Religion in the public square - UU A Way Of Life endorses Jaime Harrison for senate from South Carolina

The Senate of the United States is the least representative, most undemocratic institution in the United States. Every state has two senators regardless of the population of the state. Wyoming with the lowest population of the 50 U.S. states with less than 600,000 people has two senators while California with the largest population of the 50 U.S. States  with almost 40 million people has only two senators as well.

The Senate has the power to obstruct legislation from the House of Representatives and exert other powers such as failing to convict President Trump on his charges of impeachment.

The beliefs, values, voting records of each of the 100 Senators affects all Americans. Although, all Americans are affected by the decisions in the Senate, only a small minority of American people get to decide who these decision makers will be by being able to vote on their representation. However, we can influence who our fellow Americans vote for in their states to be their senators. Therefore, all Americans should pay attention to who our fellow Americans in their states are voting for. We can influence their decisions about who they are voting to be their Senatorial decision makers in their state and for all Americans.

Here, at UU A Way Of Life, we are paying attention to who is running for Senate this fall. Some of the Senatorial candidates beliefs, values, policies, and values are more in alignment with UU principles that others. While you may not be able to vote in an individual state for a senatorial candidate, you can participate in the senatorial campaigns to influence the voters on choosing wise, ethical, and compassionate senators.

There will be a series of articles throughout the fall, endorsing a preferred Senatorial candidate. Readers are encouraged to support the preferred candidates campaign in any way they can. Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of democratic processes within our congregations and in society at large, and to affirm and promote a world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

Thank you for your attention and support in improving the quality of decision makers in our United States Senate.

UU A Way Of Life endorses Jaime Harrison instead of Lindsay Graham in South Carolina.

Lindsay Graham has failed the American people in so many ways it is overwhelming to catalog his departure from UU principles. Suffice it to point out that Lindsay has become a major apologist for Trumpism and supported President Trump's polices of racism, xenophobic, homophobia, misogyny, and corruption.

Jaime Harrison offers the hope of integrity, equality, justice, and compassion. Jaime Harrison's values, beliefs, and past behavior is much more in alignment with UU principles. Please support his campaign as we have here at UU A Way Of Life.

The video below was done on 02/29/20 so it is a bit dated but it gives you a sense of Jaime Harrison's values and beliefs.

Spiritual practices - Component #2: Kindness - Do a good deed daily and random acts of kindness

Do a good deed daily and random acts of kindness

To strengthen the spiritual component of kindness and eliminate the cardinal sin of meanness we can regularly practice random acts of kindness.

Boy Scouts of America in the 1950s had a motto, “Do a good deed daily.” The silly meme involved a boy scout in uniform helping an old lady cross a street. While the meme was somewhat silly, the motto is excellent and, if practiced daily as instructed, is a spiritual practice which contributes to an intentional desire to inculcate kindness into our daily lives.

As my friend, Al, reminded me at a low point in my life, the measure of a man’s life is not money, glory, honor, or any other indicator of success in the world of the ego, but kindness.

Kindness is not the same as being nice. Kindness is caring enough to help people become their better selves. In doing so, we become our better selves one day at a time, and hopefully one day after another.

So while it is a good spiritual practice to do random acts of kindness it may be even better to do a good deed daily. Of course these two ideas are not mutually exclusive. We can do both. How about doing a good deed daily and in addition engage in other random acts of kindness as well?

Explaining things to kids - Importance of conscience and guilt

Management of guilt.

“What do you do when the President of the United States engages in name calling, bullying taunts, and inciting  violence? Donald Trump often calls his opponents stupid, losers, rapists, drug dealers, gang members and belittles them with names and taunts like ‘Little Marco,’ ‘Lying Ted,’ ‘Crooked Hillary,’ ‘Sleepy Joe.’  He encourages people at his rallies to punch protesters in the face and he will pay their legal bills, to ‘use their second amendment rights,’ and that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his voters would still vote for him. He brags to his buddies that he can kiss women, fondle their pussies, and they let him because he is rich and famous. How can we expect kids to stop bullying, name calling, taunting, sexally assaultinig women, and lying  when they see the President of the United States not only do it but win an election.?”

There is a question about whether the President of the United States is any longer a role model that would want our children to emulate or aspire to be like. But even more egregious and concerning are the millions of Americans who support and enable such behavior. What kind of a world are we raising our children in and how do we guide them?

The question moves outside the arena of politics to one of morality. There are good Republicans and bad Republicans just as there are good Democrats and bad Democrats, but regardless of political party affiliation, bullying and verbal and physical assault are wrong.

We need to teach our kids the difference between right and wrong. Good parents help their child develop a conscience and act upon it. The conscience sometimes makes children and us feel guilty. This kind of guilt is a good thing. Guilt needs to be recognized, acknowledged, and addressed. How?

If we do something wrong we are to admit it, take responsibility for our mistakes (sins), and act to repair the harm we’ve done. Further, we are to learn from the experience and consider and plan for how we could avoid repeating the same mistake again.

Donald Trump has been called a psychopath because he seems to have no guilt, never admit mistakes, never take responsibility for the harm he has done, and never seek forgiveness and attempt to repair the damage he has caused.

When it comes to role models, the worst thing is not Donald Trump’s behavior manifesting the destructive, harmful things he has done, but more importantly his unwillingness to take responsibility for it.

One of the most important tasks of parenting is helping children develop a conscience and learn how to constructively manage their guilt. The most important role model for children is not the President of the United States but their own parents. Does the parent admit mistakes, seek forgiveness, make amends, and learn from the experience?

Letters from Hilton, NY - Letter #1 concerning peace and joy

Letter #1: Concerning peace and joy

It’s been quite a month in Hilton, NY where Harry Hollywood has been working on his book on spiritual health. Harry says he got the idea when he was writing on his blog about the spiritual life. Harry explained that people worry about their physical health, their mental health, but rarely, if at all, consider their spiritual health.

Harry’s description included 12 components of spiritual health, and 12 cardinal sins that mitigate or interfere with spiritual health. Barbara Golden called the cardinal sins pathogens which contribute to spiritual sickness to stick with the metaphor and not mix it.

Jacob wanted to know what spiritual practices can be engaged in to improve one’s health and various people had various ideas. Harry reminded people that talking about spiritual practices without naming a component of spiritual health they were trying to improve made no sense.

Elmer asked, “What the hell are you talking about? Spiritual health - I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is this real or are you just making up more of your psychobabble mumbo jumbo?”

Barbara said, “No, Elmer, spiritual health is a real thing and I am wondering what kind of condition yours is in. You seem cranky and irritable a lot.”

Elmer said, “So what if I am. I’m an old man. I’ve got a right to be cranky and irritable. A lot of old men, and old ladies are, too, for that matter.”

Barb replied, “Wouldn’t you like to have more peace and joy in your life?”

“Is that what you’re selling? Is that what this is all about: making a buck,” said Elmer.

Barb said, “No, Elmer” spiritual health is free for the asking and the doing.”

Jennifer Golddigger chimed in, “Well, I would be more interested if there was some money in it. Otherwise, why bother?”

Ted Marketer said, “You could do some lectures, you know classes, and post them to YouTube. If you get some traffic they will put ads on the videos and you can get money.”

Jennifer said, “Great idea! what could I say?”

Roy Christian said, “Start with peace and joy. Everybody wants more of that.”

Elmer piped up, “How do you get more of that?”

Barb said, “Forgiveness, Elmer. You have to become more forgiving - you know, stop blaming other people for your own unhappiness.”

“It is their fault,” shouted Elmer. “These idiots make me so mad I could spit.”

Jennifer said, “Maybe you should let it go, Elmer. You know, rise above it as they say.”

“Easier said than done,” said Elmer.

“It takes practice,” said Harry. “That’s why they call it a ‘spiritual practice.’

Elmer for once fell silent. He didn’t seem to have anything to say to that. Jennifer smiled and you could see the wheels turning. Barb smiled beatifically and Ted looked very pleased with himself. Jacob thought forgiveness would give him much more peace and joy.  Harry looked bemused and peaceful. And that’s the way things have been in Hilton, NY this past month where people are considering the things they could do to enhance their spiritual health with a special goal of creating more peace and joy by being more forgiving..

The Twelve Cardinal Sins

The Twelve Cardinal Sins

The mission of UU A Way Of Life is to improve spiritual health, reduce immoral and sinful behavior, and work across systems for positive societal change.  “Sinful” in the context of the UU A Way Of Life mission statement is defined as mistaken. The mission statement could read, “reducing immoral and mistaken behavior” but the mistakes being referred to are ones that cause spiritual injury and so we use the word “sinful.”.


“Cardinal sins” are major sins. They are the categories for types of sins and within each category there could be many sins enumerated. In describing the cardinal sins we are attempting to describe the category of mistakes which cause harm, suffering, and death whether psychological, social, spiritual, or physical.

Click on the link to take you to a description of each of the twelve categories which are juxtaposed to the components of spiritual health.

1. Destructive management of fear
2. Meanness 
3. Blaming, attack, and vengeance
4. Separation, enhancement of the ego
5. Conditional love, indifference, abandonment
6. The unexamined life
7. Individualism instead of interdependence
8. Slavery, and acedia
9. Blaming and victimhood
10. Being fake and phoney
11. Taking the world of the ego seriously
12. Certainty,  the need to be right, arrogance

In the pursuit of spiritual health not only do the components of spiritual health need to be nurtured and practiced to be strengthened, but the cardinal sins need to be recognized, acknowledged, and managed with the intent to diminish or eliminate their influence on one's life.

If you can't name the sin you cannot manage it. If you can't name it and manage it, forgiveness is not achievable because you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over and over again. 

Explaining things to kids - You can't play here. Only white people.

You can’t play here. Only white people.

The kids were kindergarten age and on the playground in the park. The six year old African-American girl went up to the spinning merry- go-round with about four other kids on it and as she started to get on, one of the white girls already on the merry-go-round hollered, “Only white people!”

As I witnessed this, my stomach fell. I started to get anxious and perspire. My heart rate increased, my breathing became shallow, my muscles tensed, I became light headed. At first, I didn’t believe what I had heard, but then as I saw the African- American girl back off, head down, turn and run across the playground to what looked like her mother, I wondered, what if anything I should do.

I am a white guy. What would it look like if I tried to stop the merry-go-round and talk to these little girls? Maybe I should talk to their parents. Who did these kids belong to on this playground? I am here with my 8 year old son who is on the slide. What just happened doesn’t have anything to do with me, or does it?

This could be what is called a “teachable moment” but what to teach and how to teach it?

Having given it some thought,  I walked over the merry-go-round” and said to the little white girl, “You shouldn't have said that. It wasn’t nice.” As he circled around, she looked at me startled that I would be talking to her. Her little playmates looked somewhat scared too.”

As the merry-go-round slowed down, I said,”What you said and did to that girl is racist and being racist is bad. You should go and apologize to her for not letting her play because of the color of her skin.”

The girl started to cry and the other kids looked very concerned. I just stood there.

The little girls all jumped off the merry-go-round and ran across the playground in different directions. I tried to see where the one little girl who had said the racist words went but lost sight of her.

Will she tell her parents what happened? Will she and the other little girls ever talk together about what happened? Will someone complain to the police about the pervert in the park that was harassing little white girls on the playground?

I never heard anything further about the incident. I don’t know if my actions that day made a difference to anyone. I often wondered whether my actions did anything to make the world a better place. I also wonder if the possible benefit of helping to make the world a more just place was worth the risk?

Jesus said that the way to the kingdom is “to love as I have loved.” Somebody, one day, asked Mother Teresa, “Who should I love?” Mother Teresa, “Whomever life puts in your path.”

For some reason or not, life put these kids in my path that day and led me to witness racism in young children. What is a loving person to do? We have many choices. I don’t know if I did the best thing, but looking back now, I am glad that I did it.

Spiritual practices - Component one: To strengthen our experience of peace and joy we need to practice forgiveness.

To strengthen our experience of peace and joy we need to practice forgiveness.

Today we begin the first article in a series on spiritual practices to enhance the components of spiritual health and reduce the prevalence of immoral and sinful behavior.

The first component of spiritual health is peace and joy and the first cardinal sin is the destructive management of fear. What are the spiritual practices that enhance peace and joy and reduce the prevalence of the destructive management of fear? The foremost practice is forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the willingness to give up making other people and circumstances responsible for your unhappiness. Playing the victim in a way that blames others and makes them responsible is irresponsible. No one else can take responsibility for your unhappiness. Ultimately, the only person responsible for your happiness is you. Jesus demonstrated this practice when He said, on the cross as they were executing HIm, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” And they didn’t. And two thousand years later we still are telling this powerful story.

Gary Renard, the teacher of A Course In Miracles, describes what he calls “forgiveness opportunities”. We have tens of them every day. Every time we are annoyed, hurt, angry, resentful, defensive, spiteful, scared, we can catch our rising emotion and ask ourselves how we can best manage it to dissipate it, to defuse it, to diminish it, and return to a state of peace and joy.

We can take a deeper breath and stand back, stand down, go silent, and as they say in Alcoholics Anonymous, “turn it over.”

A little prayer of letting go, turning it over, and asking God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Life, whatever you conceive of your Higher power to be, to help you, to be there with you, to take part of the burden off your shoulders.

In AA they say, “Let go and let God,” or simply “Let go.”

Christians say to “Give it to God,” or “offer it up.”

In Buddhism we are advised to detach with love.

The type of forgiveness being recommended here has nothing to do with the perceived offender. It has everything to do with becoming aware of the harm but choosing not to play the victim.

This spiritual practice of forgiveness takes a lot of practice. We get better at it as we persist and implement the practice in our daily lives sometimes minute to minute and hour to hour. It is a rising above the nonsense of the ego world. Jesus said to be in the world but not of the world. Choosing to not be of the world but to dwell in the realm of the Spirit in peace and joy through forgiveness is a fundamental practice to improve our spiritual health.