Are you a UU?  Or otherwise interested in Unitarian Universalism?  If so, introduce yourself here.

Hi Tom. I attended a UU church for about a year. It has been the closest thing " orgainized" that I have identified with.

~ We used to have an AE class and we would discuss Sci Fi books. The last one we read was Speaker for the Dead.

:)

Hi Tom!

I'm UU too. :)  I joined the church in '86.  I now live in Portland, OR but haven't attended services here regularly.  I miss it!

I'm agnostic with theist leanings.  I like to keep all my options open, LOL...There are a few of us here at PBS that I've run into in the last few years.

Just FYI we're supposed to get an atheist/agnostics/others forum formed sometime in the near future, so look out for it.  Should be some good discussions there.

There are a lot of "famous" UUs throughout history (my favorite is Benjamin Franklin).  Here's a website dedicated to famous UUs:

http://www.famousuus.com/

I always say many people are UU and they just don't know it. ;)  We're a pretty good, well-kept secret. ;P

Nancy, a good place to start if you want to learn about UUism is the homesite of our UU congregations - this is the link for visitors:

http://www.uua.org/visitors/index.shtml

UUism is a liberal religion which encompasses many faiths, creeds, and cultures - you would be hard pressed to find two UUs who believe the same thing.  Our main unifying concept is that we believe each person should be free and encouraged to develop his or her own belief system.  There is no one single valid TRUTH, but we believe that each person is free to find his own Truth if he so desires.

What *I* personally like about it is that it embraces the act of questioning and no one pretends to have all the answers.  Going to church is an exercise in growth - it makes you re-evaluate your own beliefs and gives you a platform for exposure to new ideas, faiths, people, and experiences.

There are rituals that some congregations follow during service, such as the Lighting of the Chalice and also Sharing of Joys and Concerns (those are just two) but not all congregations perform all rituals.  In fact, each church is different from the next.  Some are more theist or Christian-oriented, others stay away from the concept of "God" altogether.

There are seven principles one agrees to when one joins the church:

http://www.uua.org/visitors/6798.shtml

That is the only "statement" one makes when they join - to agree to the principles.

There's a lot more that can be said, but that's a start. :)

Read the links and let me know if you have more questions, either her or via PM, if you wish. :)

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I'm also a UU, and a member of my church here in Wausau, Wisconsin.  I'm also a secular humanist, with pagan and Buddhist leanings.

The thing I like most about my church is that we all have our own individual beliefs, and we all respect each other's beliefs.  It's wonderful to have the freedom to explore different paths (I'm just starting to read about Buddhism) and to share with others in an open and supportive atmosphere.

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There are no UU churches near me, but after we move, I plan on checking one out.   I also consider myself a secular humanist, but I enjoy learning and meeting people and discussing various beliefs and ideas.

Tom, once our atheist/agnostics/other forum is up, the dialogue in there should be closer to what you're used to.

I didn't grow up UU but was raised to choose my own religion.  I found the UU church in 1986, and joined then - First Unitarian Church of DesMoines when Pete Peterson was the minister.  The guy was a hoot, and so incredibly intelligent.  I joined and stayed with the church for 3 years until I moved to Indianapolis, and attended a couple of churces there.

I, too, have met a number of UU adoptive parents.  It would be interesting to see what the percentages look like.

Thanks Tom!

What didn't work for me was the church itself ~ not UU as a whole.

It is the closest one to me (an hour drive one way) and it is composed of about

40 people at most. I like little gatherings better than bigger ones.

But the problems are

1) the services are very Christian based : things were done for Christmas but not Chanukkah, Yule, Winter Solstice, etc.

2) The original members had older children so there was an older children's RE but nothing for little ones. Heck, the little ones did'nt even have a room of their own. They played in the hallway. People would show up for a Sunday or two then never come back because there was nothing for he kids.

We are trying to move and I will be closer to the biggest UU church in the area and I plan on going again.

Didn't mean to gripe but I never explained it to anyone why I stopped going. I guess needed to vent.

Amber, hope the church in the new city works out for you. :)  I have attended a couple that didn't "fit" - I hate it when that happens.

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Word of advice...if their idea of religious education is to tell you now bad every other religion is, run!  I went to a church like that once.  One week it was pick on the Mormons, the next week it was the Catholics, and so forth.  It was a creepy place.

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NO, no, no....it was a "non-denominational Christian" church.  They had a denomination all right....a wacko denomination.  One of their favorite things to do was sit and pass judgement on people.  It really disgusted me.  They even had a hard time trying to decide what kind of outreach programs to do, because you had to be worthy to receive any of the church's money.  Which meant that the only way the sick, hungry, or poor were going to get any help were if they proved themselves to be Christians.  Bah.

I've visited some UU groups that weren't a good fit for me.  Each congregation is different, and a lot depends on the people in the church.  Since the direction of each church (as well as the services and all the other activities) are determined by the members of that church and not by some overarching authority, churches are bound to vary a lot.

On The Simpsons, Rod and Tod have this exchange with Bart as he plays their only video game, Bible Blaster, in which one shoots "the good word" at non-believers:

"Convert the heathens!"
"Got 'im!"
"Nah, you just winged him... now he's a Unitarian."

:)

LOL!!!

What do you get when you cross a Unitarian Universalist with a Jehovah's Witness?

Someone who knocks on your door and asks you questions.

:-)

Someone knocked on my door today trying to read me Bible verses.  I politely told them that I don't discuss my religious affiliation with strangers, but in retrospect I wish I had taken the time to find out if they were voting for Obama in November! 

Amanda, I'm really tempted to say, "You can read the the bible to me,  if I can read some erotica to you..." Just to see the reaction. :p

Marguerite, I LOL'd at that. :)

In light of the weekend's events, the "Bible Blaster" bit I was afraid was going to sound in retrospect like a sick joke. :(

Hi, I'm a UU too! And I'm Wiccan as well.  I'd love to see more books here published by Skinner or Beacon Press, the two UU publishing companies......

Dove