Atlanta Unitarian

Often conservatives bemoan liberals for a lack of clear morality. Because liberals do not acknowledge a single authority on good and evil, conservatives reason, liberals fall into 'relativism' where no action can be clearly discerned as right or wrong. On the contrary, I have found that religious and political liberals have a very clear idea of right and wrong. For example, it is generally liberals who stand for universal human rights. In conservative religion, knowing the truth is easy, but following the truth is hard. In liberal religion, knowing the truth is hard, and following the truth is still harder. Liberalism is the harder path, the path that takes more self-discipline and effort. In fact it is possible that many conservatives spurn liberalism because it is hard, because the moral challenge of a brotherhood with all humankind is too weighty a burden to bear. In liberal religion, right and wrong must continually be discerned and the moral understanding must continua...

"The testimony of integrity calls us to wholeness; it is the whole of life open to Truth. When Lives are centered in the Spirit, beliefs and actions are congruent, and words are dependable. As we achieve wholeness in ourselves, we are better able to heal the conflict and the fragmentation in our community and in the world. "Integrity is a demanding discpiline. We are challenged by cultural values and pressures to conform. Integrity requires that we be fully responsible for our actions. Living with integrity requires living a life of reflection, living in consistency wtih our beliefs and testimonies, and doing so regardless of personal consequences. Not least, it calls for a single standard of truth... "Friends believe in speaking simply, avoiding misleading words or emotionally manipulative language, which could divert from the discernment of God's will. Commitment to truth requires authenticity and veracity in following one's own conscience, illuminated b...