Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Hallowed Secularism and Unitarian Universalism

10/16/2007--A family member noticed a full page ad in Time Magazine on October 15, 2007 by the Unitarian Universalist Congregations (UUA). The ad asked the provocative question, “Is God keeping you from going to church?” The ad suggested that people may be uncomfortable with an idea of God that comes from others. In Unitarian Universalism, on the other hand, the religious seeker can find “a loving, spiritual community where you can be inspired and encouraged as you search for your own truth and meaning.”

The question directed to me was, “how does this differ from Hallowed Secularism?”

Certainly I have nothing whatever against Unitarian Universalism. The Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church, “a spiritually diverse, activist congregation,” as they put it, is just around the corner in my neighborhood. I have spoken there and I know they do great things, though I admit that politically predictable religion is not for me.

The problem theologically can be seen in the ad itself. Truth and meaning are objective or they are not worth much. You do not work out the truth for yourself. When you get the truth wrong, you are in sin and your life may turn out not to have much meaning. When whole societies get the truth wrong, they suffer horrible consequences that traditional religion calls the judgment of God. It is the subjectivity of liberal religion that is so un-biblical and thus differs quite a lot from Hallowed Secularism.

2 comments:

  1. Fascinating analysis! Truth is and should be objective. Once groups (religious or otherwise) start fabricating their own "truth," they can rationalize anything, including the greatest atrocities in the history of civilization, some of which were committed in the name of God.

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  2. Some objective truth about Unitarian*Universalsits aka U*Us.

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