tradition.
What is essential within a religion that has no dogma or creed, i.e.,
within Unitarian Universalism, is to develop alternative means to
communicate our samenesses and our differences in order to maintain the
depth and meaning peculiar to spiritual community. Without this depth
and meaning, there is no reason to be together. You can join a country
club to be part of a social group that is not engaged in the process of
living with depth and meaning together. In the religious world in
general, theology is the word that describes this process. This logical
communicating about God or the gods. Or whatever we believe takes on
ultimate meaning and depth instead of the gods.
Here, as we do not have creeds to which we are all asked to sign up, we
need to maintain meaning in different ways. One of those here, in this
particular church, is our opening affirmation. Printed on the front of
the order of service, it says our philosophy, our belief, in an
affirming way. And, it has a theological statement. Just to refresh your
memory about what you said this morning, it goes:
Compassion
is the teaching of this congregation
The quest for truth a sacrament
And service in love our prayer.
To dwell together in peace
To seek knowledge in freedom
To nurture the web of life and humanity’s place within it
This we affirm with each other, and with God.
This could be said to be a statement of belief or theological utterance.
Very close to a creed, though it is not. That closeness feels
comfortable and homey to some, and others are not as comfortable.
Particularly those of you who came from the experience of an abusive or
wounding theology.
A little background. Recently a national advertising campaign began for
Unitarian Universalism with ads appearing in Time Magazine. The first
one began with the phrase, “Is God keeping you from going to church?” It
continues, “Maybe you are uncomfortable with the idea of God, or at
least someone else’s idea of God.” The second ad said, “Find and you
shall seek.” That is, each person who comes to us is encouraged to find
their own truth rather than memorize someone else’s truth.
Having had your consciousness raised by these ads, some of you became
concerned that we were giving newcomers to OUR church the wrong message
in the last line of OUR affirmation, “this we affirm with each other,
and with God.” What if God is keeping people away from us you posited.
That concern went to the Worship Committee and Gary Wederspahn created a
new last line which he proposed to read, “this we affirm with each other
in our spiritual community.” In other words, concerned that those who
have been harmed, wounded, by past experiences of “God” in their
religious past, or who simply don’t believe in God, would be turned off
by our use of “and with God” and Gary’s proposed change would fix that.
Well. That made sense to some. But there are others in our congregation
who feel a deep kinship with God. Whose lives were and are guided and
nurtured through their relationship with God as they understand her/him.
To take the mention of God out of our affirmation is a loss to them.
And what of those newcomers who come to our doors SEEKING God?
Do you see what begins to happen? In a spiritual community, a church,
where no one tells you what to believe, or what to do, we must, by
necessity, seek consensus and comfort through respectful dialogue,
through sharing in conscious, loving ways. And that is HARD WORK.
Key words here are conscious, loving, and most of all, respectful. As
this conversation has unwound within the congregation I have heard
stories that are uplifting, and distressing. The uplifting ones are
about how members here found their spiritual home, whether that home
included a belief in God or not. The distressing ones were about how
people who did not believe the same way as another acted in cynical,
disrespectful ways toward the beliefs of that person or the collective
other. Those who speak in such ways are, evidently, unwilling to pay the
price of admission to a community in which we must find meaning together
despite our differences. Back to the beginning of this sermon.
Our descriptions of our personal theology tend to take the form of
defining our differences rather than making clear our sameness as fellow
humans on the journey of life together. When a deist who believes in God
belittles a belief that does not include God, the door to love and
compassion is closed. Similarly, when a humanist or atheist, says
disparaging things about a belief in God or those who believe in God,
the door of care and connection, the door of spiritual community stays
closed. Let’s face it. No one in this room, or in the world, knows the
full truth of God/non-God. No one here knows how the universe was
created or even what will happen to us for sure when we die. Each of us
has beliefs, each of us has ways of seeing, each has faith in a
particular paradigm, but NO ONE has the full, clear, absolute TRUTH.
Yet, some of us, at various times, speak as though we do. I include
myself among that long list. We do so, usually, because we feel
defensive or attacked in some way. At moments of clarity we know that we
do not hold the exclusive truth. The human struggle between arrogance
and humility is as old as our experience on this planet. Our task is to
reach a respectful, loving balance between the extremes.
So, what do we do in the face of a theological challenge to insure that
the conversation deepens, rather than divides? Well, I can tell you what
UU’s do. We have a meeting! Next Sunday, the Worship Committee, the
Membership Committee, the Committee on Ministry, and Judy Kary and I
will all sit down together and consider a possible change in language in
the last line of our affirmation. The outcome of that meeting will, of
course, be passed on to the rest of you. Then a decision will be made,
together.
The key here is
that we walk our talk while we talk. Two of our UU Principles speak
directly to the nature of this challenge. Namely, “we believe in….
- The
inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Acceptance
of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations;
And we have
stated and restated our own commitments to each other through our
covenant, that document in which we make promises to each other about
how we will walk our talk. It contains the following.
“We make the
following promises to each other:
We will treat each other with respect, compassion, and kindness.
We will listen to and honor each other’s contributions.
We will acknowledge and address disagreements openly and gently,
expressing our concerns directly with those involved.
We will accept responsibility for our part in making this spiritual
community everything we want it to be.
We make these covenants with love in our hearts for each other and
with a sincere desire to make the world around us better for our
being here.”
Perhaps I have missed something, but I do not see anything that says
that these agreements, these promises of a sacred nature we make to each
other, are null and void if we do not share the same theology! In truth,
the opposite is true. Unitarian Universalism is a bright light in the
dark world of religious intolerance and increasing theological rigidity.
We were created by generations of seekers who were not content to be
told that they could only believe one way. We are a proud heretical
tradition that has lead many to a new freedom in their inner and outer
lives. It is therefore incumbent upon us as a Unitarian Universalist
congregation to always, always walk our walk as openminded, openhearted
people who welcome all who are on the human journey. Welcome all, no
exceptions.
This conversation about the change of the last line of our affirmation
is personal for me. Six years or so ago, when Amanda and I first
attended a service at Columbine, the affirmation was what spoke most
clearly to us. As we both have a deep relationship with God as we
understand her/him, the inclusion of “and with God” brought warmth and
comfort to us. I said to her after that service, I could go there as
minister. It feels right. She agreed, and we both mentioned the use of
God in the affirmation as a part of that comfort. Despite my personal
feelings, however, I fully understand why this proposed change has been
brought forward. We would never wish to give any visitor a message that
they must believe in a particular way to be welcomed at CUUC. That there
is some kind of Divine pre-requisite. Finding language that opens wide
the hearts and minds of those who are drawn to us is of great
importance. As is the care and nurturance of all who stay. So, the
committees will meet and talk and bring back their shared wisdom.
Let me reassure you that if the word God IS replaced with another word
or phrase, it does not mean that the concept and experience of God and
gods will be changed in our services. We will continue to explore all
aspects of the spiritual journey together, all aspects of the human
journey of life.
I would like to bring this back to you. This afternoon, I will be
leading those who are potentially interested in membership at CUUC
through the process of talking about what they used to believe, what
they believe now, and where they see themselves headed in the future in
the Pathways to Membership class. How about answering some questions for
yourselves that our honored participants in the class will be answering
this afternoon? Here, in the silence that will follow in a moment, I
would ask that you reflect on where you are on your human journey. What
have YOU come to believe about the ultimate mysteries of life? The
source of all Creation, the miracle of birth, the unknown destination of
our souls at death. In your daily life, how do you practice compassion?
What produces awe in you? How do you show your love? What brings you to
feel a deep sense of wonder?
I invite you into a quiet inner space for reflection.
[Period of Silence]
Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“The glory
of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile,
nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that
comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and
is willing to trust you with their friendship.”
Having said all this, I am not suggesting that you give up cherished
beliefs, beliefs that well may make the difference in whether life has
meaning or not. What I am saying is:
We have a unique opportunity in this church. The opportunity to respect,
admire, and love other human beings on the journey, our brothers and
sisters. What matters about how each of us sees and behaves toward
another is rooted in this care, this bow to the other as being another
piece of ourselves, another brother or sister, rather than being a
threatening presence. If we are to truly represent our Unitarian
Universalist heritage, we must reach out to ALL. Whether their theology
is similar, or very different. Whether one of us believes in God, no
God, or the Easter Bunny is irrelevant. We see and believe in each other
as fellow humans.
This is how we follow the yellow brick road of religious tolerance and
love.
A road of discovery on the human journey which we ALL walk together.
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