opinion

"Why I Am a UU Humanist", by Brian Lofgren

Editor's note: this is the first in a series of essays on this topic. Please, share your story.

Why I Am a UU Humanist

In my case, it took thirty-nine years to arrive as a Unitarian Universalist (UU) Humanist. I’m writing this essay just nine years beyond that memorable crossroad. I was raised in Christian culture. Like my Methodist parents and grandparents, I was conditioned from childhood to suspend critical thinking where religion was concerned, and just believe. This message was reinforced in the Lutheran school I attended from fourth, through eighth grade.

The popular God, the “Everything-God”, was the 'face' that personified not only the known, but the vast unknown. Religious systems may help followers meet some of their emotional, psychological, and social needs. However, readily accepting mythical-sounding stories as fact came at a cost. Read more about "Why I Am a UU Humanist", by Brian Lofgren »

The UU Humanist Association Supports Humanist Chaplains in the Military

Jason Heap is eminently qualified to be a military chaplain and he has the endorsement of a religious organization, the Humanist Society. In a recent Washington Post "On Faith" article titled Humanists want a military chaplain to call their own, Kimberly Winston quotes Heap,

“This is my chance to give back to my country,” said Heap, 38. “I want to use my skills on behalf of our people in the service. Hopefully, the Navy will see where I can be useful.”

"Faitheist", by Chris Stedman -- Unitarian Universalism Is an Interfaith Case in Point

Chris Stedman's book "Faitheist" is subtitled "How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious". For the purpose of this post, let's define religion as the belief in God or the supernatural; in other words, theism. (There is a lot of disagreement about defining religion in this way, particularly amongst "religious humanists", but since this is the way Stedman defines it in his book, let's stick with that.) The book is a personal narrative, a memoir by a twenty-something (strange as that may sound), about starting without religion, finding religion and then losing religion. Along the way Stedman finds a "calling" of sorts to encourage more service work among the non-religious and to bring atheists into the interfaith movement.

Unlike many who lose their religion, Stedman didn't replace belief with sneering disdain. While he went from religious to atheist, he never went the extra step to antireligious. Why? Read more about "Faitheist", by Chris Stedman -- Unitarian Universalism Is an Interfaith Case in Point »

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