# Long time Unitarian Universalist looking for more **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 14, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717 "2012-10-14T20:35:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/21 "2012-10-15T06:45:54Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > … be it Catholics or UCCs or Reform Jews or Quakers or Secular Humanists or \*\*Scientologists \*\*or a knitting club … Sorry, bee-in-bonnet moment here. **NOT** Scientology. Please, _ **not** _ Scientology! [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/22 "2012-10-15T08:02:44Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Sorry, bee-in-bonnet moment here. **NOT** Scientology. Please, _ **not** _ Scientology! > [/hijack] Yeah, might as well recommend the Assemblies of God. 😉 #imassemblyofgod ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/23 "2012-10-15T12:07:30Z")
> [@SeasideMel](#): > > Dangerosa, I found you reply insulting. I am not looking for God on a plate. I have been developing what I feel is a personal relationship with God. But it helps to have a peer group. That’s why most people go to church. They want to be around others who share their beliefs. I beg your pardon. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/24 "2012-10-15T12:31:11Z")
> [@SeasideMel](#): > > Magical coincidences can be seen as serendipity or the can be seen as signs. I am now open to the idea that they are evidence of a personal God. David Copperfield is Jewish, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/25 "2012-10-15T12:44:48Z")
> [@SeasideMel](#): > > I already believe in a personal God, or at least I’m leaning that way. Magical coincidences can be seen as serendipity or the can be seen as signs. I am now open to the idea that they are evidence of a personal God. Please describe a “magical coincidence”. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/26 "2012-10-15T15:12:10Z")
You seem to be on a spritual journey. You seem to know more about what you don’t want in a church than want you do want. Why not try to let go of some of your rules for what you want a church to be, and let God guide you into the church he wants you to be at? Don’t be afraid to look outside of your comfort zone. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/27 "2012-10-15T15:39:02Z")
At the very least, you should try out the Episcopal Church. They are the epitome of the liberal mainline Christian denomination, and welcome a broad range of theological perspectives. > [@Seaside Mel](#): > > In addition, the UU church I belong to has become dysfunctional, cliquish and sometimes gossipy. Fair warning, you are going to find that in _any_ church, if you stay long enough. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/28 "2012-10-15T16:57:15Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > At the very least, you should try out the Episcopal Church. They are the epitome of the liberal mainline Christian denomination, and welcome a broad range of theological perspectives. > > Fair warning, you are going to find that in _any_ church, if you stay long enough. To the last point, OMG, yes- expand that to “any human organization”. One caveat about the Episcopal Church or any mainline/liberal liturgical Protestant church - the theology & practice may be broad & liberal BUT the liturgy & rites are very Doctrine-Heavy. Now to me, that’s a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Clarisse\_McClellan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Clarisse\_McClellan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clarisse_McClellan)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/29 "2012-10-15T17:12:05Z")
[QUOTE=SeasideMel] happy with it, but after some personal crises, I’ve developed a desire for faith and a Today I attended a United Church of Christ. I wasn’t impressed by that particular congregation, but I’m going to give some others a try. I need a very liberal religion because I don’t believe the bible is the “word of God”; I don’t believe in hell; and I am very accepting of diversity, including homosexuality. I don’t respect a church that tries to shame or scare people into believing what they believe. I want a loving a free religion. So if any of you out there have any ideas for me, let me know. Thank you!! [/QUOTE] You might consider the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Church_(Disciples_of_Christ)). I grew up in this church and they believe in non-literal, personal interpretation of the Bible, individual personal relationship with God and many of them (the churches are all independent of each other) are quite liberal and totally accepting of diversity, including gays and lesbians. The director of the local Planned Parenthood attended the church I grew up in, for example. Might or might not be too much Jesus for your taste. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/30 "2012-10-15T17:32:43Z")
I belong to a very liberal Presbyterian congregation, but there are very conservative Presbyterian churches in this community, too. The key words we try to use in our literature are “inclusive” (which is often church-lingo for accepting gays and lesbians) and welcoming “seekers” or “questioners.” Looking for that kind of language might at least help you narrow the field a bit for church-shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/31 "2012-10-15T17:41:57Z")
Many United Methodist congregations are very accepting. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/32 "2012-10-15T17:56:47Z")
> [@SeasideMel](#): > > I am now open to the idea that [coincidences] are evidence of a personal God. Great - I highly recommend that people be open to ideas. I like to think that I am. You would agree, I assume, that some coincidences are just coincidences, right? I mean, it’s a big world and stuff is happening all the time, and it would be impossible for some coincidences not to occur just by chance occasionally. Have you given any thought to how you would separate those two out - how can you tell if a coincidence is just random chance, or if it’s from a God interacting with you? Even if you couldn’t know with any one event, is there a way to tell that some coincidences must be intentional, statistically? ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/33 "2012-10-15T22:09:49Z")
I’ve gone through crises of faith in the past, the first having me leave the church in which I was raised. I can’t really make any specific advice, but I can tell you a bit about my personal journey so maybe it can help you. For me, I don’t so much believe in a personal God, but that aside, I do believe that coincidences are one of the ways that God will communicate with us. So, I felt that if I put out there to God, that I wanted to have stronger faith and I wasn’t happy, things would show up and answer those questions. One of the first things I did was I did a LOT of talking to people. I talked to friends, I talked to co-workers, I’d even have a few random conversations with strangers. There were some conversations I had where something really struck a chord with me and I’d pursue a little bit in that direction, and some things just really didn’t and I would write a lot of that stuff off. This is really want helped me move on from how I was raised, because I got exposed to a lot of new ideas. Some of it just had me thinking about things I’d been taught but never really thought too much about, sometimes I found I didn’t really believe it, other times questioning it and reassuring it gave me that sense of faith I felt was lacking. Another thing I did was I went looking. Part of that talking was seeing what other denominations of Christian the people I knew were. But I also had plenty of friends that were other religions. I spent a good chunk of time looking at Judaism and Buddhism specifically, but also looked at Islam, Hinduism, a number of various pagan religions, even atheism. Some of them it was pretty quick to see that I just didn’t belong, some of them I learned a great deal from. As for now, I haven’t actually found a church or similar group that I really feel I belong to in the sense that I belonged to that church growing up. Really, I don’t think there’s enough people out there that both agree with me enough and have enough interest in that to have that sort of thing. So, for that part, I’m afraid I can’t really offer much other than that, for me, I’m happy to have a small handful of close friends who, while none feel exactly the same, I can share enough with them that I can get that sort of support in the certain ways when I need it. But it works well for me, and I’m happy with it, so maybe that’s just how it is. And, for now, I’m working on a different question with God. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/34 "2012-10-15T23:49:53Z")
Coming from a different perspective I believe everything is the Word of God (everything that has been created is from God, there is nothing that is created that is not though God), including the Word of God which is called the Bible. There is one part which I feel needs to be the absolute truth or else everything else is worthless, that is ‘seek and you will find’ the seeking is our part, the finding is solely God’s responsibility. My seeking has lead me to disregard any religion and seek God directly, rebuke priests as if they were pharisees, which to me they are, as well as any other religion and religious leader. The other part is absolutely God is Love - that is the only God worth worshiping, if any religion spouses anything but that I know they have no idea of who God is (and they have no understanding of the Word of God - yes I know you don’t accept that but that’s OK). As for your seeking, I would not look for religious institutions as anything but temporary resting and learning points and places to move on from. Good luck and God Bless. Kanic ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/35 "2012-10-16T00:36:49Z")
I don’t have any advice, but I’m enjoying this thread. I’ve attended UU churches and didn’t really get into them but for different reasons. For me it was the emphasis on LGBT rights. I am all for LGBT rights, but LGBT rights are like HIV, a serious problem but a ‘safe’ serious problem, like racism. Supposedly Jimmy Carter steered away from HIV and focused on tropical diseases because those diseases weren’t as ‘sexy’ but were more serious and easier to get under control. I’d want a church that goes in for something like that, focusing on a different branch of social justice and helping people. I love to ramble. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717/36 "2012-10-16T19:32:51Z")
Any chance you could start a theist/deist group within your current UU church?? I know the clergy at mine would be open to, and supportive of that, though if it would take off would be anyone’s guess. Have you made your dissatisfaction known to the clergy at your church? They may tell you to hit the bricks, but there is also a chance that the church would move toward being more what you desire. I am sure the OP knows this, but to the sight seers I’d point out that UU churches are what the congregation decides they will be, so outside of some fairly loose guiding principals (kid’s Sunday school version: “We are Unitarian Universalists, People of faith with open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands.”) every UU church is different, some a lot different. But as has also been mentioned, they are frequently so thin on the ground, that you only have the choice of the one that is closest to you or nothing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-time-unitarian-universalist-looking-for-more/637717.md?page=1)