A friend recommended I go to a Unitarian service so I’m on the way out the door. I’ve always enjoyed the idea of a weekly group fellowship meeting to sort of reset one’s moral compass for the week and to be re-energized. That being said, I’m an Athiest who is not keen on the idea of organized religion. I’ve heard the Unitarian Church is accepting of all religious denominations. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’m going to give it a try today to see if I like it. It would nice to feel a part of community of like minded thinkers. Do you think this is a good place for an Athiest? If they try to convert me into something else through social pressure, I’ll probably head for the hills. I’m into logical rational thought, not mass hypnosis.
I would say yes.
My mother attended Unitarian church services, and I often came along to play music. Quite a few of the church members were atheists.
If you contrast your point of view to theirs as logical rational thought vs mass hypnosis, it might not go well.
My impression is that they are not preachy about this although there are people who have different views about the supernatural, they will share those views and you have to play nice with them.
Speaking of your interest in terms of “weekly group fellowship meeting to sort of reset one’s moral compass for the week and to be re-energized” seems the right way to go. I’d put emphasis on that and keep my mouth shut when I felt the urge to make a snarky/disparaging comments even if, like you, I think it’s all gobblins and faeries.
In other words, being an atheist is unlikely to be a problem in a UU meeting. Being a certain kind of atheist could be a problem.
Sure. Church qua Community Center, it’s one of those.
Depends on the particular congregation. The one closest to my house is very humanist. Some are Jesus-lite, some are paganish, etc.
Considering they don’t really believe anything (while simultaneously believing in everything), yeah, it’s perfect.
I’ve generally regarded Unitarians/Universalists as “The Church of Secular Humanism.” For what its worth.
What beliefs would you expect UUs to convert or hypnotize you into believing?
Since there is no set ideology that they all accept, I don’t see how it would be possible.
From what I understand, different congregations may have different flavors based on who shows up, but it’s generally very popular with atheists who just enjoy having a church ritual or the social experience. I’m pretty confident that you’ll fit in.
I think this.
let us know how you liked it. I’m interested because I’ve only been to one VERY small UU church. I would love to visit some larger ones and see what they are like. but folks tell me that all of them are unique.
The classic UU joke is about the guy who stands up in the middle of the service and shouts “Hallelujah! I just found religion!” to which the minister replies, “Well, you certainly didn’t get that HERE!”
I went to a Unitarian church one. It was creepy. They were talking about needing money for a new church and it coming form unexpected sources. All eyes, I felt, were on me. I left clutching my wallet, vowing never to return. Plus they made us feel one another up. No, really, we were supposed to MASSAGE each other. I refused to participate. My son who came along participated, but said he felt dirty and used afterward.
True story!
There was a Unitarian service that would broadcast on the radio in Chicago, and I thought it was o.k. There was an inclusiveness and a non-judgemental hopefulness that I found refreshing, but it also seemed a bit political, which threw me.
My mother attended a UU church where the pastor was an atheist. It was more of a meeting for people interested in social justice issues than for religious worship.
I just got back.
I had a good experience. The talk was on democracy and how it is implemented. That was right up alley. It gave me some good food for thought. There was a panel speaking, not one person, so it never felt like a lecture to me. The people were not judgmental. I liked the format, the variety of music, and the subject matter. So far, I’m willing to go again and explore further. It was a small group. Also there were many musical people in the congregation. That’s a nice perk to find some more people who are musical like me.
To reply to another poster’s comment, I am accepting of other people’s faiths. I have my own personal beliefs, and I have always felt defensive about opening up about them (teaching in the school system has made me reluctant to be very public about any controversial opinion). I told people I met in the centre today that I was an athiest who is interested in finding a community. They were all very accepting of that. I always am respectful of other people’s religious beliefs.
If not the Unitarian church, you might try a Mormon or Seventh Day Adventist one. I hear they’re really accepting of various beliefs.
Atheist. You’re an Atheist.
I mean, unless it’s a competition to be the most Athy, and you won.
(Sorry for the hijack, but I think if you’re going to label yourself, it’s worth spelling the label correctly)
I’m glad the UU experiment went well. I’ve been to a small congregation a couple times and was pretty bored, but they are very tolerant of atheists.
Maybe your area has a non-religious church-like group like this one. A Lutheran pastor came out as an atheist on MSNBC last year, and he has since started a humanist “community grounded in reason”. The sermons are usually about evolutionary psychology, and the scripture is usually a passage from a Dan Dennett book. They’re going to offer an alternative to Vacation Bible School for kids. The congregation includes people from the pastor’s previous congregation and also members of the local freethought meetup groups.
Or. . .
Jews address their prayers to G-d.
Catholics address their prayers to Mary.
Unitarians address their prayers to “To Whom it May Concern.”
Um . . . no.
Unitarian Universalism is a non-credal community. That means the hierarchy does not promote or insist on any one belief. That does not mean the members “don’t really believe anything (while simultaneously believing in everything)”. It means each individual is welcome, regardless of his or her beliefs and encouraged in a free and responsible search for truth, whatever its form. Some individuals believe that Jesus of Nazareth is their Savior. Others recognize the divine as both male and female with many facets and practice magic as a type of worship. Still more have either drawn no conclusion or believe that there is no God or that God is ultimately unknowable.
So for any given congregation, you can say that most beliefs are represented and that no belief is represented. To say that we belief nothing while simultaneously believing everything is insulting.
I’m sorry. That must have been very uncomfortable and even a little frightening. UU congregations tend to be very individualistic, and each one has a different personality. That one sounds like both the minister and the congregation had gone off the rails.
Or:
There’s a big fire in a town, and among other buildings, a few houses of worship are in danger. The priest runs into their church to save their large, historical Bible. The rabbi runs into the synagogue to save the scrolls of the Torah. The UU minister runs into their meeting house to save the coffee pot.
(My family converted from a strict Christian sect to the United Church of Christ (UCC) when I was in high school. That’s about as liberal as you get in the US when it comes to Christian churches, at least in many congregations. The joke there is that “UCC stands for ‘Unitarians Considering Christ.’” 
)