Atlanta Unitarian

I believe the Unitarian Universalist faith may be stronger than many dogma-specific faiths. A dogma-specific faith is tied to a weighty theology whose images and ideas were born in other ages and other lands. A dogma-specific faith is tied to a network of abstractions and theories, dizzying in their complexity. What does it mean to believe in the Trinity? What does it mean to believe in karma? Do the complex explanations of theology bring us closer to God? On the other hand, what does it mean to have faith, when no specific creed is applied? What shape does ether take when it is not confined to any vessel? For me, faith means faith in God. But the reason I can take refuge in God is because in my mind God is a concept without shape or definition. God is akin to life-force or the infinite or the substrate of all the universe. God is the strong force, the force that binds atoms together instead of letting them spin off into space. The Unitarian Universalist faith allows the indiv

Why "Atlanta" Unitarian? My identity is closely tied up with that of my native city. We share a lot of characteristics. We're polite but ambitious. We have a great pride and a secret shame. I feel like a lot of Atlanta's story is my story. The story of Jewish immigrants who were sent down south to avoid the crowding of New York. The story of racial division but visions of racial unity. I feel a resonance with the natural world in Atlanta too. Large sprawling yards filled with yawning oak trees, messed with leaves and vines. A laziness in the humid summer breeze. Sweat on a child's back as he runs after a ball in the street. Powerful waves of rain, sudden and unexpected. A pleasantly warm and sunny December afternoon. Much of my thought, my concern, and my identity spring from this city. So this blog, I dedicate to my hometown.

Ever since the catastrophic Bush election of 2000, the Democrats have been lost at sea. I was quite involved in the Dean 2004 campaign. There was a glimmer of hope for a minute there. Dean never had a chance to share who he was or what he stood for with the mainstream public. He has been imaged as a ferocious, out-of-control bulldog. Actually he is quite calm, reasoned, seasoned, and educated. But his main appeal was definitely his far reaching vision of what America was about, what our problems are, and how they could be addressed. I do not think any of this received more than a half minute of attention in the popular media. Which goes to show another problem, the monster that is our press today, but I'll save that for another time. Currently I receive news and propaganda from a number of left-leaning organizations, and I could not be more tired of these messages. I include the messages from Dean in his new role as head of the Democratic National Committee in my critique.

I happen to believe there is such a thing as Unitarian faith, and that this faith is powerful and enduring. I believe that the religious principals that bind Unitarians together are more important than the political ones. Both of these beliefs are quite controversal, for reasons that may be difficult to explain if you are not familiar with Unitarianism. Unitarian faith is powerful because it is based on the raw understanding of the universal and inherent connection between all human beings and beyond to humanity's connection to the natural universe. We as Unitarians really try to accept all people and find the worthy spirit within all people, and therefore we endeavor to live up to the standard of our faith that all people have inherent worth and dignity. It is a very simple principle, but a very difficult one to put into practice and revere. Unitarians do this well - we respect the inherent worth and diginity of all people well. This is the first step - the necessary condit

I recently started a class on Emerson at UUCA . I had tried to read him before on my own unsuccessfully. The structure of the course has helped me to focus on the material better. The first reading assignment was Emerson's Divinity School Address . Already with just one reading I feel a great spiritual kinship with Emerson. It feels like he had many of the same thoughts I have had, but that he looked more deeply into those thoughts and understood them better. Emerson's main point in this essay is that religious understanding can only come first-hand, through our own interal apprehension of the universe. We cannot come to spiritual truths through teaching or dogma, because these truths must be experienced directly. Emerson makes his point in the context of trying to revive a dying Christian church, but the point is universal. Here he speaks about the need for an immediate relationship with the divine, with no outside interpretation or mediation: Let me admonish you, first

It struck me the other day, how can we live in such a way that we could die any time without regret? You cannot know how long your life will last. You may die tomorrow. If so, what will become of all your uncompleted goals? They will dissolve, disappear into the vortex of space and time. If we live for the goals we achieve, our entire life’s purpose can be wiped away at any instant. On the other hand, if we live a life of principle, each day has value. Each day stands on its own, a day lived well. Organizing a life around principles means that the value of life is in living it – life itself is what becomes worthwhile. Goals point outside ourselves, and often have no ultimate reference. Principles point within (or from the inside out?) to the divine spark at our core. This does not mean that you should not have goals. Only realize that goals are slippery, and goals are only attained at least in part by grace, not through the exercise of will alone. Principles, on the other ha

Many of my athiest and humanist friends probably wonder why I would bother going to church on Sundays. Why miss a couple extra hours of sleep, or an opportunity for a leisurely Sunday brunch? To this question I respond with a set of questions: How do you remember that we are all connected to each other and to the world at large? How do you remember the unique gift of creation and the brief gift of life? How do you deal with a world in which suffering is greater than your capacity to address it? How do you keep alive your hopes for a better world? Aristotle said something like you are not what you aspire to but rather what you do on a regular basis. If you want to be something, you must practice being it regularly. Going to church, praying, worship, this is a kind of practice, practicing being a better person. It takes practice to care about the world and to avoid the dangers of solipsism. It takes practice to be fully alive, to be fully aware of the opportunities life presents