The congregation I serve in Mississippi  had a guest minister (whose theology is Universalist Christian) come and preach on November 29th.  He asked the church to have an Advent wreath with candles to light.  The congregation decided to keep the Advent wreath for the remainder of the season up to the Christmas Eve service.

Advent isn’t something that Unitarian Universalists note every year any more.   Some congregations will have a service about the season of Advent but I bet these congregations are in the minority.   Advent is from the Latin word meaning coming.  It refers both to the coming of the birth of Jesus at Christmas as well as the second coming of Jesus at the end of the age.  It is a time of preparation, of expectant hope, of waiting for the Messiah to come. 

It is most likely because of our ambivalence to Jesus as being Messiah or in his second return that we Unitarian Universalists have not made much about the season of Advent.  So what would we as Unitarian Universalist be waiting or preparing for? 

In searching for some ideas to develop some Advent wreath lighting words;  I first came across EveryDay Unitarian’s blog about her reflecting on Advent.  And she referred to an interesting new blog entitled Twenty Six Days of Advent written by a Christian who is reflecting on Advent in her life.  In one of her posts she talks about our not choosing to be born in this specific time; in this specific place.  She compares this to the Christian teaching that Jesus was chosen to be born in a specific time and specific place.    She then states, “A specific time, a specific place. We were not chosen to be those who walked with Jesus in Palestine. We were chosen to be here. And what am I blessed to see and hear? What will prophets and kings desire to have seen and heard from what I have experienced? Is there anything in my life wondrous, noteworthy, mysterious? Living in the blank page, our response time to the coming of Jesus, all I can think is “there had better be.” There had better be something worthy left behind when I am gone. And I had better get to it.”

And this is where Unitarian Universalists can celebrate Advent.  It is in preparing our lives to be an example of something wondrous, noteworthy, and yes,  even mysterious.  As  Mary Oliver states, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do With your one wild and precious life?” 

Advent for Unitarian Universalists can be a time of planning, of preparing the way, of welcoming the coming;  if not of the Christ then of the arrival of another life [ours] lived in compassion towards our neighbors seen in the activities to rid the world of oppression and injustice. Such a life demands spiritual fortitude and spiritual practice to re-weave us when the cloth of compassion wears thin. Advent can be that season where we re-fortify our selves for the work we have chosen for this specific time and this specific place.  And we had better get to it. We had better get to it.  Blessings,

From Philip Jenkins’ modern classic, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (2nd ed.):

Any knowledgeable observer in the 1790s would have concluded that orthodox Christianity had reached its last days, and of course, this sensible opinion would have been absolutely wrong. In the early nineteenth century, orthodoxy and tradition made a comeback, as did the papacy and, indeed, the Jesuits. The rationalism prevailing in many Protestant churches was overwhelmed by a new evangelical revivalism, which received an enormous boost from the revivals that began in 1798. Far from dominating the American scene, Unitarian-Universalists today comprise around .02 percent of the U.S. population. So thoroughly was eighteenth-century liberalism obliterated that many modern writers tend to assume that its ideas were invented anew by Victorian skeptics and rationalists, or perhaps grew out of the controversies over Darwinian evolution. Then as now, the triumph of secular liberalism proved to be anything but inevitable. (11)

NOT ONE RED CENT. 

Why I Don’t Contribute to Catholic Campaign for Human Development

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Stephanie Block

In violation of the strict rule that any discussion using “Nazi” as a simile for anything is immediately ceded, let me ask what Nazism, American slavery, and abortion have in common.

The answer is that they all deny(ied) the personhood of one group of human beings with the consequence that the “right to life” of the depersonalized group lies (or lay) in the power of those with legal status.

Which is why I won’t be contributing to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development – not this year or any year that one penny goes toward the support of any Alinskyian organizing network, such as the Industrial Areas Foundation, PICO, Gamaliel, DART, and the now disgraced and defunded ACORN… not to mention smaller networks and the hundreds of affiliate groups they spawn.

The links between the Alinskyian organizing networks and abortion are indirect but serious. It isn’t that the local Alinskyian organization will say “we’re supporting abortion rights” but that they are promoting (for example) Obama’s universal, government health care, despite its abortion-supportive components or that they’ll support a pro-abortion politician because he supports a pet program. The politically progressive Alinskyian organizing networks don’t have to include abortion “rights” in their platform to be supportive them.

And there’s an additional Culture of Death problem in all this, namely the indeterminate political “relationship” created by this particular ecumenical fellowship. To take an example, consider the institutional members of the Alinskyian organization, VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement). VOICE is an Arlington, Virginia affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation network and has about 39 institutional members – only institutions can join, not individual people – as well as another 7 who are in an “exploratory commitment” with the group. All are religious bodies.

Of those religious bodies, 11 are Catholic and presumably adhere to Catholic teaching about the intrinsic evil of abortion. The rest are predominantly from denominational scions – progressive break-aways from mainline religious “traditions”– that support abortion.

For instance, since 1971, the United Church of Christ has affirmed a woman’s right to access to safe and legal abortion. There are three United Church of Christ congregations in VOICE.

In 1978, Unitarian Universalists declared a “right” to contracept and abort. There are 5 Unitarian Universalists congregations involved with VOICE.

The conservative and reform branches of Judaism support a woman’s “choice” to abort and have 3 congregations in VOICE. The 5 Presbyterian members of VOICE are Presbyterian Church USA congregations. The Presbyterian Church USA also affirms a woman’s “choice.” United Methodists support the legal option of abortion…and there are 5 United Methodist congregations in VOICE.

Baptists have no centralized institutional authority, meaning there’s a good bit of variation from congregation to congregation. Their larger groupings, called conventions, do tend to group themselves into “progressive” or “traditional” camps. One “progressive” camp, for example, would be the New Baptist Convention founded by Jimmy Carter in 2008, about which The Washington Post writes gives “moderate Baptists a stronger collective voice and could provide Democrats a greater entrance into the Baptist community.” [Alan Coopeman, “Carter, Clinton Seek to Bring Together Moderate Baptists,” Washington Post, 1-21-07] Of the 8 Baptist congregations of VOICE, most seem to belong to the National Baptist Convention, which is divided on the abortion issue.

The Episcopal Church USA Executive Council formally made the Episcopal Church a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice in 1986. There are 2 Episcopalian congregations in VOICE.

The one African Methodist Episcopal congregation in VOICE, if it is consistent with other AME thought, laments abortion but argues it must be legally available for cases of rape, incest, and the “freedom to make reproductive choices.”

As for the Dar Al Hijrah Islamic Center, VOICE’s single Muslim member, it may or may not be anti-abortion but its pro-life credentials are questionable. Paul Sperry, in his book Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington, writes: “Heading deeper into falls Church on Leesburg Pike for about another mile takes you to the next place of interest on the Wahhabi corridor: Dar Al Hijrah, the hard-line Wahhabi mosque where Hazmi and other hijackers from the Pentagon cell worshipped and received aid and comfort. He and other hijackers were ministered to there by an iman who encourages violent jihad and martyrdom.”

So the question is, why is the pro-life Catholic Church in a political coalition with pro-death denominations rather than other pro-life denominations? Before you answer too quickly, imagine that rather than openly supporting “woman’s right to choose,” they supported a white man’s “right” to lynch?

I suggest that if the latter situation seems clear-cut, that if pro-life churches would never consider entering into any open-ended coalition with pro-slavery organizations, they have no business in a coalition with pro-aborts either. Groups that, as a matter of institutional policy, depersonalize other human beings so that the literal life is at stake, are dangerous.

Which is why, I suspect, that one reads of Catholics around the United States organizing boycotts of the CCHD. Mary Ann Kreitzer, president of Les Femmes in Diocese of Arlington, where VOICE is active, writes, “The pretense that ending [CCHD] funding to ACORN has eliminated the scandal is ridiculous when you consider that many of the other community organizing groups receiving money operate exactly like ACORN does and are engaging in the same type of liberal lobbying. …Why are millions being funneled to secular groups that often have an agenda diametrically opposed to the Church?”

[See Kreitzer’s article http://lesfemmes- thetruth. blogspot. comsearch? q=tuck+grinnell]

What a good question. More Catholics ought to be asking it.

Stephanie Block is the editor of the New Mexico-based Los Pequenos newspaper and a founder of the Catholic Media Coalition.

One of my guiltless pleasures has been indulging in the marvelous series Charm School by Elizabeth Watasin, featuring feminine, lovely, good witch heroine Bunny, her girlfriend, the vampire biker Dean, and a dark faerie named Fairer Than, who has the hots for Bunny. It’s a little bit like a queer Grease meets the Munsters.

Yes, I did type that Bunny has a girlfriend named Dean. Dean’s butchy, tough, smart and fast to react. Fairer Than is clever, deep and sexy, a butt-kicker of vampires -  and disturbingly alluring. Bunny, who’s good, blonde, lovely, sweet and not at all dumb, has some super cool advisers and aunties. In fact, these more minor characters are among my favorites: Pippita, demon-witch friend; The Aunties who guard Bunny’s virtue and good name -  Agoosta, Weirdette and Hauntette; and the not-to-be-forgotten Blanchette, the Voodoo Priestess/Princess and witch friend.

I love the story arcs, the art, the ideas, the unapologetic gayness and year round Halloweenness of it all. I didn’t realize that buying these might have made a statement about my lifestyle and sexual preference til one night I was in the comic book store with another straight friend, a woman. I had rushed over with her to get the latest issue and show her more Bunny and crew. While she was somewhat enamored, she was too embarrassed to purchase, “in case they” thought she was gay. When I asked her who “they” were, she gestured around the store, and sotto voce said, “You know, anyone here.” I guess she was referring to the adolescents perusing comics and graphic novels and the store clerk who couldn’t have cared less who we were or what our sexual preference was. I just rolled my eyes and bought my Bunny.

I realize now that I didn’t even realize way back when I bought my first Bunny book that she was gay. It just didn’t matter. It still doesn’t. But I’m writing about this because aside from the cool art, fun characters and intriguing twist on an age-old main plot which all means I recommend the Charm School series,  it shows how we can be stopped by our fear of what “they” might think. Not even of what “they” are thinking or have thought, but what “they” may think. May think. May not. In that moment. Or forever. Or not.

While I understand and even sympathize a bit with my friend, I am so glad to have Bunny and her cohorts in my life, warts and all (pun intended)! I relate a little bit to all the characters, as readers are meant to do, which tells me that Elizabeth has done a good job. I think the Charm School series is a great way for people who are witchily-faeriely-or-vampirely inclined to get more comfy with BGLT issues if they aren’t already. Or for BGLT folks to get more comfy with the more witchy/fey/vampirish amongst us. Or for the families and loved ones of all the above!

Speaking of getting comfy with BGLT issues, there are some folks out there besides activists and comic book writers who are doing their part to educate the rest of us on the relevancy of not just tolerating, but actually accepting and welcoming the BGLT community. Some of these folks are even church members who took a long, hard look at themselves and decided that their own values weren’t up to snuff. The folks to whom I am referring are Unitarian Universalists. They count among their many prominent past members John Quincy Adams, Charles Dickens, Clara Barton, Clarence Darrow, Kurt Vonnegut and one of my all time favorites, Beatrix Potter.

The Unitarians (my church of choice) this year celebrate 20 years of formally including the BGLT community with a program called Welcoming Congregation.  This volunteer program is a certification from the OBGLTC (Office of Bisexual Gay Lesbian and Transgender Concerns, a Unitarian Universalist Identity-Based Ministry) that many Unitarian congregations work towards acquiring.

The Welcoming Congregation vision is also looking beyond BGLT issues into the other oppressive isms that reduce us and make us feel unwanted, undervalued, marginalized and plain old other. If you are lucky enough to have a Unitarian Universalist Church in your area, check out their free religious education programs that might include Welcoming Congregation offerings.

If you don’t mind what “they might think,” check out the Charm School series. It’s a creative, fun way for us to remember that we all feel like freaks, geeks and ghouls at times – that we are all other as well as not.

So go out and get yourself some Charm School, Unitarian Universalism or both and let me know what you think.

This quote is from Arthur C. Clark’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Last night as I walked back to my room, I looked up at the night sky and the stars I saw were amazing.   I am at the Mountain Retreat andLearning Center in Highlands, NC for a SouthEast Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association meeting. 

Where I live in Alabama, the light pollution is so great that I do not have the vista of the heavens that I remember as a child in rural New York State.  

As a child, I could see very distinctively the milky way wave across the night sky but even from The Mountain where light pollution is less, the milky way was not as bright as I remember.   There is a sense of wonder at all of the universe that has always captured the human spirit since the dawn of human history.  That sense of wonder is being diminished by the light pollution and the dullness of our senses to the natural world around us.  

We are made up of the dust of stars.  Every part of our being has its origins in the stars above us.  It is a testament to the evolving wonder of life.  The expanse of it does not diminish the significance of life on this planet… on the contrary it calls forth the awe and majesty of life and creation expressing itself.  It is wonderous!

This week my church had a parish-led service where five people from the community stood up and talked about what they believe in – with the goal of showcasing the varied beliefs and opinions that make up a Unitarian Universalist church. It was pretty cool hearing people of varying ages and backgrounds, and a varying length of time within the Unitarian church, talk about their beliefs. It was cool agreeing with everyone about somethings, disagreeing about other things and that being totally fine. Some come from Roman Catholic backgrounds, others have been atheists for years, a lot of them come from varying Christian or Jewish religions. All continue to question their faith every day. The very idea of belief is a big deal – as were are always thinking about it, always changing. That’s like the point. I love it.

I’ve been going to this church for a month now. So I’m a total newbie when it comes to unitarianism. I don’t even think I could really call myself a unitarian at all yet – just a person who attends their services. I’ve been thinking about religion, seriously questioning myself and the world for about three years. Before that I was “raised Protestant.” I was baptized in a Protestant church, went to their Sunday school and have poured coffee, etc. at various Christmas dinners. But I didn’t go to church weekly. Or even monthly – or heck, even on holidays. It wasn’t until high school and college that I found myself occasionally attending a service with a friend or boyfriend, wondering what this “religion” thing was, what I could get out of it, and which ones I’d like. For about half a year or more I seriously considered converting to Catholicism (which my husband was raised) because I loved the church he attended and introduced me to, or at least I loved the priest.

But as I sat in the masses long enough, the glow waned, and I began to find myself annoyed with them more and more. “I believe in one true Catholic…” Um, nope I don’t. “I believe that Jesus Christ died for us…” Maybe? I’m not saying, “No you are wrong,” so much as I am saying, “No I do not believe this with every (or any) fiber of my being – and I don’t think any of the other religions out there are more or less right.” Moreover – I don’t believe that wars over religious beliefs are right. I don’t believe the prejudices towards our neighbors based on what God they pray to, what days they pray and how, or the color of their skin is right.

To me religion has always felt more like a story than a fact. It’s an idea. I don’t see it going past that point of idea. And ideas are so wholly personal – and should be, I think. I would be surprised if every member of any church, regardless which one, didn’t disagree about some small point (or bigger ones) in their faith. It’s normal, we’re human, we all see and hear things differently. It’s what makes us beautiful. I believe people should embrace their differences and learn from them, and focus less on our afterlives and more on our LIVES. I believe we should spend more time finding ways to embrace one another, help one another in any way we can and make a difference. I believe that at the base of all religions is the idea that we should lead better lives and help one another. If we all believe this on some level, why do we exclude others and narrow ourselves? This is one thing I love about Unitarian Universalists. All are welcome. They really do strive to embrace everyone, of any background, any faith – and work together as a community to make a difference. To me, that’s what “religion” should be.

I believe that I will never have it all figured out. I do not think my faith will ever be complete, nor my knowledge. I will not be finished until I die. And since I do not have a firm idea of what the afterlife has in store for me, I think it should be so very important to embrace every minute of now while I can. If and when I meet my maker, it will be too late to do things differently. I’d rather be open to all opportunities for growth and knowledge than pin myself to just one. However, I am not bothered with other people choosing that one religion. I think that all of them have their uses, all of them accomplish great things – and that a lot of people are very secure in their faiths and that’s wonderful. There is obviously something to this religious thing, having been around this long. I get that. So while I find myself at home at my local UU parish, I commend people for finding their homes in any faith based place they can. I don’t necessarily understand you, but believe me I respect and admire anyone who can lead a good life and find comfort in their faith.

And honestly, that’s about it for now. I’ll end this here, and go back to thinking about frivolous things like dessert and watching Simpson’s tonight with my husband. I appologize to any of my readers who might be put off by “another religious post.” I have no idea if this will be a regular thing or not – but now that I’m attending UU services weekly, I find myself thinking about this stuff more – and my blog really does seem like the perfect place to record my thoughts and feelings while I embark on this little “journey.” I trust that if it’s not your cup of tea, that you can simply move on to the next thing you want to read and catch up with me later.