Oh, and if you want to know if it is a religion, ask if the ministers deal with questions of a ‘Divine’ nature, such as crises of faith, questions of whether God is good (‘why do bad things happen to good people’), healing of spiritual ‘wounds’ (such as dealing with untimely losses as a spiritual process as well as an emotional/mental/physical process), and so forth. I can tell you (as a UUPK - UU preacher’s kid) that they do. Pastoral care and counseling are part of the training (though some take extra training in it - it requires a certain gift).
From my local paper’s religion section this weekend I see that UUs are a pretty bright bunch as they had the highest SAT scores for college bound seniors among all religious affiliations. (UU SAT average of 1209 versus national average of 1020.)
Are typical UUs smart in a “good” way or are they more like those people in a certain smarty-pants organization who are socially inept and geeky? Or a combination of the two?
What exactly do UU preachers say when they preach?
And what kind of hymns do you sing?
Assuming that you preach and sing, of course.
Regards,
Shodan the naive Lutheran
rsa - UUs are pretty much across the board, so there are some geeks (like yours truly) and some homebodies and some folk in the middle…
Shodan - it depends entirely on the particular UU preacher. According to my July newsletter, my particular Reverend will be discussing topics from Home Schooling to Ayn Rand (the latter because one of the things auctioned off at the last fundraiser was a sermon on the topic of the winner’s choice).
Also, a couple of Rev. Betty’s sermons are online at http://www.cvuuf.org/contents.html to give you an example.
As far as hymns, it depends. My congregation is fond of a bunch that I’m starting to get to know pretty well, some of which mention God, some of which sing to the glory that is life, some of which don’t immediately appear to have any “spiritual” quality at all. There is a UU hymnal…probably there’s a link online somewhere, but darned if I know where it is.
Actually, it turns out that there are links to a couple of hymns sung by our congregation on that same page (just scroll down a bit).
While I was writing this, SisterCoyote beat me to the punch. 
But I’m going to include it anyway. (our congregation didn’t sing much when I was going regularly, but began to sing more just as I was leaving - as a consequence, I don’t remember any hymns in particular. I do know a guy who is in the DC area UU Gospel Choir, though… )
RE: what do they preach?
UU Ministers preach on a variety of topics, just like other preachers. It is much like the homily part of some Christian services, though IME the UU version is a bit longer, and may well use a lot of reference materials other than religious texts (such as scholarly works on physics). Topics range from current events (how to define the concept of courage in post-9/11 US) to service (the benefits to self/society/world of cultivating generosity) to personal development (how to live an examined life) to more directly spiritual (examining a variety of religion’s Divine teachers) to matters of culture (how do we define cultural events such as Christmas within our families and as members of our culture - see “the battle for Christmas”, or sharing personal views of a personal process such as a pilgrimage). (note - I just linked examples as I found them, I don’t vouch for them being the best sermons I ever heard. And most of those pages are linked to lists of sermons - feel free to peruse, you might find something of interest)
And also, sermons are a place where the minister bleeds and heals in public, so that other people can see that it is normal to be hurt by the hard things in life, and it is beneficial to heal and move forward - some sermons take on personal issues such as recovering from the death of a child, or remembering to be grateful for the things your parents taught you while you are caring for them as they progress through a terminal illness, or healing after someone you love commits suicide.
One major difference in some (not all) congregations is that ministers are more likely to encourage people to ask questions afterwards, like a seminar or lecture. This can get lively at times, especially in smaller groups. And pulpit supply is also fairly common (guest ministers provide the sermon - increases the range of topics, the style of presentation, and provides a break for one minister, and a new experience for another). My mom did a lot of pulpit supply - she had two small congregations who could only support her as a half-time-and-a-bit minister (combined), so she had one or two sundays a week free to go to other churches and preach.
HTH.
:smack: make that… ‘one or two sundays a MONTH’. Sigh.
What’s the ordination process like for UU ministers?
Drastic - do you mean the actual ordination (the ceremonial process) or the prerequisites/training/preparation process?
Drastic - UU ministers must have a doctorate of divinity.
I’m amazed that post got through. All indications were contrary.
I meant both, though–pre-reqs and ceremony itself, if there’s any such formalized.
Prerequistes:
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A personal driving need to be a minister (essential, and not as ‘duh’ as you’d think).
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A divinity degree from an accredited university or seminary - M.Div. is sufficient, but D.Div. isn’t unusual, either. Best if the seminary includes special topics for UUs, but you can take classes or study to cover those elsewhere if needed.
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Sufficient coursework in the accredited program to pass muster for UUs: UU history/theology/praxis, world religions, critical alnalysis courses for both hebrew and christian texts (requires reading ‘church’ greek/hebrew), and so forth. Much the same as for any other denomination - know the theological background, and know the specifics of your faith.
You also must be able to demonstrate some spiritual depth, relate to others in spiritual crises, and communicate. You need a demonstrable capacity to perform the functions of your office (from preaching to counseling to performing ceremonies to leading worship services to enlisting and supporting volunteers to managing a church…). This depends on the type of ministry ‘path’ you choose, too - some ministries are not actual church ministries, but community ministries, educational ministries, etc. So, for an education path, you’d also have to have the Religious education path requirements, instead.
Once you pass muster on the education, you have to go through a process of approval by the UUA. IIRC, this is the ‘first fellowship’ - acceptance as an available ‘official’ UU minister (this is done at the annual general assembly of the UUA). Most people also choose to have an ordination ceremony, but the exact format of that is flexible, just as the exact format of any UU service is flexible. My mom had us (her kids) involved in the ceremony (we also each designed and/or embroidered portions of her stole). It may include your mentors or other people important to your development on this path offering their formal guidance, or giving you a rite of passage type event. It can take place at the seminary (allowing your profs and other students to participate) or elsewhere. it should be meaningful to you, but isn’t any hard and fast format. Flexible and individual, as appropriate to the UUs.
Done? nope. Then, you still have to find a church. Church-to-minister process is a love match, not an assignment. That is, the church gets to try you out, and you get to try them out, and if you both agree to work together, then you do. But either party can say ‘EEK’ and run. No council of bishops assigning you where they think you should go (so to speak). It is a long, hard, sometimes heartbreaking process, finding a church.
THEN, once you have been an actively practicing minister for a while (it usually ends up being several years at least), you get ‘final fellowship’ - you are then a PERMANENT minister, and if you stop ministering, you are a retired minister. If you don’t get final fellowship, IIRC, and you change jobs, you are then a former minister, not a retired one. Minor difference, but affects how you file your taxes and whether or not you get a pension or other benefits from the UUA. Tax law for ministers is major funky, BTW. Final Fellowships are also bestowed at the GA of the UUA.
Interesting note: One of the things that is likely to get you NOT accepted as a UU minister is the following: The committee checking you out pre-first-fellowship asks you, “Why do you want to be a minister?” You answer with anything other than “AHHH! I don’t want to be a minister. It is a sucky job. I’ve tried to do anything to avoid being a minister, but no matter which way I turn, I find myself driven or drawn in this direction, kicking and screaming all the way. If I had any choice, I’d be something else. But I cannot NOT be a minister.” This is the same answer acceptable to most denominations in the same process - my highschool English teacher tried to be an Episcopal priest, and was (gently) kicked out of seminary for answering that question wrong. (His answer: “My dad was a priest, my grandfather was a priest, my greatgrandfather was a priest… I want to be a priest, too.” BZZZT! Wrong answer!)
Thanks for the very full answer. (I don’t think that first has any “duh” to it at all.)
Drastic, I guess I have looked at ministry from the ‘inside’ for long enough to assume at least a partial ‘duh’ factor would be assumed by others (never assume, eh?). Ministry is like other difficult jobs - if the payoffs don’t come on a regular basis, you have to have a passion to see you through to when the payoffs do arrive. Otherwise, the job sucks you dry in no time. There are huge personal and spiritual rewards in the ministry. But also stress, loneliness, long hours, little privacy, few friends, and a requirement to be professional at all times (on and off the job - you are never ‘not a minister’ even off the clock), and inspirational on a very regular basis. UGH.
So anyone have questions about being a UU in general? Something not a PK-related question, and perhaps more experiential rather than facts-based? Like, how do you express your values in daily life… something we can each pipe up on with our own take? (be prepared for the UU preamble: "Now, I can’t speak for other UUs, but I … ")
Not trying to resurrect an old thread here, but there might be some information of value here.
I recently spent 5 days in Quebec City at the annual General Assembly of the UUA. If there was one thing I took away from that experience it was that different UU churches can be like apples and oranges (no, not because they are tasty fruits). As hedra says, anyone telling you anything about specific practices in UUism will for the most part be talking about their specific experience.
One more thing, than I’ll stop leaning this here boat off course, I promise.
I know just about nothing about accredited divinity programs. Any good resources to correct that? Especially for programs that may be more in tune with the UU’s embrace of plurality? Are there accredited programs that aren’t Christian-focused?
Well, the Starr King School for the Ministry , the Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary, and Harvard Divinity School are probably the three largest, best known places for UUs to get their degrees (the first two being exclusively UU seminaries).
I’m really glad someone started this thread, as I just recently took one of those “what religion suits you the most?” quizzes and was told that my answers were 100% in line with Unitarian Universalist beliefs. However, I know absolutely nothing about the church. I’ve looked at some of the links that you all have provided, and it seems really interesting. I’d ask what you believe, but from the links, it seems pretty complex, so I guess I’ll go with:
Why did you become a UU? What brought you to the church?
Incidently, I’m suprised to see how many Dopers are UUs–I’d barely heard of it before. I need to brush up on my religious knowledge, methinks.
I blame Theadora. Seriously.
Okay, more to the point, and something of a rambling answer, so be warned.
When I was sixteen, I told my mother that I was never setting foot in church again (I was raised Presbyterian). She respected that. So, I gave up on spirituality all together.
Fifteen years later, I met this lovely woman named Theadora through a course my roommate was teaching at California Lutheran University. She’s in her 60s and (at the time) was working on her Bachelors in Theological Studies (she graduated this year and will be going to Starr King in the fall). She seemed like a nice person, but we didn’t have much of a chance to talk.
I had sort of realized that there was a sincere lack in my spiritual life, but couldn’t see myself returning to Christianity. I considered solo paganism to be a little silly even if that was the path that drew me the strongest. So, I was trying to decide what to do. (I also had never heard of UUism). At about that time, I took the online test (at the suggestion of Satan here on the SDMB) and got UU for my primary, Pagan secondary and Liberal Quaker tertiary.
The next week, the spring semester started. I had signed up for a “women in religion” course. So had Theadora. We got to talking and something that I said prompted her to say, “You should come to the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship - you sound just like a UU.”
Well, I dithered about it for a while (Church is church, I thought) and then finally went.
So, the first UU sermon I heard was on the Our Whole Lives program (Sexuality education from the cradle to the grave); the children’s story I heard was “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss.
This was not my mother’s church!
I just kept going. It felt like I’d come “home” - like I’d belonged in a UU congregation all along.
Hope this helps…
I’ve heard a lot of interesting stories about why people became UU. Mine sort of goes from the inside out, since I was raised UU.
The first time I can remember going to a “normal” church there were a few minutes of play followed by an order to sit cross legged on the floor. A woman sitting in a chair gave a lecture about God: how good God is, how wise God is, etc. I’d had to discard a particularly interesting toy to listen to this. She didn’t sound very impressive. Finally I questioned one of her examples out loud."
“Whenever you see a flower,” she said, “the bee has already been there.” This was connected to God’s greatness in her logic.
“I once saw a flower that had a drop of nectar on it. A bee hadn’t been to that one yet.”
“You were mistaken.”
“But if you see a bee working in a bunch of flowers and it’s still at work, that means it hasn’t been to all of them yet.”
“It had already been to them all before you arrived.” Whatever this had to do with God still escapes me, but it was important to her.
“Suppose you saw a flower bud and watched it until it opened. Then you’d see it before the bee arrived.”
“It would get there while you were away.”
“Not if you stayed next to the flower,” I reasoned.
“The…bee…got…there…first!”
Maybe she thought I was causing trouble. I was just a perfectly normal six-year-old Unitarian Universalist who didn’t know that open debate could be taboo.
In my congregation there are a lot of people like me…
Have kids, don’t want our kids raised in the religion we were raised, want the kids to have some sort of formal religious framework while acknowledging our own lack of knowing the right answer. Many of us are mixed marriages…some Christian/Other, some Believer/Non-Believer - UU started as the compromise.
On the topic of mixed marriages…I am a believer (of sorts, though not of the JCI God figure), my husband is an atheist. Every year around Christmas I pick up the women’s magazine in the dentists office and read the article on mixed marriages - it always has the flavor of “some nice Catholic woman falls in love with a nice Jewish boy and they decide to give their children both religions, but how does Hannukah fit with the steamroller that is Christmas.” I’m always vaguely amused - and vaguely disappointed that the article never covers anything like my friend - a “church twice a week liberal Baptist” married to an atheist with two kids.