Atlanta Unitarian

Unitarian-Univeralists like to joke that they don't believe in anything, that all beliefs are equally welcome at the UU table. But there is a strong Universalist current in today's UUism, one that I think is a permanent and powerful feature. Originally Universalism was a belief about universal salvation. God's mercy is too great to allow anyone to fall into hell, and therefore all are saved. Of course this belief is still very controversial today, but for most UUs, the issue of heaven or hell is no longer relevant. In its present, secularized but nevertheless spiritual form, Univeralism speaks to our acceptance of people of all types, just as they are. This acceptance, this idea that all people are welcome into our congregation and our community, is a powerful and even transforming spiritual force. This idea, that love and acceptance will be placed before judgment and before social pressures of conformity, may be the strongest spiritual weapon in the UU arsenal. Religi...

This is the first in a series of entries where I will try to elucidate a set of guiding spiritual principles. These principles are not meant to be universal, or timeless. These are merely a set of principles I have arrived at through introspection that seem appropriate to me at this time in my life. These principles are intended as a guide to make every day meaningful, every day stand on its own. The first principle is to renew the Contemplative Spirit. What I am saying here is that we all have an inherent contemplative spirit, that allows us to look at the world with wonder and fascination. The essence of the contemplative spirit is that it is not trying to achieve anything. The contemplative spirit is like being in its purest form, with no goal outside itself. We all have it, we are given this spirit at birth and it is always available to us. But in our world it is often erased by the urgency of tasks, responsibilities, and the world of social appearance. To renew the comtemp...

Most religious traditions frown on the pursuit of pleasure. I think we can all imagine why this would be so - that the pursuit of pleasure can interfere with moral conduct. In particular, sexual pleasure and pleasures of food, 'pleasures of the flesh,' are considered dangerous temptations. Serious adherents of many religions seek deeper spiritual understanding through privation from physical pleasures. But I am prone to see pleasure as a worthwhile end in itself, one with spiritual or soulful contents. Pleasure should not be confused with obsession or gluttony. Pleasure is actually something a bit difficult to achieve. The mindless pursuit of lusts does not create pleasure. Rather, pleasure is only the result of a refined attention and a patient experience. In some sense, pleasure grasped is pleasure destroyed. The pleasurable experience of the senses is something that requires an appreciation of the present, a keen awareness. The soul of pleasure is thankfulness. Tha...

As a general rule, this blog will not seek to address current issues, but instead will look to the framework of values and understandings that underly a liberal political philosophy. However I make an exception to talk about global warming . I think the underlying value behind the global warming debate is quite simple: that we have an obligation to be stewards of the earth, not just for future generations but for all life on the planet. We have an obligation to preserve the existence and habitat of other species, whether they’re animal, plant, or other. This is a very serious and profound obligation that could be discussed in depth on its own. But to get straight to the point – we should be very reluctant to destroy what we are not capable of creating. We destroy God’s creation of manifold species at our moral and existential peril. It is conceivable that in 50 years, our time will be looked at nostalgically as the time when we could have made a difference, when we could have prev...