Dry Bones Dance

Unitarian Universalists: A Review

     I finally decided that I just needed to kick myself in the ass and visit the Unitarians.  So, this morning, I did, and I’m glad I went.  Here’s my review of the experience.

Pros:
-    It was a very hopeful service, with an emphasis throughout of our participation in the world, of being part of a larger whole, of all being connected, of contributing to make the world a more just and peaceful place.  Yet, it wasn’t in a “Follow the will of GOD” sort of way – the pastor talked about being the way, of how we don’t always know where our path will lead, but how you just start: you take the first steps, do what you know how to do, and how we’re all part of a bigger picture of what has been given to us and what we will give to our children and grandchildren.  I dig that.

Sunday mornings and primordial fear

    So, my Spirituality Tour 2009 isn’t going so well.  Intellectually, I am fully on board with exploring different religious groups, but when it comes right down to getting myself to some sort of service/gathering/etc.  – well, I don’t. 

     I know that I need to start with the Unitarians, in the way that I sometimes know these things.  There are two Unitarian churches within three miles of my house, meeting at times convenient for someone who is not a morning person. Yet, I’ve spent the past two Sundays telling myself, “Get a grip, Christy  – no one’s ever been attacked by Unitarians!  Get your ass out of bed and go.“  And then I don’t, and read the paper on my couch instead. 

    I’m currently reading   “Coming Out as Sacrament“ by Chris Glaser,  and while I feel he greatly overuses the word “mimetic”, I did love this quote:

“As I have tried to communicate this metaphor of God’s welcome, I have discovered that many of us are blocked.  We have experienced word and sacrament not as open hands ready to welcome us but as spiritually abusive fists ready to pummel us, as open arms ready to embrace us but as intimidating arms pushing us away, protectively shielding rather than openly sharing the Body of Christ, the church. “

    Bingo.  Even if my brain knows that I can walk out of a religious service just as fast as I walked in, and even though I know that the Unitarians have lovely little rainbow signs and probably won’t even mention Jesus, and aren’t even Christians - it doesn’t matter.  I have a fear that is primordial, and part of me feels like somehow, someway, even Unitarians will figure out a way to hurt me and then tell me it’s my fault.

    And yet, on another level, I’m excited about doing some spiritual exploring and meeting new people and learning new things.  I feel like I may be close to breaking free of my heretofore crazy-making and tortured relationship with Christianity – if I can just get past this nameless dread.

    I do not know how to do this, but I do know that if I sit with both hands open to both realities long enough, I will eventually figure something out.     

    I’ll let you know how it goes.

Thank you Roy Bourgeois

I have been known to complain about patriarchy in Christianity.  The reason for this is that there's a lot of it, so I have an endless supply of material.  However, I've been meaning to give public props to Roy Bourgeois, the Maryknoll priest who founded the School of the Americas Watch, and tireless advocate for peace and justice.  He was officially excommunicated a few weeks go for delivering the homily at the August 8  ordination of Janice Sevre-Duszynska. (The courageous women who are ordained are automatically excommunicated - no 30 days for them.) He was the first priest in good standing with the Catholic church to participate in the ordination of a woman.  He was given 30 days to recant by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and this letter was his reply: