What are you doing for lent?

Wednesday, February 18, 2015 is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning in the Christian Calendar of Lent. Lent is a period of recollection, intensive pensive awareness about the meaning of life. In the Roman Catholic tradition it was a period of voluntary penance, giving something up, and fasting. There is nothing sacred about the ascetic practices of self deprivation in and of themselves, but rather as a means of altering our consciousnesses so we can be aware of ourselves and our place in the Universe. Lent is a time of giving up our hubris and practicing humility and recognizing that we are only a small part of the interdependent web.

Lent can be a time in our Unitarian Universalist tradition of practicing the seventh principle by making small sacrifices for the sake of other living things and our planet as a way of acknowledging our interdependence. Lent is a time for making ourselves small so that we can open space for other human beings and other things which make up the web of life.

If you would, will you share your intentional Lenten practice this year with us on UUAWOL by leaving a comment about what you are intentionally doing to remind yourself and maybe others of our interdependence?

My Kind Of Church Music - Holy Now, Peter Mayer

I went to church yesterday, Sunday, 02/15/15, with my friend Don and it was a wonderful service partly because John Akers played and sang Peter Mayer's great song, Holy Now.


 

Only 15% of the population are Good Samaritans according to this study in Sweden

The modern day Good Samaritan story. How many people would stop and offer help? 15%. How many Unitarian Universalists would stop?



If Unitarian Universalists practice their first principle, to affirm and promote the inherent worth and digntiy of every person, they would definitely stop, wouldn't they?

Unitarian Universalism fails because of lack of centralized leadership and discipline

by Brendan O'Reardon

Unitarian Universalism as a denomination will never grow and expand and have much of an organizational influence in our society because of the way it is organized.

It is organized as a loosely affiliated association of smaller independent organizations which are accountable to the larger association by only meager requirements and expectations. This lack of accountability to any set of operating and practice standards leave the local organizations floundering.

Because of the lack of any oversight or higher authority, conflicts and disagreements at the local organizations disintegrate due to localized infighting and schisms. In this day and age with multiple opportunities for affiliation of other kinds, individuals and families walk away and the local organizations become too small to support themselves. Most UU congregations are under 100 people. These small conflicted clusters do not provide a support base for a vibrant national and international organization.

Until local UU congregations are willing to submit themselves to a higher discipline  and accountable cooperation, Unitarian Universalism will continue to be a marginalized and an ineffectual organizational presence in American society. The model of loosely associated cells has not worked and nationally Unitarian Universalism is loosing membership and has no where near the impact it should have given the worth of its ideals..

50 % of Americans believe that their God influences sport outcomes. Football fans believe the most.

According to an article in The Week, 02/13/15, "One in four Americans agrees with the statement, 'God plays a role in determining which team wins a sporting event.'"

Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

For more click here.

How do you think Unitarian Universalists would answer the survey question above?

Is it too easy to become a Unitarian Universalist?

I orignally posted this article on another blog, I used to write, called "ChaliceFire" when I was a member of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church in Albion, NY. I was asked to take the blog down by the pastor of that church even though I was clear that I was writing it as an individual not as a member of the church and I did so out of respect. There are number of good articles on it and I am republishing them here. This article appeared on ChaliceFire on 11/16/08, six years ago. It is as appropriate and relevant now if not even more so than it was then. I had lunch with a friend last week 02/05/15, who asked me what I thought of the practice of "just signing the book?" I had forgotten I had written this article but I shared with him the same basic ideas 7 years later. It is also interesting that the article never generated any comments at its initial publishing 7 years ago. Let's see what happens this time around.

 Is Unitarian Universalism a social club or a way of life? David Markham discusses Michael Durall's idea of "Integrity of membership."

Video lasts 7:56

Tuesday night class #8 - Does playing games have inherent worth and dignity?