[printprofilepic]“. . . the very word ‘religion’ comes from a Latin root that means to tie, to bind. Ultimately what ties us together, what makes us a religion, a united people, is what we love. Religion, our religion, is what we truly care about, what we want to preserve, embrace, and create.”—“The ‘It’ Church” by the Rev. Peter Morales, UUA president, in UU World, Spring 2010 (http://uuworld.org/life/articles/158390.shtml)
The question is asked of us all the time: “Is Unitarian Universalism a religion?”
Many of us are quick to jump on the bandwagon of either side of what seems to be a “yes or no” question. Usually, our answers have a lot to do with our own personal relationship with that loaded little word, “religion.” Those comfortable with the presumably traditional idea of “being religious” are more likely to say “yes” than those who are more critical of religion or count themselves among the crowd who consider themselves “spiritual, but not religious.”
I think where we get stuck in this conversation is around that traditional idea of what “religion” means. Belief in a deity, a creedal checklist, some sort of stark moral absolutism—all of this is wrapped up in what many people hear when they hear the word “religion.” And while that is certainly a definition of religion, it is not the only definition. As Rev. Morales notes in his column in the current UU World, and as every first year seminarian hears ad nauseum, “religion” derives from the Latin—to bind together. Religion, then, at its best is the practice of connection. If there is anything truly sacred in this world, it is the connections between us – those we know, and those we don’t yet know. Or, as the residents of Grovers Corners refrain throughout Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town, “Blessed be the ties that bind.”
I’ve told newcomers for years that Unitarian Universalism is a religion, but not a religion that stresses what to believe. Rather, we focus on how we should be together. You’ve heard me preach about the importance of how we “walk together,” and that it’s action—the empirically observable output of belief—that matters more than language. Beyond action, though, is what Rev. Morales has to offer. The answer to the question “What do we love?” may be even more important than the question of how we act. Unitarian Universalism is the religion that asks not “what do we believe?” but “what do we love?”
As we explore what it means to “celebrate diversity in belief, and seek unity in action,” it is perhaps the question of what we truly love that points us in that direction of unity. That is my question for meditation over these summer months. I invite you to ponder it with me.
What do we love?
…
“Summer Blockbusters” returns in June and July. We had a lot of fun with the series last year. If you didn’t get a chance to try it out last year, give it a try now. I’ll e-mail information on the Saturday night dinners (and the family-friendliness of each movie) just ahead of our Blockbuster weekends. We begin June 13th with Where the Wild Things Are.
…
I’m on vacation and study leave for the majority of these next two months. I’ll have office hours in the weeks preceding my pulpit dates in June and July. As always, I’m available for emergencies via cell phone and e-mail.
See you in church,
Rev. John Cullinan
