Unitarian Universalism!!!

I promise to write a proper blog today or tomorrow because I want to talk about my amazing solstice weekend, BUT I was browsing my friend Jen's blog for a bit and thought she wrote some pretty incredible things about my (our) faith. She and I butted heads for awhile about our religious views.  I knew that I wasn't Christian almost immediately after high school and started my research a little earlier.  Once we both were questioning, our journeys to discover our own truth became one journey together.  I feel so blessed to have friends who not only accept that I am not a Christian just cuz that's what I was told to be.  I am fortunate that some of my friends embrace this faith as now their own.  I know it brings me incredible joy, and brings joy for my friends that attend. The past two and a half years as a member of St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church in Cincinnati have been some of the best years of my life.  I don't know how I would have gotten through the loss of my dad, the end of a very meaningful relationship with the man I planned to spend my life with, and my best friend moving away, without this place. And I don't want to forget to mention the music that inspires me!!  Here is what she had to say and I think it is perfect:

"I figured I'd let you in on some of my beliefs. I'm a Unitarian Universalist. I was raised Lutheran, but while attending JCC, I took a Comparative Religion class, & began questioning it all. I've also had a Philosophy class before & as a girl who believed everything she was taught, I was pissed. It made me mad, but it also made me think. So this class did the same. I thought, I considered. I really liked Shinto, the national religion of Japan. They really respect the Earth (this was after my ES class). Around that time, Beki, asked if I would go to this new church she found. She said it was unlike anything she had heard of before & she wanted to check it out. So, we went. It was incredible. We went a few times, & there was this great sense of community. People didn't care where you came from or what you drove, how much or how little money you had. They were just happy that you were there. They were interested in learning the truth. One time, there was a sermon that was completely about the Beatles, and their message of love & unity. I was blown away. I couldn't believe that this still existed in this world of hate & greed. That this love, reverence & respect for each other & the Earth still existed among intelligent people. I'm getting all misty just thinking about it. No church I had ever been to in my entire life was like this & I had been to a lot of churches (Southern Baptist, non-denominational, Lutheran, Catholic....etc).

These are the 7 basic principles of the UU faith:

• 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.

You can find that info & more here"


This is the faith that speaks to me.  It allows me to follow my own path.  I am so thankful.