Ain’t Texas cute? I mean, I guess when the state government was forced out of its old business of conspiring to frame black people for dealing drugs, and with the effort to defend the sacred right of unfair trials for poor people going so well that it requires little effort anymore, they’ve decided to move on to deciding what is and isn’t a religion. Surprise! Only religions that "have one system of belief” or “simply a belief in God, or gods, or a higher power,” qualify. Coincidentally, that just happens to be the sort of religion practiced by the majority of people in Texas.
I say that Texas should just exercise that clause in their state constitution that splits them into four separate states. At least that would be sort of cool.
From The Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association
[quote]
The living tradition we share draws from many sources:
…<snip> [ul]
[li]Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life. [/li]
[li]Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves. [/li]
[li]Humanist teachings which counsel us to keep the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit. [/li]
[li]Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature. [/ul][/li][/quote]
How does this not fit under “a belief in God, gods or a higher power”? God is clearly in there.
Unitarian Universalism does have one system of belief. It is defined as follows:
Although there is a large Humanist element in UU churches, most of the stricter Secular Humanists can’t abide some of the hocus-pocus that goes on, so they have their own club.
You could argue that UUs are humanists who can’t stomach atheism. In short, UUism != atheism.
The level of stupidity exhibited by this decision is high enough to make my head explode. How did this bozo (Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn) get into office? Texas Dopers, please tell me she was appointed and not elected.
Still, I can’t wait to read Molly Ivin’s take on this. The jaw-dropping idiocy of Stayhorn’s decision is just too rich for her to ignore.
[nitpick]Technically some of the founders were Unitarians, not UUs – there weren’t any of them until the merger with the Universalists in the 1960s. And I’m sure they were quite a bit more Christian than modern UUs, if quite possibly not Christian by conservative standards.[/nitpick]
Such idiocy, nonetheless. And I keep thinking that I kind of like Texas, what with living there for most of my childhood. I know I like Austin. Of course, Austin isn’t like the rest of the state, either. sigh
How did she get elected? In short, republican candidate. Comptroller isn’t ordinarily a very controversial position. All they usually do is collect taxes and watch the books, so I imagine a lot of people just vote for the republican. Still, I can’t imagine that this will go over too well, even in Texas. She might have just ruined her career with this incredibly ignorant move. I really like this part:
Well, apparently, she’s mulling a run for governor in 2006. I googled her and came up with speculation like this, for example. Could she maybe have been tweaking the lefty-granola churches in a misguided attempt to attract positive attention from the hardcore rightwing faithful? Otherwise I see no rationale for this at all.
In the interest of fighting ignorance and all that, let me just amend kung fu lola’s post.
The above is not actually part of what UUs believe (necessarially); it’s more of a descriptive list of where our heritage and philosophical thought originates.
This, though, is what we believe. Thus, a UU can be theist or athiest. Our beliefs as UUs don’t involve God(s) or lack thereof.
Never mind that the Texas Supreme Court recently refused to review an intermediate appellate court decision that said an atheist group was completely entitled to a tax exemption afforded to religious entities. Texas is fucked up, and that’s all you need to know.
If you’re incredibly stupid, that is. Go to hell, Apos. And the rest of you incredibly stupid people, too. Seriously.
Well, in Boston the UUs hide from the world very cleverly–they have as their HQ a large historic mansion on Beacon Street two doors down from the State Capitol building. With signs and pamphlets and a friendly staff and stuff. Sometimes they build or buy large buildings in which they gather and have ‘services’ in, only can’t be that 'cause it’s not a church. First thing in the morning I’m calling the state AG and look into getting their tax exemptions revoked.
Actually, my best friend is a UU, born and raised, and I’ve had some fascinating theological discussions with her. I’m Catholic so you can imagine the different directions we’re coming at the Big Questions from
I don’t know how much interest atheists have in spiritual growth, since they don’t believe in spirit, but okay shrug.
The more salient point of my post was the end, where I refuted the quote from the original aticle that claimed that UUs don’t have a “belief system”. Cause they do. Obviously. Ahem.
Apos, what’s your motivation here? I mean, I’ve read the article and noticed how you misrepresented the facts therein and made some unfounded assumptions. I see your assement of what happened in Tulia and am shocked by your presentation of who bears the guilt. I see you broadbrush the people of the state and suggest that it needs restructuring at your whim. Kindly explain, because I’d hate to think you’ve got some hidden agenda if you’re just fucking stupid.
Generally speaking, I try and assign guilt to the responsible parties. In this case, that would be Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn, Tom Coleman… and you.
OED: "Of or pertaining to, affecting or concerning, the spirit or higher moral qualities, esp. as regarded in a religious aspect. (Freq. in express or implied distinction to bodily, corporal, or temporal.) " I’d go with that definition, allowing athiests the ‘higher moral qualities’ loophole.
Oh dear, it’s bad luck for Christians then. And Muslims. And Bhuddists, and Hindus, and Shintoists.
Nothing in the Offical Atheist Handbook either for or against the spiritual world.
Yes, there is an Official Atheist Handbook.
Chapter 1: Thou Shalt Lack Belief in a God or Gods.
Chapter 2: Thou Shalt Slap People Who Attempt to Append Chapters to this Book With Fish.
