|
|
The Juneau Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (JUUF) was founded and officially recognized in 1957 by a small group of Juneau residents who valued Unitarian principles and wanted a church home in which their children would be exposed to those principles and values. Over the years, JUUF has met in a variety of places, ranging from private homes to "borrowed" churches to the Zach Gordon Youth Center. We are currently meeting at Congregation Sukkat Shalom at the Corner of Cordova St. & Foster Ave. for Sunday Services. JUUF has welcomed a variety of visiting ministers over the years, and in 2007 we contracted with Rev. Ken MacLean for 6 months as our first UU consulting minister. Having our own minister is one of the long-range goals of JUUF.
In 2006, after a series of awareness workshops and a unanimous vote of the congregation, JUUF was designated as a Welcoming Congregation by our national organization, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), in recognition of our public welcome of lesbian, gay, and transgender people into our congregation.
The inherent worth and
dignity of every person. Justice,
equity, and compassion in human relations. Acceptance of one
another and encouragement to spiritual growth
in our congregations A free and
responsible search for truth and meaning The right of
conscience and the use of the democratic process
within our congregations and in The goal of world
community with peace, liberty, and justice for
all Respect for the
interdependent web of all existence of which we
are a part. Direct
experience of that transcending mystery and wonder,
affirmed in all cultures, which moves Words
and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to
confront powers and Wisdom
from the world's religions which inspires us in our
ethical and spiritual life; Jewish
and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's
love by loving our neighbors as Humanist
teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of
reason and the results of science, and
Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate
the sacred circle of life and instructWhat is Unitarian Universalism?
Ours
is a religion based on the conviction that the meaning of life,
its mystery and its grandeur, outspills every human attempt to capture
it in a single sentence. Most religions teach that life's meaning has
been revealed in a single person or event, metaphor or myth. For Jews
it is the Covenant. For Buddhists it is Enlightenment. For orthodox
Christians it is the grace of God as manifested in Jesus Christ. But
for Unitarian Universalists it is all of these and more. We believe
that the glory of life is so great that it defies every attempt to
squeeze it in to a narrow category. That is why ours is a creedless
faith.
But
if you have no creed, does that mean that Unitarian Universalists
can believe anything?
Not at
all. It is important to distinguish between belonging to a
church and being a Unitarian Universalist in faith and practice. We
have no creedal test for membership in our congregations. People can
join without affirming a particular set of beliefs. But that doesn't
mean that we don't have a whole series of affirmations based upon our
traditions and our formal Principles and Purposes which define what a
practicing Unitarian Universalist is. I would say that if someone did
not believe in the use of the democratic process, for example, or the
inherent worth and dignity of every person, he or she could belong to
one of our congregations but his/her beliefs would fall outside the
range of what makes for Unitarian Universalism.
Well,
what exactly do Unitarian Universalists believe anyway?
Let me give you some examples of what I think the vast majority of
Unitarian Universalists would affirm...
(1) We reverence the natural world, what our Principles and Purposes
call "the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part," and
reject the notion that creation can be divided into natural and
supernatural realms;
(2) We believe that human beings are responsible for the future; that
history is in our hands, not those of an angry God or inexorable fate;
(3) We believe that life's blessings are available to every one, not
just those who can recite a certain catechism;
(4) And we believe that those blessings are made manifest to us not
just in the "miraculous" or extraordinary but in the simple pleasures
of the everyday.
Do
Unitarian Universalists believe in God?
A
majority of us are comfortable with the use of the word "God" but
many Unitarian Universalists would describe themselves as agnostics or
even atheists. Those of us who do speak of God do so in a way very
different from the conventional. Very few Unitarian Universalists, for
example, understand God as a Person or Being who intervenes in human
affairs. Some of us would identify God with the larger cosmic pattern
or process which has made creation possible in the first place. Others
would see God as the source of life's gracious gifts which come to us
unbidden and undeserved. Still others would experience God (or the
Goddess) as that which inspires us to value ourselves and honor the
world around us. What is important is not what language we use to
express our deepest spiritual longings; what is important is that we
take those longings seriously.
What
do Unitarian Universalists believe we must do to be saved?
Live
life with as much passion, integrity, and care as we can muster
and remember that every single one of us is on a short and perilous
pilgrimage. If we can gladden the hearts of those who travel with us,
if we can be swift to love, "salvation," whatever it be, will take care
of itself.
... does not require a “conversion” or a rejection of what you value
from previous religious experiences. It does not require agreement with
a creed. Becoming a member means you are in sympathy with our
principles and wish to be a part of our spiritual community. Until you
are ready to join, you will be considered a “friend of the Fellowship.”
Friends may participate in all Fellowship activities except official
votes or becoming a board member.
To learn more
please visit the Unitarian
Universalist Association and uuplanet.tv. Of particular
interest to newcomers is the video Voices of a Liberal Faith.
