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Two Major Announcments

1 March 2009

 

Sam (formerly called Totem) is still available for adoption

 

     I have a couple of big announcements for you die-hard readers, still hanging in there after I've been home almost two years.  First, Hamid, my friend and interpreter from Afghanistan, will be in America soon.  It’s hard to believe his dream is finally coming true. I hope all goes well for him here, and he can find happiness living in our country.  Many do not, so it is not a forgone conclusion by any means.  Second, I have been accepted into Vanderbilt Divinity School, and will begin in mid-August.  If you had told me three years ago that I’d be going back to school, I’d have laughed.  If you had told me I’d be studying for the ministry, I’d have asked what drugs you were taking.  Admittedly, being a minister in a Unitarian Universalist Church is in many ways very different from being a minister anywhere else, at least from the expected belief system angle.  Still, not where I thought I’d be after retirement.

     Despite what some people think, I am employed right now.  I’m putting in quite a few hours as a lay minister (which simply means a minister that isn’t ordained).  Technically, I am quarter time, which means my work description (yes, I do have one) states that I must work 10 hours a week.  I will also give the message/talk/sermon twice a month.  What else do I do?  I’ve been doing a lot of painting around the church, I’ve been to some interfaith meetings with other ministers in the area, I study a lot, help out a bit with folks who have had surgeries or are in the hospital.  I also learned how to manage a web site, and you are welcome to check out the results at http://www.uutullahoma.org  I am very happy with the result, and now that I actually know what I’m doing, I will be adding new things over the next few weeks.  I also wrote the following essay for the site, and I hope you find it illuminating, if not edifying. 

 

What Makes Us Different from other Churches?

  

     What makes our church different from all the other churches out there?   More than you might imagine.  Unitarian Universalists (UUs, as we sometimes call ourselves) don’t claim to know all the answers.  In fact, we don’t even expect to learn the answers in our lifetimes.  Rather, we understand that Spirituality, God, Ultimate Truth, and the Meaning of the Universe are subjects that can’t even be adequately described using human language.  While we all think on these things, and strive to find truth and meaning in our lives, UUs have decided to embrace uncertainty, rather than fear it.  Life is full of wonderment and beauty; each day is something to be cherished.  We need not fear death, but should rather live life with gratitude that we exist, and can share our lives with others.

     We have no creed, no doctrinal statement, no required belief system that our members must adhere to.  We agree to share our stories with each other, as we travel our paths towards truth and meaning.  We agree that our path is not the only one, and that none of us possesses ultimate truth.  We wish to learn from each other, to listen carefully, and to speak in love.  Of course, being human, we fail all too often.  But we do give it our best shot, and try to mend fences when we speak hatefully or carelessly.

     We conduct a service first, and then have a discussion afterwards.  This is a deliberate attempt to involve the entire congregation in an analysis of what has been said in the service.  This discussion period is highly treasured by our members.  We do not use this as a time to tear down, but we will critically analyze what has been presented.  We cherish human reason, and consider critical thinking part of our worship service.  No one is ever asked to believe something because it has been taught from the pulpit.

     The Unitarian Universalist Church of Tullahoma had its 50^th anniversary in November 2008.  Our members range from atheists and agnostics to pagans to Christians, and almost any other religious background you can imagine.  How do people with such diverse views worship together and befriend each other?  We invite you to visit us and find out.

Hamid in America

15 Mar 09

 

Momentous news AWAC readers!  Hamid has finally immigrated to the United States, and is now living in Nashville, about a 60 minute drive from me.  I will write more about it soon, but I wanted to share some photos with you from our days in Afghanistan, since I never shared photos with you before.  But now that he is in the States, he said I could share photos and write about his new adventures here in America.  After the photos, you will find another of my talks/messages/sermons, this one presented at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tullahoma on 15 Mar 09. Enjoy!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hamid is wearing the white jacket

Here’s the message I will give at church on 15 Mar 09.  This is the first time you’ve gotten it before my congregation does.  It is one in a series on morality, and how we should develop morality based on love, rather than scriptures or belief systems.  Enjoy: 

     Morality (right living) is best developed and practiced when it is built on love.  Love is not the romanticized nonsense presented so many times in our media.  That is better defined as lust.  Love requires work, it requires a conscience decision to treat others with respect and kindness.  In a marriage, it requires mutual caring, a partnership, a friendship, closer than your relations with anyone else.  In a community, it requires courtesy, compassion, and self-sacrifice.  None of these things just happen; they are choices made by individuals who believe this is the right way to live.  It is not always easy, nor is it always pleasant, nor does it guarantee that others will behave in like manner. 

     William Houf in his book Infinity in Your Hand defined love as recognizing our kinship with each other, that we are all part of a larger whole.  We need to understand that even if we despise what someone has done, that we are not so far removed from being able to do the same thing.  “There but for the Grace of God go I.”

     At the end of my last message I summed up my views thus:

1. Focus on your own standards and behavior, using love as the basis of your actions and decisions (your morality).

2.  Civil laws, community standards, even international relations should be developed the same way.  Slavery would never have existed if such a standard were used, rather than various scriptures.

3.  We should use loving speech to make our points.  Sarcasm and mockery are poisonous to god relationships and consensus building. 

     Today I want to focus on one specific example of how love can be used develop our morality.  I want to address religious tolerance, but even more than that, religious respect and dare I say it, love for those who worship differently.

     I’ve been reading For Faith and Freedom – A Short History of Unitarianism in Europe by Charles Howe.  It is a superb book, and provides a very readable history of the early days on Unitarianism.  Most people don’t realize that our religion was formed in the early days of the reformation, but unlike the Protestants, who were persecuted by the Catholics, the Unitarians were persecuted by both Catholics and Protestants.  It never takes long for the persecuted to become the persecutors.   I’d like to give you the briefest of highlights of our early history.

October 31, 1517:  Martin Luther nails the 95 Thesis to the church door in Wittenberg; considered the beginning of the Protestant Reformation

October 27, 1553:  Michael Servetus was burned at the stake for heresy, with the approval of John Calvin.  Servetus wrote “On the Errors of the Trinity” and “The Restoration of Christianity.”  Among his crimes was believing that Christ was not eternal, the Holy Spirit was the Spirit of God living in us, and that infants should not be baptized. He is sometimes called the first Unitarian martyr

June 10, 1565:  An antitrinitarian synod was held in Brzeziny, Poland.  This marks the Beginning of Unitarianism as an organized movement.  The Minor Reform Church of Poland is formed.  Faustus Socinus becomes the leader, and eventually they are called Socinians.  He argued that Christ was not the Savior because of his death on the cross, but because hhis life showed us the way of salvation, which could be attained by following his example.

July 10, 1660:  After many years of persecution at the hands of Catholics, the few remaining Socinians were exiled and found homes in the Netherlands, Germany, and Transylvania.  In 1666, Andrew Wiszowaty, grandson of Socinus, while in exile in the Netherlands, argued that reason can be both a source of religious truth and the arbiter in drawing religious conclusions.  He also  believed that religion should evolve and wrote “We do not think that we need blush if our Church advances in some things.  We ought not in every case to cry out, ‘We believe, I stand fast in the ranks, here I plant my foot, I will not allow myself to be moved from here, ever so little.’”  These views perfectly sum up Unitarian Universalism as it is practiced today.

1568:   Unitarian movement begun in Transylvania.  King John Sigismund issued The Act of Religious Tolerance and Freedom of Conscience which stated in part:

. . . in every place the preachers shall preach and explain the Gospel each according to his understanding of it, and if the congregation like it, well, if not, no one shall compel them for their souls will not be satisfied, but they shall be permitted to keep a preacher whose teaching they approve.

However, with his death four years later, the new prince (a Catholic) promoted and got passed a new law forbidding any innovations in religion. 

1579:  Francis David, the Unitarian leader, is imprisoned for innovation. He argued that only God the Father should be invoked in prayer.  He dies soon afterward.  The Unitarian Church suffers persecution both at the hands of Catholics and Calvinists. However, the Unitarian Church survived in both Romania and Hungary.

     But how does this fit in with the topic of today’s talk?  Let me digress a bit more before I hit the main point.  James Carse, in his book The Religious Case against Belief spends a great deal of time differentiating between religion, which allows free thought and understands that there will always be mysteries, and a belief system, which defines areas where free inquiry may not enter.  It is a fascinating discussion, and one everyone, regardless of their religion or belief system, should read.  It certainly applies here.

     Consider the persecutions the Unitarians experienced.  They were murdered, tortured, and/or exiled, their homes, churches, and schools stolen or burned, their freedoms taken away, and for what?  Not holding to the proper belief system.

     For those who claim morality must come from religious precepts, this is the most amazing irony.  Their morality, derived from Old Testament teachings, was to torture and kill to preserve the true faith.  Even if those considered heretics claimed to be Christians themselves, it was irrelevant.  Though they claimed the name of Christ (who incidentally never advocated the execution or torture of anyone), they held to the wrong set of beliefs, and must be brought into line at any cost.  People were killed because they did not believe in the trinity, or infant baptism, or praying directly to Christ.  Protestants and Catholics alike perpetrated these outrages, all in the name of Jesus.

     I suspect by now you see where I’m going with this.  Here was a morality based not on love, but on a belief system, which in turn was based on one interpretation of the Bible.  Certainly there were many Christians who were appalled by these crimes.  Sabastian Castellio wrote a book attacking John Calvin for his part in the execution of Michael Servetus.  “We are all heretics in the eyes of those who do not share our views,” he wrote, showing a level of common sense sorely lacking at that time.  Yet Calvin, using scripture to back his position, never regretted his actions. 

     Have no illusions about this, John Calvin believed he was being moral. He believed he was doing God’s will.  But his morality, his concept of right living, was built on a foundation of sand.  He never acknowledged that he could be wrong!  He was willing to have people killed based on his belief system, convinced it was the only correct belief system.  So too were many others, Catholic and Protestant.  Today we see this same certainty in the Muslims who wish to kill us. 

     What is so desperately lacking here is an understanding of where love fits in.  Imagine if love and compassion were the foundation of Calvin’s morality, rather than his belief system.  Imagine if the Popes had ruled their church using love as a guiding principle, rather than demanding mental conformity.  Imagine all the people who would not have been murdered in the name of Christ. 

     I’ve said this many times, and I’ll say it again.  Morality should not be derived from holy scriptures of any kind.  When it is, the battle lines (literally) are quickly drawn. Which scripture do we use? Which version of that scripture do we use? Which interpretation do we use? Which prophet, rabbi, or preacher do we look to for guidance?  How can we tolerate those who don’t agree?  They are in opposition to God!  WE MUST STOP THEM!  WE MUST KILL THEM!

     Soon the atrocities begin.

     The more I study, the more I read, the more I am convinced that our only hope is to build a morality based on love.  I must acknowledge that I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t dare to speak for the Almighty.  How could any human seriously say they know God’s will?  The early Unitarians were firmly convinced they were acting as true Christians, yet they were persecuted by others who were equally convinced that they were not Christians, and deserved exile, torture, and death. 

     How breathtakingly arrogant to look another in the eye and say “I know with absolute certainty that your beliefs are wrong, an affront to God, and if you don’t change your beliefs, you deserve to die.”  There is no love here.  Love was never an issue.  Only doctrinal purity mattered.  Or doctrinal submission.  Call it what you like.  But don’t call it morality.

     Of course, we are too civilized to allow this in our country today.  But isn’t it just as arrogant to tell a Wiccan member of the military that they can’t use one of their symbols on a tombstone in Arlington Cemetery, because it is not a recognized religion? (Thankfully, this policy has been changed).  Is it not arrogant to tell a gay couple they can’t get married, even though marriage is a civil, legal arrangement authorized by the state?  Is it not arrogant to make people listen to endless Christian prayers at military functions, even though many members of the military are not Christians?  Acts of arrogance like these come from morality and principals based on something other than love. 

     This message has evolved as I wrote it.  Originally I wanted to delve deeper into what true love is, but sometimes looking for deeper answers leads to simpler definitions.  Love requires thought and consideration.  Love doesn’t claim absolute knowledge. Love allows for differences. Love does not seek to eliminate those who disagree.  Love does not denigrate humanity or human reason.   Love appreciates mystery.  Love allows us to disagree, debate, critique, and still be friends.  When a religion loses sight of this, it has become nothing more than a belief system, and will cause more harm than good.  This is why Unitarian Universalism means so much to me.  This is what I believe we must build our faith and our morality on.  This is why our religion, with people from so many diverse backgrounds, holding to diverse beliefs, can come together each week to worship, in way so very different form so many other religions.  This is why I believe we have something very important to offer the world, and this is what keeps me excited each week.  I hope my talk has helped you to share in this excitement.

           

    

    

 

Major Rat

26 Mar 09

 

 

 

Rat (second from left) gets promoted

  

     First, a big announcement.  Rat (aka Capt Doug Templeton, one of my hut mates from Afghanistan) has been selected for Major. He won’t pin on until the fall, but when he does he promises photos for AWAC. Congrats! It is well deserved.

     I regret that I am not posting more regularly, but retirement is not equating to more free time.  In addition to the work I do for the church, which includes a great deal of reading, I have also been visiting sick church members, working with Hamid to help him with his integration into American society, and fostering dogs.  I also have the pleasure of watching my son play soccer, and they tend to have two or three games a week.  It’s a very pleasant time, but blogging does take a back seat.

     Hamid is doing great, and loves being in America.  I was out there on Tuesday, attending an orientation meeting with him.  Do not think immigration is an easy process.  It is not.  But the folks who come here are still grateful, even if it can be slow and frustrating.  On April 12, Hamid and I will be doing a service at our church describing the immigration process, and during the discussion period afterwards, he will answer questions on our time in Afghanistan, his life in general, and the things he had to go through to immigrate.  Naturally, all AWAC readers are invited.

     Hamid now has his Social Security number, his food stamp card, and a bank account set up, with checks and a debit card arriving shortly.  I’ve shown him how to buy food with his food stamp card, and he proudly purchased his first item, a gallon of milk.  Now begins the process of trying to find a job. 

     Since I last posted puppy photos, two more dogs have entered our home. Toby was only with us two days before he was adopted.  He was found wandering in a busy street, and the poor guy was probably 4-5 weeks old.  As you can see, he was beautiful.

 

   

 

     Faye came to us on March 24^th.  She was turned in by a woman who claims she found Faye in a playground.  Her leg was broken in two places, but thanks to the work of the folks from the Tullahoma Animal Shelter, and Theresa Holt’s fundraising efforts (the city provides NO money for medical care of the dogs), Faye is now vaccinated and in a cast.  She will be recovering for at least a month.  She is very tiny, not even 4 pounds, and looks to be a Chihuahua/terrier mix. 

 

Faye with her broken leg

 

 

Faye watching me blog

  

     Finally, Sam the Pomeranian (aka Totem) was also adopted.  I miss him quite a bit, but I know he has a good home.

 

 

     I’ve been doing more revisions to our church website, and we now have a good collection of sermons/talks on line, should any of you want to see what our services are like.  Check it our at http://www.uutullahoma.org/.

    In conclusion, here’s my latest sermon. Enjoy!

 

    

What is a Covenant, and Why Should We Have One?

         

     During our church retreat in November I led a session on developing a covenant for our church.  It was agreed by everyone there that this would be a good idea.  I won’t rehash what I said at that time, but rather want to talk about covenants, take a look at the Unitarian Universalist Association Covenant (also know as our Seven Principles), and suggest that a covenant is even more important for UU churches, since we don’t have creeds or doctrinal statements, and have members from many different backgrounds.

    

So what is a Covenant?

     "Covenant" is Latin for "come together" or “agree” and means a "solemn agreement to act together in harmony" or "promise from the heart" regarding a course of action between parties. 

     Perhaps the most famous covenant, at least as far as religion is concerned, is the Abrahamic Covenant found in Genesis 12: 1-3

The Lord had said to Abraham, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

     This is all we know about the initial meeting between Abraham and God.  This is a conditional covenant – Abraham must first obey by leaving his country and his father’s household, and going to the land that God shows him.  In return, God will make him the father of a great nation, and bless Abraham’s friends and curse his enemies.

     It is hard to overstate the importance of this simple covenant.  It has affected the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.  It has an effect on American foreign policy (or at least on people who develop this policy).  It is even seen in some circles as applying to the Church today, to various European countries, and even to the United States.

     Both Judaism and Islam consider Abraham  the father of their religions, while Christianity considers itself the next step after Judaism (there are many different ways this is explained, and well beyond the scope of this discussion).  Many Christians in the United States believe this covenant still applies today to Israel, and they believe that for our country to remain strong, we must always support Israel, NO MATTER WHAT.  If we turn against Israel, God will curse us.  These beliefs are strong in many fundamentalists churches, and undoubtedly this has influenced US foreign policy to some extent, especially under administrations that had strong ties to fundamentalist churches.  But many have taken the Abrahamic Covenant and applied it in very creative ways. I’ll touch briefly on two examples.

   

- Covenant Theology:  Many Protestant churches hold to a belief that God deals with the Church (the body of true believers) through covenants, just as He did with Israel.  Some go so far as to say that the Church has replaced Israel as God’s Chosen People, and the Abrahamic Covenant only applies to the Church today, and Israel no longer holds any special place in God’s eyes.  Baptism has replace circumcision as a sign of this covenant, and this is why some Protestant churches practice infant Baptism rather than believer’s baptism.  These teachings are most solidly formed within the Presbyterian and Reformed Churches, and can also be found in some Baptist Churches.

    

- Anglo-Israelism or British-Israelism:  Far less common than Covenant Theology, this belief requires a brief history lesson.  Israel as a united kingdom had three kings, Saul, David, and Solomon.  After Solomon’s death, the Kingdom of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom (ten tribes, know as Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (two tribes, know as Judah).  Both were eventually conquered, and most of their people carried off into captivity, the Northern Kingdom by Assyria and the southern Kingdom by Babylon. Ultimately, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin returned from the Babylonian Exile, after Babylon was conquered by the Persians.  The Jews of today descend from the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin.  You may have heard the phrase “the lost tribes of Israel.”  This refers to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom, who never returned to the Promised Land. 

      Needless to say, there is much speculation as to what happened to these lost tribes.  We’ll probably get a blockbuster novel out of it one day, along the lines on the Da Vinci Code.  Some believe that these tribes migrated north into Europe, settling in Northern Europe.  Obviously, those that settled in Britain eventually came to America, so in their minds, the Abrahamic Covenant applies to those of Northern European ancestry, and some say it applies to the United States.

    

The Unitarian Universalist Covenant

     Most of us are familiar with the Seven Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  What you may not be aware of is that they are worded as a covenant. Notice the opening words as I read them.

  

We covenant to affirm and promote:

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 congregation and in society at large

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part.

   

     Here is a simplified version from “Tapestry of Faith” Religious Education curriculum by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer:

   

Each person is important

We're free to learn together

Be kind in all you do

We search for what is true
All people need a voice
Build a fair and peaceful world
We care for Earth's lifeboat

  

     Notice that this is not a creed or doctrinal statement, no does any person have to subscribe or swear to this to join our church.  It does not emphasize what we must believe, but how we strive to behave.  While I suppose some UUs might find something here to object to, I think it is fair to say that the intent of the authors was to create something that would unite us, not an easy task.  If someone were to take strong exception to something in our principles, they would probably not be comfortable in a UU church.

    

Why Have a Covenant?

     For over fifty years the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tullahoma has functioned without a unique covenant.  What we do have in our by-laws (Article II: Purpose) are the seven Principles, stated as a covenant.  So clearly we are fully capable of functioning without our own covenant.  However, as we discussed at our retreat, the actual effort put into developing a covenant is useful, because it makes us look at ourselves and examine what is important to us.  I also believe it is very important to personalize our church.  The seven Principles are wonderful, but they are not specifically ours; perhaps we can develop something that has an even deeper meaning to us.  This would be one more step towards having a piece of each of us presented to the surrounding community.  Just as I am seeking to personalize our website by adding messages from all of you, I think having our own covenant would be healthy, both in making it more meaningful to us, and in giving us something to focus on periodically as we move forward.

    

How Do We Proceed?

     During our talkback session, I’ll ask for suggestions from all of you.  I’ll write each one down.  I’ll also ask for volunteers who would be willing to be part of a committee to develop our own covenant.  If there is interest, we’ll meet, write a draft, and submit to the congregation for suggestions and comments.  Ultimately, it would need to be voted on. 

     Other things I would suggest is that the new board, who we will be voting for today, develop their own covenant.  This is not something we have discussed yet, and it is merely my suggestion.  It is not a promise that we will do this, but I think it would be worthwhile.

     Finally, I developed a simple covenant for myself as the lay minister.

I covenant with you to:

- Be sincere in what I say, never teaching things I don’t believe

- Give my best effort at all times

- Act with integrity

- Strive to show love and compassion in all things

- Continue in the role of lay minister only as long as I do so with the conviction that our church is vital to this community, that each of you are important, and I can contribute meaningfully to our congregation