The discipline in being a Unitarian

Oneness is ultimate for many Unitarians.  Oneness of everything, including of ourselves within the oneness of everything that there is.

Oneness means no discontinuities, no barriers, no compartments – through and through a clearness that remains, however it is looked at.  That is the meaning of the word “integrity”.  And these ideas are closely linked with the words “true to” and “authentic”.

There is no creed, no statement of belief, that must be adopted by all Unitarians.  But  we still demand statements of belief.  Unitarians typically think that though there is not one creed for all, each must have a creed.  Many Unitarians would say that although there is not one faith for all, for each person there is a prescription, written into the universe, that must be found and then lived.

The only, small, matter of variance between us and people of other faith communities is where we allow ourselves to look for our discoveries and revelations.  We look in a broader range of places than one set of writings, beyond one human realm of activity, indeed we look beyond a human-centric focus.  We allow our exploration to range across the whole of the oneness we are able to perceive.

This is not an easy "pick and mix" approach to faith.  It is not saying that one can believe or do what one likes.  It demands instead a rigorous use of reason and conscience.  And a personal discipline to stick to what has been revealed and discovered, no matter the cost.

May 2014 meeting

Our May meeting took place at the very start of Christian Aid Week.  The two readings that were chosen reflected a theme that is common to both ancient religion and modern science – the interdependency of humankind and the survival need to give mutual aid.  The first reading was from Isaiah 58 and the second was derived from material available on the world wide web on the influence of Peter Kropotkin.  Despite considerable difference in language of the two readings, both perspectives asserted it to be a truth that health, well-being, and the satisfaction of a meaningful place in the world are bound up in helping each other and seeking justice through breaking down of oppression and social barriers.

We looked forward, to working with other churches in Ringwood in the coming week, as part of the Christian Aid Week campaign to deal with the impact and aftermath of war in South Sudan and Colombia.  And also, to giving thanks in joint worship on 18 May in Poulner Baptist Chapel.

The invitation was extended to all the participants to choose readings for future meetings.  We also agreed that we now have a working core to our congregation and discussed our next initiative for growth, which is likely to take a different, drop-in format, early on Saturday mornings. 

Unitarians learn to listen in Ringwood

What do we do in our meetings?  Well, we carry out some simple sharing rituals, in which we share silence, candle lighting, and passing small items from hand to hand, and most often, a small amount of food too.  These are all to represent our interconnected nature and may hold extra, private meanings for participants, depending on their personal faith.

We also share the leadership of the meetings.  We make this easy by having a simple but fixed format, which includes space for private contemplation (which may be used for prayer or meditation), listening to music or singing a couple of Unitarian hymns, and most importantly, two readings.  We think of listening to the readings as lectio divina, which means "sacred reading".

Often, lectio divina is a solitary activity, but it can be used very successfully in a small group.  The listening silence that emerges becomes very prayerful, and trust and strong bonds between the participants develop.

Traditionally, the reading activity focuses on scripture.  Scripture is a word whose meaning has changed.  When Paul was writing in the early days of the Common Era, it used to mean anything written down, but more recently the word `scripture` has come to mean the venerated texts from religious writers of various faiths.  Traditional Christians would most often use the Bible, augmented by writings by saints or early Christian mystics.  But as Unitarians we are not constrained by that and a wide range of texts can be used.  Scientific writings can be as important to us as poetry and traditional writings, from whichever faith system has drawn our attention.

As everyone is given the opportunity to select the texts to be read, this arrangement also has the benefit that we can hear the texts and subjects that hold meaning for everyone individually in the group.  So if you are looking for a spiritual community that is interested in your own path and your own belief system, give us a try.  In return, we will give you a good listening to.