Unitarian Universalism!

[Mohini]

I really like the philosophy of Unitarian Universalism (and my boyfriend is a Unitarian Universalist), but I dislike the fact that everyone is so white bread, lol.

Are there any UUs on this board?

[DanaRSS]

I've been going to the UU church for the past six years or so...I like them a lot, usually meet some interesting people and leave feeling better than when I went in.  I'm not religious, but I like the community and the overall philosophy.

[Mohini]

I've been going to the UU church for the past six years or so...I like them a lot, usually meet some interesting people and leave feeling better than when I went in.  I'm not religious, but I like the community and the overall philosophy.

That's really cool! I have been interested in them for many moons, but I am not so keen on the worship aspect of it. I wish there was more ritual or aesthetics into play, but I suppose for a religion that tries to keep both atheists and theists happy, it seems to promote a happy balance!

[marikvulpina]

my boyfriend and I visited a UU church today. it was amazing. I don't think I've ever felt more comfortable around such a large group of people. not a missed beat when I introduced myself as Katie(and with my hair woefully short i do not pass whatsoever atm), and one kind old man whom I'm pretty sure is a local LGBT activist seemed to be flat out delighted to have a trans girl in the congregation. (my boyfriend can just go stealth, when he binds he most definitely passes as a short and pretty man)

I looked up a UU church because i felt that going to a social gathering that was friendly would help me and my boyfriend with our anxiety issues, as well as the simple fact that we seriously need a local social network, and that's basically what churches are for, aside from the religious stuff. also we're Atheists and UU doesn't care about that, so plus.

what i found was a church that proudly proclaimed to be LGBT-friendly(i mean, it should be, the pastor's a lesbian!) and was showing a documentary called "two spirits" about a trans* individual on a navajo reservation. it was a fairly good showing, although they kept referring to the subject(who seems to have been a trans girl) as "he". i don't know if the production team just didn't quite get it, or if they were trying to seem less threatening to a cissexist demographic, or what, but it was one irksome thing in an otherwise fine piece.

tl;dr: it was great, they are welcoming, and I have at least one place in my bible-belt town to be out aside from my own home. my boyfriend and I are most definitely UU now, i think.

[Madison Bennett]

Yah, yah, yes I am!  I'm a UU!  And i've been one since about, oh, second grade.  It's a wonderful community. 

[Valerie]

I first began attending my local UU fellowship in 2009--it was love at first sight, because I realized I'd been UU for a long time before discovering the UUs.  I love the 7 Principles, the focus on social justice, the intellectual nature of discussion...   And it was nice that I started out there as a Christian, but when I became an atheist two and a half years later, I still had a home there.  Looking back, it might have been the open-inquiry nature of Unitarian Universalism that helped me feel safe exploring atheism.  I have not regularly attended in a little over a year now, due to a congregational conflict and the fact that I now take the bus and it is hard to get out there...but I'm definitely UU at heart. 

Yah, yah, yes I am!  I'm a UU!  And i've been one since about, oh, second grade.  It's a wonderful community. 

So did your parents take you then to the UU congregation?  And, if you're trans*, did this affect your comfort level about sharing this with your family or others? Did you go through the OWL   curriculum, and what was your opinion of that vs what's taught in public school?

~V.

[Lauren5]

One of the transgender groups I'm a member of back in Lansing meets at a UUC. I've met the pastor from there, even hugged her, but I abandoned belief in a deity years ago, otherwise, I'd seriously consider attending mass there.

[Valerie]

One of the transgender groups I'm a member of back in Lansing meets at a UUC. I've met the pastor from there, even hugged her, but I abandoned belief in a deity years ago, otherwise, I'd seriously consider attending mass there.

Is that church very deity-driven?  I know that based on the congregation, each UU church has its own flavor, but in general, I think the term 'god', if used at all, is used in a purely metaphorical sense, or at least in a way that allows the hearer to make of it what s/he wants....my last UU minister was atheist & Buddhist, but used 'god' language in a way that most people could relate.

[Lauren5]

Is that church very deity-driven?  I know that based on the congregation, each UU church has its own flavor, but in general, I think the term 'god', if used at all, is used in a purely metaphorical sense, or at least in a way that allows the hearer to make of it what s/he wants....my last UU minister was atheist & Buddhist, but used 'god' language in a way that most people could relate.

I don't really know, I've never been to a service, just listened to the pastor's prayer/speech/sermon at a TDoR vigil. She mentioned god in it a few times, along with saying "god bless you" when she gave me a hug.

To be honest, it would be really strange to attend,  as I was raised as a catholic, I'd always end up calling the pastor a priest :p

[Valerie]

I don't really know, I've never been to a service, just listened to the pastor's prayer/speech/sermon at a TDoR vigil. She mentioned god in it a few times, along with saying "god bless you" when she gave me a hug.

To be honest, it would be really strange to attend,  as I was raised as a catholic, I'd always end up calling the pastor a priest :p

  They're probably used to it; they get so many transplants from other religions.  If you're looking for an accepting place with human connection, might be worth it to try a few Sundays...

[Lauren5]

  They're probably used to it; they get so many transplants from other religions.  If you're looking for an accepting place with human connection, might be worth it to try a few Sundays...

It's been pretty hard to find spirituality without deism, for me.
Fortunately the church is only a 15-20 minute walk, I'm in one of the closest buildings to it. Unlike my mother, I think the pastor there would actually rather enjoy seeing me there on Christmas in my red dress.
Too bad I don't get back there until the 3rd.

[Tessa James]

Willow the UU congregation in our rural area is very progressive, has many out LGBT members and is nicely welcoming.  I am a humanist (also raised catholic) and have allied with UU members and groups for progressive causes and in solidarity for civil rights.

I think Valerie and others are right on about the acceptance, metaphorical spirituality and great social network.  A red dress sounds so seasonally festive and right.

[Dana_H]

I attend a UU church. They are generally very accepting of LGBT and of various faiths or non-faiths. Our congregation has several atheist and agnostic members, a few Wiccans/pagans, a number of liberal Christians, Republicans, Democrats, socialists, capitalists, and at least two trans-people that I know of. Every UU church is a little different, but mine works so hard to accept non-Christian belief systems that they sometimes seem almost afraid to mention God or Jesus.

[Lauren5]

Oops, now that I look it up, the church I was talking about was actually a UCC, not a UUC.
What's the difference though?

[confusedbilliam]

Willow, looking at just the acronyms, I can see why you'd be confused!  That's the problem with denominations, their love of acronyms can muddle things quite a bit.

UCC = United Church of Christ.  They're a liberal Christian church, but ultimately they're still quite Christian.
UUC (Or just UU) = Unitarian Universalist.  They have roots in the Christian church, but these days they're far more broad than that, and many of them are nervous to ever use words like church, God, Jesus, prayer, etc.  They're welcoming to atheists and agnostics and pagans and pretty much anyone at all who wants to attend, but they're still pretty spiritual places, so it's not for everyone!

[suzifrommd]

I've just started going to a UU church in my area. It's amazing. The pastor starts out every service with the following words:

No matter who you are, no matter who you love, no matter what you path you took to reach this place in your life, you are welcome here.

Always gives me chills.

[sarahmarie.butterfly]

Although this thread is rather old now I still feel like chiming in :-)

I love our UU church here in Tulsa .. We actually have 2 so the main one I am talking about is all souls.  What a wonderfully accepting church with a wide range of beliefs and lifestyles. When I imagine myself getting dressed up as my female self in public I always imagine myself doing it first to go to this church.  Of course I have several of my coworkers who go there too, so I would probably have to come out at work first. Still, a great and wonderfully accepting congregation!

-Sarah

[turtlekisses]

I've been going to UU church since I was in elementary school and I adore the community there. Everyone's been so supportive and I don't go as much as I should but I liked being able to express myself and discover my spirituality and expression without being told what to believe.

[Ian68]

I attend a Unitarian church (have for the last two years almost).

[suzifrommd]

When I imagine myself getting dressed up as my female self in public I always imagine myself doing it first to go to this church.

Well, I just gave a sermon to a UU church about the issues facing transgender people today. They were very accepting and welcoming.

I would expect that to go very well. Good luck Sarah. I hope the day you can be yourself in public comes soon.