Unitarian Universalists are not known for their
spirituality especially their mystical spirituality. The closest they can come
to mysticism is probably their identification with the transcendentalists like
Emerson and Thoreau. So when we consider the third principle and ask ourselves
what it means to encourage spiritual growth in our congregations, usually other
than airy fairy, psychobabble, communing with Mother Nature kind of stuff, UUs
are lost.
UUs have a history of embracing science and
intellectual pursuits and have been skeptical of an exploration of what’s
within feeling more comfortable with exploring externalities, the phenomenon
outside ourselves in the world. And yet as it says in the Perennial Philosophy:
“For, as all exponents of the Perennial philosophy
have constantly insisted, man’s obsessive consciousness of, and insistence on
being, a separate self is the final and most formidable obstacle to the unitive
knowledge of God. To be a self is, for them, the original sin, and to die to
self, in feeling, will and intellect, is the final and all-inclusive virtue.” P.
36 If this is the goal of spirituality, if we are to agree with what has been
taught for ages by the world’s religions, how are UUs taught to shift their
perception from “me” to the all?
Jesus tells us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The first step of 12 step programs like Alcoholics
Anonymous is to recognize that our lives have become unmanageable, and step two
involves coming to understand that a Power greater than ourselves can restore
us to sanity. It might be argued that 12 step programs are more spiritual than
are our contemporary mainstream religions in the sense that they require a
recognition and acknowledgement that the path to serenity and recovery is not
in continuing to advocate for and tenaciously protect a unique sense of self,
but rather to rise above the ego, to transcend the limiting sense of our mortal
body and personality by joining with what Emerson called the “Over-Soul”. One
of the slogans of the systems view is that the whole is greater than the sum of
the parts, and so, one might ask, what is this system that we human separate
selves are a part of?
One of the definitions of enlightenment that
resonates with me is the idea that our consciousness is raised to the point
where nothing it life is excluded from it. In the 60s we referred to this state
as “cosmic consciousness.”
If we, as Unitarian Universalists, are to encourage
each other in our spiritual growth, how do we help one another develop a cosmic
consciousness?
As a former Catholic I was taught to pray on my
knees, to fast, to do other bodily mortifications that would make me more aware
of the greater good like giving something up for lent, etc. Muslims fast during
day light hours during Ramadan, Buddhists sit in a purposeful pose on a
meditation cushion when they meditate, etc. These physical disciplines have the
purpose of increasing awareness by eschewing the physical bodily comforts in
favor a spiritual altered state of consciousness.
Now days people pursue these altered states of consciousness
through drugs, exercise, work, sex, and adrenaline inducing “extreme sports”
whether participating or just watching.
What does Unitarian Universalism have to offer in
helping people move from a self centered pre-occupation with pleasure to a
mystical state of bliss with the transcendent? Various UUs draw from the six
sources, and UUs practice many different techniques and rituals as taught by
various traditions, but when one considers what Unitarian Universalism has to
offer uniquely its own even if integrating practices from other traditions, it
seems that one is left empty handed and in a limbo.
One woman told me one time that she was drawn to the
UU principles and fellowship but missed the Catholic rituals, liturgy, prayers,
and other practices and finally resolved the two attractions by alternating her
attendance at both a UU church and a RC church.
I think that many UUs, finding the tradition lacking,
do a similar thing maintaining a participation in a UU church but also participating
actively in other faith tradition practices. Perhaps this is good thing and
should be encouraged, but it seems also fragmenting and distracting. This has
been difficult for some congregations who struggle for an identity when there
are factions within congregations of people who prefer one type of religious
expression more than another such as Christian and Buddhist, or Jewish and
Humanist, etc. Perhaps part of the appeal of Unitarian Universalism is that “the
movement,” as some people call it, has no unique identity of its own, but is a
hodge podge of interreligious gobbledygook as pastors and worship committees
try to keep everybody happy.
The point of describing this state of affairs is to
come back to the question of how is a UU congregation to encourage spiritual
growth in its congregation when there isn’t even any agreement on what “spiritual
growth” looks like, consists of, and needs for nurturance.
Unitarian Universalism is a very small denomination
with very few churches and if one preferred a UU church with more of a
Christian orientation, or a Buddhist orientation, or a humanist orientation, or
a earth centered orientation, it is very unlikely that a person could access
such a church within several hundred miles unless one lived in a major
metropolitan area that had three or four or more UU churches.
As one considers this state of affairs, it becomes
apparent that Unitarian Universalism in one congregation can be different in emphasis,
focus, and culture than another. While there are some elements of Unitarian
Universalism that are common threads in these different cultures, are these
common elements enough to hold the congregations together in a meaningful
tradition? The numbers of participants seem to say no. The membership of UU has
been stagnant, if not diminished slightly, over the last few years, and given
the consistent rise of the population, the percentage of the United States
population who identify as UUs has grown smaller. Is it fair to say that
whatever UU congregations are doing to encourage spiritual growth in their
congregations isn’t working at least looking at the numbers of customers buying
the product and services being offered for sale? Of course, it could also be
argued that it’s the quality of the spiritual lives and growth and not the
quantity that matters.
At any rate, let’s start with the basics. What
condition is your condition in? What is your interior spiritual life like and
do you feel and think it is nurtured and encouraged in your congregation, and
if so, how? If a survey were actually done, I would hypothesize that what
people will report as most helpful to their spiritual growth is the fellowship,
but I could be wrong. However, I hypothesize myself that the key ingredient in
a congregational culture facilitating spiritual growth is the holiness of the
pastor. Those who play the key pastoral roles in a congregation are the spark
plug that ignites the engine of congregational life and sets the tone, focus,
and culture within which people thrive, stagnate, or destruct. The pastor needs
a lot of support and certainly can’t do it alone just like a quarterback needs
a good team to run the plays or an orchestra conductor needs talented and
skilled musicians in the orchestra. But encouragement to spiritual growth
starts at the top and cascades down through a congregation for better or worse,
health and sickness, good times and bad, until the relationship between the
shepherd and the flock is disrupted or terminated.
Are holy men and women being ordained into UU
ministry? How are these pastors inspired, encouraged, and nurtured? Therein,
perhaps, is the key to rejuvenating a stagnating denomination.
Outstanding essay! Should be widely read, reflected on and considered. As pointed out, UUs are not known for their spirituality and it starts with the leadership. Are there holy people lighting the way? Forest Church is the only person who comes to mind as I write this.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, bravo for an argument well stated.