what do UUs believe?

i’ve been struggling a lot with what UUism is and what our “elevator speech” should be. i’ve encouraged a good friend who was raised quaker to check out the UU church because our RE curriculums are really in line with her beliefs, she could find her niche here, etc. but she balks and says “well, what do unitarians believe?”

i’ve never really had an answer aside from an instinctive feeling that the joy that i receive from being a part of a UU community isn’t just because i’ve found a big group of people to geek out with about philosophy. but i was sitting at a picnic table on a gloriously autumnal afternoon last week thinking about an odd trip through the grocery store check out line in which the cashier was quizzing a child of about 4 or so on christian doctrine.

Cashier: “Who is Jesus’ daddy?”

Kid: whimpers

Cashier: “You don’t know who Jesus’ daddy is?”

Kid: whimpers

Cashier: “Okay, well who is Jesus’ mommy?”

Kid:

Mom: (whispers) “Mary”

Kid: “Mawy?”

Cashier: (triumphantly) “Yes! Mary is Jesus’ mommy, and God is Jesus’ daddy. Didn’t you know that God is Jesus’ daddy?”

Kid: (looks at mom)

Mom: “No, I don’t need the milk in a bag, thanks.”

Cashier: “Have a blessed day!”

then, of course, it was my turn, and, fortunately, i didn’t get quizzed on anything deeper than whether the green tabasco sauce i was buying was delicious or not.

so, anyway, i’m sitting outside, writing a bit, decompressing, and thinking a bit about that kid and how creepy that whole scenario is. and i realized what the pivotal difference is for me between mainstream religions and UUism. for that christian cashier, it was of utmost importance that that child know and believe that jesus was the son of god. her questions weren’t about the golden rule, or jesus’ teachings, or even about the commandments (most of which seem like pretty good ideas to me). christianity is about imposed, more-or-less uniform belief that, theoretically, leads to positive action in the world.

well, UUs don’t care what other people believe. in fact, we think (being nerds) that diversity of thought makes for way more interesting conversations. we think it takes all kinds — even that old dude who wears the republican tie who once told me that i could sit on his lap when i wondered aloud once where i would sit in the crowded sanctuary.

okay, so that guy got taken down a few pegs by every woman in his immediate vicinity, but for UUs, it’s not belief that matters — it’s what you do. we don’t care if the person next to us in the service is a buddhist or an atheist, and though we find it interesting to discuss our reactions to the sermons, politics, etc, that’s not what defines us as a denomination. or it shouldn’t be, anyway.

i think what defines us is acting as though we have a responsibility to something larger than ourselves in the here and now, no matter what belief drives our actions. okay, that and drinking coffee. we should truly be a denomination of radical welcome — give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… free from the medieval mindset of doing good works in one’s miserable lifetime in order to win a nice eternity in heaven.

we eat our vegetables because they are delicious, not because they are good for us, so to speak.

and, yet, we are a faith community… so what is it that we have faith in? perhaps it’s faith in the fact that doing what we can is worth it. that doesn’t require a deity, or even a cosmic system of karmic energy. faith in the power of one person helping another, in the power of helping that one starfish back into the ocean, faith in the power of leading by example.

so, UUism, like mainstream religions is about how you ostensibly live your life, we just don’t really care why you choose to live your life this way as long as you try your best. so, unlike the religions of some of my former students, a UU couldn’t lie, cheat, steal and fight all week and still be cool on their responsibility as a religious person as long as they go to church on sunday and accept jesus as their savior, etc.

then again, maybe this is just what i want UUism to be?