PAGE CONTENTS:
In Defense of an Atheist
by John Morgan
The Faith Which Is In Us
by Derek Lee Parker
Finding Calm in the Midst of the Storm
by F. Vernon Chandler
Endureth Forever?
by Derek Lee Parker
What’s in a Name?
by Gordon B. McKeeman
Full Moons
by Rich Koster
From Inside Katrina
by Linda Foshee
____________________________________________________________________
IN DEFENSE OF AN ATHEIST
BY John Morgan
When I called attention to an article written by an atheist calling on other atheists to be
more tolerant toward theists (“Rational Atheism,” in the Scientific American , I remarked to
someone that it inspired me to write an article asking that those who believe in God to
show more tolerance toward those who don’t. This is it. My close friend and mentor,
George Willard, called himself a “born again pagan” to get attention, but he was an atheist
who believed the problem of evil did not permit a classical Universalist doctrine of God’s
love.
George also was a Unitarian Universalist who probably would not have been accepted
into most religious organizations. I can almost hear him laughing when I state this, but he
was also one of the most godly persons I have known, if by this one means a truly
generous man.
I would have a hard time excluding George from anything because of his atheism. He was
fond of saying that the opposite of belief is not unbelief -the opposite of belief is
indifference. And George was hardly indifferent, reading physics, theology, and, yes, he
would confide in secret, even the Bible.
He would then remind me of the words of W.C. Fields caught reading the Bible on his
deathbed. When his friends asked him why, Fields responded: “I’m looking for
loopholes. It’s hard to exclude an atheist who happens to be a mentor and friend. George
was more interested in the life and teachings of Jesus than most Christians. Better yet,
he paid attention to the most needy. Once, when I saw him helping a runaway girl and
asked him why, he responded: “Well, what would Jesus have done?”
Can you be a good and honest person if you don’t believe in God, or life eternal, for that
matter? George certainly was one of the best persons I have ever known. And,
paradoxically, can you live the Way of Jesus without believing he was the son of God?
George certainly lived a life that seemed to me to exemplify what Jesus taught was
important. In George’s memory, I would ask those of you who don’t believe you can be a
moral, even spiritual person to think again. There are a number of reasons for doing so.
First, some atheists have taken God more seriously than some believers and simply
decided they cannot in good conscience affirm what they don’t believe. And some
believers, like myself, have known the dark night of the soul and can identify with others
who have felt it, too. Second, shouting is not a substitute for honest dialog, which is based
on listening to one another, seeking common ground. If we cannot agree on God or the
afterlife, perhaps we can still join forces to save the planet from our greed.
I remember one morning sitting in George’s living room and watching the light stream
through a rainbow prism in a window. “Ah, the rainbow, a sign of God’s promise,”
George remarked quietly as I sat wondering just want kind of “atheist” he really was.
George must have suspected what I was thinking, because without missing a beat he
said: “We can always hope, John, that’s one thing we can hope for together”
John Morgan is a retired UU pastor, a writer, the Herald Contributing Editor, a member of
The Herald Board of Directors, and a member of the Board of the Christian Universalist
Association.
The Faith Which Is In Us
by Derek Lee Parker
In a previous professional incarnation, I worked as a paleontologist and curator at a small
research museum in Ohio. Part of my training for that work had been done at Chicago’s
Field Museum of Natural History where I took classes on genetic taxonomy, paleobotany,
and the evolution of mammals. I remember a zoology exam where I was given what turned
out to be the skull of a platypus, which I wrongly identified as the skull of a goose.
There are some things which we encounter in life, which force us to reconsider how we
classify things. If it has a bill like a goose, has webbed feet like a goose, and lays eggs
like a goose, is it a goose? When it comes to the platypus, what about all that troublesome
hair and those milk glands?
When I began attending Unitarian Universalist churches, I was told that Humanism meant
certain things largely defined by a 1933 document called “The Humanist Manifesto”.
Humanism meant finding truth through the scientific method. Humanism meant that all
religious systems involving God were obsolete. Humanism meant the triumph of reason
over all things that could not be rationally proved. The first part intrigued this young
scientist. Growing up in the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod, religious openness to
science was a fabled gem that I could not find in my home church. The other reputed
aspects of Humanism bothered me. It reminded me of the way my childhood church
argued that Christianity made Judaism obsolete. That kind of supremacism felt
presumptuous to me, no matter if it came from a Humanist or a Lutheran. Additionally I
knew that not everything in the human experience was subject to rational proof. The beauty
I find in Salvador Dali’s artwork is hardly a mathematical theorem or scientific proof. I may
love his work, but somebody somewhere probably finds his paintings ugly.
When I was new to Unitarianism and Universalism I decided that I did not like the way
Humanism sliced the liberal religious pie. What had been presented to me could not fit
with integrity into my human experience. I have always loved science, and the discovery of
Nature’s order. But I also did not want to arrogantly dismiss the human experiences of
billions of people who had encountered divinity in some form. Nor did I want to neglect the
less rational glories of being human: poetry, artwork, drama, as well as my emotions. Of
these issues, the God issue became increasingly problematic. In my 33 years I’ve had
three mystical experiences that I have come to best understand as being encounters with
the presence of God. Should I deny these things, because like the bill on a platypus, they
do not cleanly fit into the traditional definitions?
Our Unitarian prophet Theodore Parker, once asked questions about what was
permanent and what was transient in Christianity. Are the rituals and the creeds
permanent or transient? Are the ethics of Jesus permanent or transient? In recent years I’
ve found myself I asking questions about what is permanent and transient about
Humanism.
One of the pleasant surprises in my search for answers came in the form of a theologian
named Giovanni Pico della Mirandolla, who in 1486 wrote Oration On the Dignity of Man.
Considered by many to be a founding document for Humanistic religious thought, in it Pico
argued from a Christian context that humanity is defined by its quest for knowledge
grounded in human experience. From this point forward I found a long lineage of thinkers
including Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536), Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), T.S. Eliot (1888-
1965), and Don Cupitt (born 1934); for whom Humanism was and continues to be a
Christian school of theology. Here was a theological platypus that forced me to rethink my
classifications.
I believe that for far too long some Universalists and Unitarians have accepted definitions
of Christianity and Humanism that are narrow and mutually exclusive. I feel called to move
beyond this divide towards a more convergent spirituality. What is permanent about
Humanism? Being anti-Christian? Believing that the only things worth knowing are those
things which can be scientifically proven? Thinking that other religions are obsolete? I no
longer think that these are the permanent and defining characteristics of Humanism.
Humanistic religion, whether Christian or not, whether theistic or non-theistic, is a faith
which is in us. It is the faith in us, in so far as it makes the throne of religious meaning-
making both human experience and human reason. This faith is broadly within humanity’s
science and mysticism, objective reason and subjective creativity, and within both our
experiences of God and our experiences of “no-God”. And if there are any people capable
of advocating both Humanism and Christianity in broad and inclusive terms, it should be
those of us who call ourselves Universalist. Anything less might make a goose out of a
platypus.
The Rev. Derek Lee Parker holds joint standing with both the UUA and the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers). He presently serves as Education Minister at the Friends
Meeting of Irvington, Indiana.
Finding Calm in the Midst of the Storm
by F. Vernon Chandler
As you descend along many of the heavily traveled mountain roads in western North
Carolina, you will often find signs identifying upcoming "runaway truck ramps." These
inclined dirt ramps are usually 50 - 100 yards in length and consist of several mounds of
gravel or sand. The purpose of the ramp is to safely slow a runaway truck. If you are a
trucker with a loaded trailer and lose your breaks going down one of those mountain
highways, what a relief it must be to come upon one of these runaway truck ramps!
These are difficult times in which we live. Never in my life have I felt a greater passion for
issues involving social action and social justice. At other times I am tempted to despair
with feelings of hopelessness as I reflect upon the plight of America and our fragile planet.
I know the same is true for many of you who are reading this article. It is easy to lose a
sense of spiritual balance as we involve ourselves in the issues of social action and
social justice. How can we maintain a sense of hope when our efforts seem to bring little
or no positive results? Sometimes our lives feel like runaway trucks and we yearn for
emotional and spiritual runaway truck ramps.
The late Catholic priest, Anthony de Mello, is one of my favorite spiritual writers. In TAKING
FLIGHT, the last book he wrote prior to his death, de Mello gives the following illustration
related to prayer: "There was an exhausted woodcutter who kept wasting time and energy
chopping wood with a blunt axe because he did not have time, he said, to stop and
sharpen the blade."
The well-known Quaker, George Fox, used to say, "Carry some quiet around inside thee.
Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit, from thy own thought, and then thou wilt feel
the principle of God to turn thy mind to the Lord from whence cometh life; whereby thou
may receive the strength and power to allay all storms and tempests."
I have found that my need for devotional time and prayer has increased as I exert more of
my time and energy to issues related to social action and social justice. I need a spiritual
discipline to help me feel balance and hope. Allow me to share with you one of my own
spiritual discipline "runaway truck ramps." It was about 6 years ago when I began the
discipline of beginning each morning with devotion and prayer. Along with devotion and
prayer, I began to create a devotional altar within my home. My altar has grown over the
years and now consists of religious icons and symbols from all over the world. I have
statues of the Buddha from Korea, India and Thailand; Catholic crucifixes from Hungary,
Italy and Mexico; a menorah from Jerusalem; a small replica of the Blue Mosque from
Istanbul; and numerous Eastern Orthodox icons of Jesus and various saints from the
Balkans and Eastern Europe. It is at my home altar that I keep my devotional book. For the
past several years, my devotional book has been MY IMITATION OF CHRIST by
Thomas`a Kempis. What a great little devotional book! Although I have read this book from
cover to cover several times, the readings are always fresh and inspiring. When I travel, I
pack a couple of the icons and my devotional book in my suitcase and I try and re-create a
temporary small altar in my hotel or guest room. I have found that having a special place in
my home or room for devotion and prayer adds to the peace and tranquility I experience
during the minutes I spend in spiritual reflection. When I sit in the chair adjacent to my
home altar, a sense of calm comes over me. Even before I begin to read from my
devotional book, my body seems to know that that this is a sacred time and a sacred
place. Beginning my day with prayer and devotion sets the tone for the rest of my day and
this practice helps me find a bit of calm in the midst of the storms associated with life and
living.
How many of you use, or have used, a clock radio to wake you in the morning? Have you
noticed how often in the day your mind goes back to the song that was playing when you
were stirred from your morning sleep? Often times, without even thinking about it, you will
find yourself recalling the lyrics or the melody of the song. It is as if our minds are more
receptive early in the morning for whatever it is we experience, hear or read. I find the
same is true with early morning devotions and prayer. During the day, my mind will often
go back to the devotion I read in the morning and, like a planted seed, the wisdom of the
morning devotional will often sprout and blossom into a deeper spiritual awareness as
the day progresses.
We all need our emotional and spiritual runaway truck ramps. We all need a way to find a
little calm in the midst of the storms of life. If you are not already beginning each day with
some prayer and devotional time, I encourage you to consider trying this daily devotional
discipline. I assure you that the 10 - 15 minutes you take for devotion and prayer in the
morning will add so much more to the quality of the remaining hours of your day.
(F. Vernon Chandler is a Unitarian Universalist minister and former editor of the
UNIVERSALIST HERALD. He is the 2006 recipient of The Heart of Universalism Award.
Vernon and Nataliya Chandler reside in Eberstadt, Germany.)
Endureth Forever?
by Derek Lee Parker
Is there a salvation wide enough,
that it will endure forever?
Not just large enough for me,
but also large enough to hold...
... both Jerry Falwell and
the Dalai Lama?
.. .both Israel and Palestine?
... both me and those who hate me?
Not only wide enough,
but with enough time to last forever?
When will those slain by the Inquisition
find their mercy?
Or the innocent of Hiroshima find theirs?
Or when will mercy come,
to the killing fields of Rawanda?
Is there a salvation that can be
forever and always?
Can it heal the wounds we inflict
on each other?
I cannot prove that this salvation exists.
Nor can I prove that it will not exist.
But I have hope that it will.
And hope is a faith,
in things yet unseen.
Derek Lee Parker divides his ministry between service as Education Minister at the
Friends Meeting of Irvington, Indiana; and as Administrator of Programs for National
Episcopal Health Ministries.
What’s in a Name?
by Gordon B. McKeeman
In “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream”, Shakespeare wrote:
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Without arguing with the Bard, it might not be amiss to suggest that the name of our
religious association/church is a bit unusual. Most churches’ names point to their
governance (e.g. Presbyterian, Congregational, Episcopal), or a particular practice (e.g.
Baptist, Methodist), or an historical origin (e.g. Lutheran). Our name denotes the two
theological heresies that are the historical core of our religious faith, Unitarianism and
Universalism. We exist today because our religious ancestors believed fervently that these
two beliefs were important enough to preserve them, even in the face of strong opposition,
persecution and ostracism. They deserve, at the very least, our attention and
understanding.
Both were declared to be heresies, not in the earliest years of Christian history, but after
three or four centuries during which various understandings of Christianity arose and vied
for adherents. It was not until Christianity became the official faith of the Roman Empire
during the reign of Constantine (circa 300 C.E.) that minority opinions, including
Unitarianism (the belief that Jesus was fully, completely and only a human being, and that
God was a unity, not a trinity) and Universalism (the belief that a loving God would not
condemn any of “his” children to an eternity of punishment for any reason whatsoever)
were declared to be heretical.
Opposition, ostracism and persecution did not result in the disappearance of these
heresies. It did make their adherents struggle to preserve them by going underground.
They were saved form extinction by small groups who found them to be of vital importance
to their understanding of Christianity.
Once the monolithic Christian Church was modified by the Protestant Reformation, many
varieties of Christianity appeared (or reappeared) and still others arose. Unitarians and
Universalists were among the sects that emerged. Both of these ancient heresies were
now seen as the radical fringe of the Reformation. So our religious heritage has two vital
components: the Unitarian core belief in the worthiness and dignity of every human being
and the exalted possibilities inherent in each person; and the Universalist core belief that
all humans share a common destiny and that salvation is not an individual achievement or
a gift to be chosen, but an achievement of inclusivity and breadth.
The evolution of these core beliefs has proceeded. One consequence of our larger
acquaintance with the religions of humankind has been a growing conviction that there are
many different routes to a common destination. The religious journey of each is unique,
but the fulfillment of the universal impulse toward wholeness (or “holiness”) will be the
realization of each person’s inherent possibilities, the removal of obstacles to that
realization, and the realization that the human family is one family and that salvation is a
cooperative enterprise in which concern for the wellbeing of all of our brothers and sisters
is a hallmark of our religious commitment.
American culture embraces the idea of individual freedom and responsibility. That image
is captured in the aphorism “It’s every person for him/herself – and the Devil take the
hindmost.” Our religion has a grander end in view – our recognition of and commitment to
the wellbeing of the whole human family – the vision Jesus emphasized: “… inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (or sisters) ye have done it unto
me.”
If we are true to our religious heritage, we have much to offer to those seekers who come
through our doors. Yes, we offer freedom to those who need liberation from the
narrowness and exclusivity that some offer in religion’s name. But we have much more to
offer – a vision of one world in which the one human family lives in peace, in harmony and
in plenty. That vision involves personal commitment, discipline and perseverance. And we
offer the company, the support and encouragement of a group that cherishes the Unitarian
and Universalist heresies and knows them to be different but complementary beliefs that
give meaning, purpose and direction to the living of these days.
“What’s in a name?” In our case, I submit, a great deal, or perhaps a great ideal that we
have to offer. I long for the day when we understand the true genius contained in our
heritage and do not hesitate to proclaim it and live it – in season and out.
Gordon B. McKeeman is a retired parish minister and former President of Starr King
School for the Ministry (1983-1988). He was a charter member of the Universalist Humiliati.
Full Moons
by Rich Koster
Full Moons fill men with fall memories -
Round spun orb shining on crunchy trails,
Shimmering waters,
Hearts returning.
Moons Full move flight of male fantasies -
God’s maglite dancing to the river,
Light bonding lovers,
Souls still yearning.
“Let’s take a walk to the Clark Tower by the light of the harvest moon.”
Invite them, and they will come. And they did.
But did they have anything at all like my vision for the sort of aesthetic and sensory
adventure waiting just ahead?
We parked our cars, I turned my head just for a moment, and they’re off! Like a gaggle of
geese floating past the reflecting pool, it was chatter, chatter, flashlights waving, heads
down, souls blind, and we might just as well have been walking through the mall on an
early Saturday morning.
There were 9 of us the first night, 7 the next. Before we headed out I sat the 7 down and
invited them to put their flashlights in their pockets and discover the wonder of walking by
the light of the moon. I also invited them to walk slow and quiet and look around.
Which they did. For the first ten minutes or so. But by the time we got to Clark Tower the 7’
s chatter was nearly as loud and penetrating as the 9.
A month later I simply put a note in the bulletin, “Full Moon Walk at Pammel State Park.”
A couple people asked me about it but when the moment came I found myself the only
one there. True, I had heard rumors of a cougar seen prowling these woods. Is this why I
find myself tonight alone. I wondered.
The snow lay soft and gentle on the ground. Not a whisper of a breeze and a bright high
moon against a clear cobalt sky.
Oh! Two turkeys flushed just off the trail a few feet ahead. Then a coyote’s call just over the
ridge. Scratchings in the snow, and a print too large for a dog. Mmmm!
I stopped to listen. Nothing.
Rich Koster is the Editor of the UNIVERSALIST HERALD
From Inside Katrina
by Linda Foshee
I cried today for the first time in more than two weeks. The images from the Hurricane
ravaged Gulf Coast and New Orleans were so unbelievably surreal that I found it hard to
cry. The devastation is so widespread that it will take years for some areas to recover. Yet
this morning I cried for a ‘possum.
I watched as an injured ‘possum attempted to maneuver our front lawn. It was a
remarkable demonstration of the will to live. The ‘possum had more than likely been the
victim of a falling tree behind our home. He had been injured so badly that his back legs
no longer functioned. Yet here he was, inching toward the street taking brief pauses to rest
as he struggled to surmount the distance between him and a brush pile that would afford
him shade and safety.
My only option was to call animal control. I wanted this animal relieved of his misery in a
humane way, but at the same time I desperately wanted him to win his battle. I wanted him
to have a chance at life again as he once knew it even though I knew what the outcome
must be.
As I waited for the arrival of the animal control officer, I remained with the ‘possum,
shielding him from the sun with my shadow. It was the one thing I could do to ease his
last moments of life.
No one in this area has been left untouched by Hurricane Katrina. The ‘possum in my front
yard was simply a microcosm of the pain and suffering we have all watched these past
few weeks as thousands of evacuees are struggling to resume their lives, struggling to
find hope for the future.
Immediately following Katrina’s fury, Catherine Cummins of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, wrote
the following words before she was able to see the images of Katrina’s fury:
By this time, I expect that many people are having "disaster fatigue" or whatever the word is
for being over-saturated by images of Hurricane Katrina. However, I am not one of those
people. I have yet to see any TV images because I still do not have any power or phone.
[But] what I do have images of is quite amazing, and even more humbling. As the last of
the winds and rains were passing at dusk, I saw many ruby-throated hummingbirds
coming to visit flowers in our garden. [They] had made it through the hurricane. I saw
leaves suspended in exquisite webs woven by orb-weaver spiders. The spiders were
already back mending and cleaning out the debris. Most miraculous of all, I saw a black
swallowtail and sulfur butterflies feeding on the flowers along our street.
These things, which seem so delicate, are still alive and going about their business as
though nothing has happened. In fact, I suspect that to them, nothing has happened. They
are so well adapted to life here, which can go from lush subtropical to deadly in a day.
They survive better by hiding in natural cavities than we do in our high-rise hotels. Their
hiding places did not have their windows blown out or
filled with water. They are immune to our waterborne disease and the wickedness of
looters.
As the university where I work fills with refugees from "urban civilization," I have to wonder
who is more civilized, we humans or these fragile beauties who go along at peace with
nature instead of trying to control it? We could learn a lot, I think, but we have to take the
time to look.
The animal control officer lifted the ‘possum gently in his hands and placed him in the
truck as I made my way back to the house. I wondered if the ‘possum knew that I was
offering him comfort from the hot sun and tears for all he had endured? I like to think that
he did. As the pain in his eyes met the tears in my own, I was reminded that we are all
connected in ways that are mysterious and beautiful. We need only to take the time to look.
Linda Foshee is a Lay Minister serving OUR HOME UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH
in Ellisville, Mississippi.
In Defense of an Atheist
by John Morgan
The Faith Which Is In Us
by Derek Lee Parker
Finding Calm in the Midst of the Storm
by F. Vernon Chandler
Endureth Forever?
by Derek Lee Parker
What’s in a Name?
by Gordon B. McKeeman
Full Moons
by Rich Koster
From Inside Katrina
by Linda Foshee
____________________________________________________________________
IN DEFENSE OF AN ATHEIST
BY John Morgan
When I called attention to an article written by an atheist calling on other atheists to be
more tolerant toward theists (“Rational Atheism,” in the Scientific American , I remarked to
someone that it inspired me to write an article asking that those who believe in God to
show more tolerance toward those who don’t. This is it. My close friend and mentor,
George Willard, called himself a “born again pagan” to get attention, but he was an atheist
who believed the problem of evil did not permit a classical Universalist doctrine of God’s
love.
George also was a Unitarian Universalist who probably would not have been accepted
into most religious organizations. I can almost hear him laughing when I state this, but he
was also one of the most godly persons I have known, if by this one means a truly
generous man.
I would have a hard time excluding George from anything because of his atheism. He was
fond of saying that the opposite of belief is not unbelief -the opposite of belief is
indifference. And George was hardly indifferent, reading physics, theology, and, yes, he
would confide in secret, even the Bible.
He would then remind me of the words of W.C. Fields caught reading the Bible on his
deathbed. When his friends asked him why, Fields responded: “I’m looking for
loopholes. It’s hard to exclude an atheist who happens to be a mentor and friend. George
was more interested in the life and teachings of Jesus than most Christians. Better yet,
he paid attention to the most needy. Once, when I saw him helping a runaway girl and
asked him why, he responded: “Well, what would Jesus have done?”
Can you be a good and honest person if you don’t believe in God, or life eternal, for that
matter? George certainly was one of the best persons I have ever known. And,
paradoxically, can you live the Way of Jesus without believing he was the son of God?
George certainly lived a life that seemed to me to exemplify what Jesus taught was
important. In George’s memory, I would ask those of you who don’t believe you can be a
moral, even spiritual person to think again. There are a number of reasons for doing so.
First, some atheists have taken God more seriously than some believers and simply
decided they cannot in good conscience affirm what they don’t believe. And some
believers, like myself, have known the dark night of the soul and can identify with others
who have felt it, too. Second, shouting is not a substitute for honest dialog, which is based
on listening to one another, seeking common ground. If we cannot agree on God or the
afterlife, perhaps we can still join forces to save the planet from our greed.
I remember one morning sitting in George’s living room and watching the light stream
through a rainbow prism in a window. “Ah, the rainbow, a sign of God’s promise,”
George remarked quietly as I sat wondering just want kind of “atheist” he really was.
George must have suspected what I was thinking, because without missing a beat he
said: “We can always hope, John, that’s one thing we can hope for together”
John Morgan is a retired UU pastor, a writer, the Herald Contributing Editor, a member of
The Herald Board of Directors, and a member of the Board of the Christian Universalist
Association.
The Faith Which Is In Us
by Derek Lee Parker
In a previous professional incarnation, I worked as a paleontologist and curator at a small
research museum in Ohio. Part of my training for that work had been done at Chicago’s
Field Museum of Natural History where I took classes on genetic taxonomy, paleobotany,
and the evolution of mammals. I remember a zoology exam where I was given what turned
out to be the skull of a platypus, which I wrongly identified as the skull of a goose.
There are some things which we encounter in life, which force us to reconsider how we
classify things. If it has a bill like a goose, has webbed feet like a goose, and lays eggs
like a goose, is it a goose? When it comes to the platypus, what about all that troublesome
hair and those milk glands?
When I began attending Unitarian Universalist churches, I was told that Humanism meant
certain things largely defined by a 1933 document called “The Humanist Manifesto”.
Humanism meant finding truth through the scientific method. Humanism meant that all
religious systems involving God were obsolete. Humanism meant the triumph of reason
over all things that could not be rationally proved. The first part intrigued this young
scientist. Growing up in the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod, religious openness to
science was a fabled gem that I could not find in my home church. The other reputed
aspects of Humanism bothered me. It reminded me of the way my childhood church
argued that Christianity made Judaism obsolete. That kind of supremacism felt
presumptuous to me, no matter if it came from a Humanist or a Lutheran. Additionally I
knew that not everything in the human experience was subject to rational proof. The beauty
I find in Salvador Dali’s artwork is hardly a mathematical theorem or scientific proof. I may
love his work, but somebody somewhere probably finds his paintings ugly.
When I was new to Unitarianism and Universalism I decided that I did not like the way
Humanism sliced the liberal religious pie. What had been presented to me could not fit
with integrity into my human experience. I have always loved science, and the discovery of
Nature’s order. But I also did not want to arrogantly dismiss the human experiences of
billions of people who had encountered divinity in some form. Nor did I want to neglect the
less rational glories of being human: poetry, artwork, drama, as well as my emotions. Of
these issues, the God issue became increasingly problematic. In my 33 years I’ve had
three mystical experiences that I have come to best understand as being encounters with
the presence of God. Should I deny these things, because like the bill on a platypus, they
do not cleanly fit into the traditional definitions?
Our Unitarian prophet Theodore Parker, once asked questions about what was
permanent and what was transient in Christianity. Are the rituals and the creeds
permanent or transient? Are the ethics of Jesus permanent or transient? In recent years I’
ve found myself I asking questions about what is permanent and transient about
Humanism.
One of the pleasant surprises in my search for answers came in the form of a theologian
named Giovanni Pico della Mirandolla, who in 1486 wrote Oration On the Dignity of Man.
Considered by many to be a founding document for Humanistic religious thought, in it Pico
argued from a Christian context that humanity is defined by its quest for knowledge
grounded in human experience. From this point forward I found a long lineage of thinkers
including Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466-1536), Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), T.S. Eliot (1888-
1965), and Don Cupitt (born 1934); for whom Humanism was and continues to be a
Christian school of theology. Here was a theological platypus that forced me to rethink my
classifications.
I believe that for far too long some Universalists and Unitarians have accepted definitions
of Christianity and Humanism that are narrow and mutually exclusive. I feel called to move
beyond this divide towards a more convergent spirituality. What is permanent about
Humanism? Being anti-Christian? Believing that the only things worth knowing are those
things which can be scientifically proven? Thinking that other religions are obsolete? I no
longer think that these are the permanent and defining characteristics of Humanism.
Humanistic religion, whether Christian or not, whether theistic or non-theistic, is a faith
which is in us. It is the faith in us, in so far as it makes the throne of religious meaning-
making both human experience and human reason. This faith is broadly within humanity’s
science and mysticism, objective reason and subjective creativity, and within both our
experiences of God and our experiences of “no-God”. And if there are any people capable
of advocating both Humanism and Christianity in broad and inclusive terms, it should be
those of us who call ourselves Universalist. Anything less might make a goose out of a
platypus.
The Rev. Derek Lee Parker holds joint standing with both the UUA and the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers). He presently serves as Education Minister at the Friends
Meeting of Irvington, Indiana.
Finding Calm in the Midst of the Storm
by F. Vernon Chandler
As you descend along many of the heavily traveled mountain roads in western North
Carolina, you will often find signs identifying upcoming "runaway truck ramps." These
inclined dirt ramps are usually 50 - 100 yards in length and consist of several mounds of
gravel or sand. The purpose of the ramp is to safely slow a runaway truck. If you are a
trucker with a loaded trailer and lose your breaks going down one of those mountain
highways, what a relief it must be to come upon one of these runaway truck ramps!
These are difficult times in which we live. Never in my life have I felt a greater passion for
issues involving social action and social justice. At other times I am tempted to despair
with feelings of hopelessness as I reflect upon the plight of America and our fragile planet.
I know the same is true for many of you who are reading this article. It is easy to lose a
sense of spiritual balance as we involve ourselves in the issues of social action and
social justice. How can we maintain a sense of hope when our efforts seem to bring little
or no positive results? Sometimes our lives feel like runaway trucks and we yearn for
emotional and spiritual runaway truck ramps.
The late Catholic priest, Anthony de Mello, is one of my favorite spiritual writers. In TAKING
FLIGHT, the last book he wrote prior to his death, de Mello gives the following illustration
related to prayer: "There was an exhausted woodcutter who kept wasting time and energy
chopping wood with a blunt axe because he did not have time, he said, to stop and
sharpen the blade."
The well-known Quaker, George Fox, used to say, "Carry some quiet around inside thee.
Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit, from thy own thought, and then thou wilt feel
the principle of God to turn thy mind to the Lord from whence cometh life; whereby thou
may receive the strength and power to allay all storms and tempests."
I have found that my need for devotional time and prayer has increased as I exert more of
my time and energy to issues related to social action and social justice. I need a spiritual
discipline to help me feel balance and hope. Allow me to share with you one of my own
spiritual discipline "runaway truck ramps." It was about 6 years ago when I began the
discipline of beginning each morning with devotion and prayer. Along with devotion and
prayer, I began to create a devotional altar within my home. My altar has grown over the
years and now consists of religious icons and symbols from all over the world. I have
statues of the Buddha from Korea, India and Thailand; Catholic crucifixes from Hungary,
Italy and Mexico; a menorah from Jerusalem; a small replica of the Blue Mosque from
Istanbul; and numerous Eastern Orthodox icons of Jesus and various saints from the
Balkans and Eastern Europe. It is at my home altar that I keep my devotional book. For the
past several years, my devotional book has been MY IMITATION OF CHRIST by
Thomas`a Kempis. What a great little devotional book! Although I have read this book from
cover to cover several times, the readings are always fresh and inspiring. When I travel, I
pack a couple of the icons and my devotional book in my suitcase and I try and re-create a
temporary small altar in my hotel or guest room. I have found that having a special place in
my home or room for devotion and prayer adds to the peace and tranquility I experience
during the minutes I spend in spiritual reflection. When I sit in the chair adjacent to my
home altar, a sense of calm comes over me. Even before I begin to read from my
devotional book, my body seems to know that that this is a sacred time and a sacred
place. Beginning my day with prayer and devotion sets the tone for the rest of my day and
this practice helps me find a bit of calm in the midst of the storms associated with life and
living.
How many of you use, or have used, a clock radio to wake you in the morning? Have you
noticed how often in the day your mind goes back to the song that was playing when you
were stirred from your morning sleep? Often times, without even thinking about it, you will
find yourself recalling the lyrics or the melody of the song. It is as if our minds are more
receptive early in the morning for whatever it is we experience, hear or read. I find the
same is true with early morning devotions and prayer. During the day, my mind will often
go back to the devotion I read in the morning and, like a planted seed, the wisdom of the
morning devotional will often sprout and blossom into a deeper spiritual awareness as
the day progresses.
We all need our emotional and spiritual runaway truck ramps. We all need a way to find a
little calm in the midst of the storms of life. If you are not already beginning each day with
some prayer and devotional time, I encourage you to consider trying this daily devotional
discipline. I assure you that the 10 - 15 minutes you take for devotion and prayer in the
morning will add so much more to the quality of the remaining hours of your day.
(F. Vernon Chandler is a Unitarian Universalist minister and former editor of the
UNIVERSALIST HERALD. He is the 2006 recipient of The Heart of Universalism Award.
Vernon and Nataliya Chandler reside in Eberstadt, Germany.)
Endureth Forever?
by Derek Lee Parker
Is there a salvation wide enough,
that it will endure forever?
Not just large enough for me,
but also large enough to hold...
... both Jerry Falwell and
the Dalai Lama?
.. .both Israel and Palestine?
... both me and those who hate me?
Not only wide enough,
but with enough time to last forever?
When will those slain by the Inquisition
find their mercy?
Or the innocent of Hiroshima find theirs?
Or when will mercy come,
to the killing fields of Rawanda?
Is there a salvation that can be
forever and always?
Can it heal the wounds we inflict
on each other?
I cannot prove that this salvation exists.
Nor can I prove that it will not exist.
But I have hope that it will.
And hope is a faith,
in things yet unseen.
Derek Lee Parker divides his ministry between service as Education Minister at the
Friends Meeting of Irvington, Indiana; and as Administrator of Programs for National
Episcopal Health Ministries.
What’s in a Name?
by Gordon B. McKeeman
In “A Midsummer-Night’s Dream”, Shakespeare wrote:
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Without arguing with the Bard, it might not be amiss to suggest that the name of our
religious association/church is a bit unusual. Most churches’ names point to their
governance (e.g. Presbyterian, Congregational, Episcopal), or a particular practice (e.g.
Baptist, Methodist), or an historical origin (e.g. Lutheran). Our name denotes the two
theological heresies that are the historical core of our religious faith, Unitarianism and
Universalism. We exist today because our religious ancestors believed fervently that these
two beliefs were important enough to preserve them, even in the face of strong opposition,
persecution and ostracism. They deserve, at the very least, our attention and
understanding.
Both were declared to be heresies, not in the earliest years of Christian history, but after
three or four centuries during which various understandings of Christianity arose and vied
for adherents. It was not until Christianity became the official faith of the Roman Empire
during the reign of Constantine (circa 300 C.E.) that minority opinions, including
Unitarianism (the belief that Jesus was fully, completely and only a human being, and that
God was a unity, not a trinity) and Universalism (the belief that a loving God would not
condemn any of “his” children to an eternity of punishment for any reason whatsoever)
were declared to be heretical.
Opposition, ostracism and persecution did not result in the disappearance of these
heresies. It did make their adherents struggle to preserve them by going underground.
They were saved form extinction by small groups who found them to be of vital importance
to their understanding of Christianity.
Once the monolithic Christian Church was modified by the Protestant Reformation, many
varieties of Christianity appeared (or reappeared) and still others arose. Unitarians and
Universalists were among the sects that emerged. Both of these ancient heresies were
now seen as the radical fringe of the Reformation. So our religious heritage has two vital
components: the Unitarian core belief in the worthiness and dignity of every human being
and the exalted possibilities inherent in each person; and the Universalist core belief that
all humans share a common destiny and that salvation is not an individual achievement or
a gift to be chosen, but an achievement of inclusivity and breadth.
The evolution of these core beliefs has proceeded. One consequence of our larger
acquaintance with the religions of humankind has been a growing conviction that there are
many different routes to a common destination. The religious journey of each is unique,
but the fulfillment of the universal impulse toward wholeness (or “holiness”) will be the
realization of each person’s inherent possibilities, the removal of obstacles to that
realization, and the realization that the human family is one family and that salvation is a
cooperative enterprise in which concern for the wellbeing of all of our brothers and sisters
is a hallmark of our religious commitment.
American culture embraces the idea of individual freedom and responsibility. That image
is captured in the aphorism “It’s every person for him/herself – and the Devil take the
hindmost.” Our religion has a grander end in view – our recognition of and commitment to
the wellbeing of the whole human family – the vision Jesus emphasized: “… inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren (or sisters) ye have done it unto
me.”
If we are true to our religious heritage, we have much to offer to those seekers who come
through our doors. Yes, we offer freedom to those who need liberation from the
narrowness and exclusivity that some offer in religion’s name. But we have much more to
offer – a vision of one world in which the one human family lives in peace, in harmony and
in plenty. That vision involves personal commitment, discipline and perseverance. And we
offer the company, the support and encouragement of a group that cherishes the Unitarian
and Universalist heresies and knows them to be different but complementary beliefs that
give meaning, purpose and direction to the living of these days.
“What’s in a name?” In our case, I submit, a great deal, or perhaps a great ideal that we
have to offer. I long for the day when we understand the true genius contained in our
heritage and do not hesitate to proclaim it and live it – in season and out.
Gordon B. McKeeman is a retired parish minister and former President of Starr King
School for the Ministry (1983-1988). He was a charter member of the Universalist Humiliati.
Full Moons
by Rich Koster
Full Moons fill men with fall memories -
Round spun orb shining on crunchy trails,
Shimmering waters,
Hearts returning.
Moons Full move flight of male fantasies -
God’s maglite dancing to the river,
Light bonding lovers,
Souls still yearning.
“Let’s take a walk to the Clark Tower by the light of the harvest moon.”
Invite them, and they will come. And they did.
But did they have anything at all like my vision for the sort of aesthetic and sensory
adventure waiting just ahead?
We parked our cars, I turned my head just for a moment, and they’re off! Like a gaggle of
geese floating past the reflecting pool, it was chatter, chatter, flashlights waving, heads
down, souls blind, and we might just as well have been walking through the mall on an
early Saturday morning.
There were 9 of us the first night, 7 the next. Before we headed out I sat the 7 down and
invited them to put their flashlights in their pockets and discover the wonder of walking by
the light of the moon. I also invited them to walk slow and quiet and look around.
Which they did. For the first ten minutes or so. But by the time we got to Clark Tower the 7’
s chatter was nearly as loud and penetrating as the 9.
A month later I simply put a note in the bulletin, “Full Moon Walk at Pammel State Park.”
A couple people asked me about it but when the moment came I found myself the only
one there. True, I had heard rumors of a cougar seen prowling these woods. Is this why I
find myself tonight alone. I wondered.
The snow lay soft and gentle on the ground. Not a whisper of a breeze and a bright high
moon against a clear cobalt sky.
Oh! Two turkeys flushed just off the trail a few feet ahead. Then a coyote’s call just over the
ridge. Scratchings in the snow, and a print too large for a dog. Mmmm!
I stopped to listen. Nothing.
Rich Koster is the Editor of the UNIVERSALIST HERALD
From Inside Katrina
by Linda Foshee
I cried today for the first time in more than two weeks. The images from the Hurricane
ravaged Gulf Coast and New Orleans were so unbelievably surreal that I found it hard to
cry. The devastation is so widespread that it will take years for some areas to recover. Yet
this morning I cried for a ‘possum.
I watched as an injured ‘possum attempted to maneuver our front lawn. It was a
remarkable demonstration of the will to live. The ‘possum had more than likely been the
victim of a falling tree behind our home. He had been injured so badly that his back legs
no longer functioned. Yet here he was, inching toward the street taking brief pauses to rest
as he struggled to surmount the distance between him and a brush pile that would afford
him shade and safety.
My only option was to call animal control. I wanted this animal relieved of his misery in a
humane way, but at the same time I desperately wanted him to win his battle. I wanted him
to have a chance at life again as he once knew it even though I knew what the outcome
must be.
As I waited for the arrival of the animal control officer, I remained with the ‘possum,
shielding him from the sun with my shadow. It was the one thing I could do to ease his
last moments of life.
No one in this area has been left untouched by Hurricane Katrina. The ‘possum in my front
yard was simply a microcosm of the pain and suffering we have all watched these past
few weeks as thousands of evacuees are struggling to resume their lives, struggling to
find hope for the future.
Immediately following Katrina’s fury, Catherine Cummins of St. Gabriel, Louisiana, wrote
the following words before she was able to see the images of Katrina’s fury:
By this time, I expect that many people are having "disaster fatigue" or whatever the word is
for being over-saturated by images of Hurricane Katrina. However, I am not one of those
people. I have yet to see any TV images because I still do not have any power or phone.
[But] what I do have images of is quite amazing, and even more humbling. As the last of
the winds and rains were passing at dusk, I saw many ruby-throated hummingbirds
coming to visit flowers in our garden. [They] had made it through the hurricane. I saw
leaves suspended in exquisite webs woven by orb-weaver spiders. The spiders were
already back mending and cleaning out the debris. Most miraculous of all, I saw a black
swallowtail and sulfur butterflies feeding on the flowers along our street.
These things, which seem so delicate, are still alive and going about their business as
though nothing has happened. In fact, I suspect that to them, nothing has happened. They
are so well adapted to life here, which can go from lush subtropical to deadly in a day.
They survive better by hiding in natural cavities than we do in our high-rise hotels. Their
hiding places did not have their windows blown out or
filled with water. They are immune to our waterborne disease and the wickedness of
looters.
As the university where I work fills with refugees from "urban civilization," I have to wonder
who is more civilized, we humans or these fragile beauties who go along at peace with
nature instead of trying to control it? We could learn a lot, I think, but we have to take the
time to look.
The animal control officer lifted the ‘possum gently in his hands and placed him in the
truck as I made my way back to the house. I wondered if the ‘possum knew that I was
offering him comfort from the hot sun and tears for all he had endured? I like to think that
he did. As the pain in his eyes met the tears in my own, I was reminded that we are all
connected in ways that are mysterious and beautiful. We need only to take the time to look.
Linda Foshee is a Lay Minister serving OUR HOME UNIVERSALIST UNITARIAN CHURCH
in Ellisville, Mississippi.
Reflections
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