This is Ronn & Linda Smith's 1983 letter
to the editor, initializing the beginning of the UU Fellowship of Sheridan.
To the Editor of the Sheridan Press:
In an age of apparent decline in religious
values, our community can take comfort in its abundance of churches and
churchgoers. There may be room for yet another faith if we expand the
traditional concept of religion. Beyond a belief in deity – or even apart from
it -- religion might also mean a respect for the inherent worth of humankind and
for the natural world to which it belongs. This broader definition still offers
values greater than “self”, but encompasses frontiers of thought excluded by
most formal religions. Such a church would provide a core philosophy to guide
our behavior, but more importantly, foster continual challenging and tempering
of that philosophy in light of new evidence – rational or intuitive. It would
seek improvement rather than abandonment of cultural values, just as compassion
displaced justice at the forefront of early Christian ethics.
The Unitarian-Universalists (referred to as
Unitarians) give such a meaning to religion. They stand somewhat alone among
churches of Christian descent, in acknowledging their own fallibility. They
offer no answers, only a breeding ground for questions. From their emergence in
colonial days to the present, their membership has mobilized on countless
social, political and environmental issues. Their low-key religious pursuits
have helped bond diverse ideologies and serve as a springboard toward
responsible citizenship. They regard a philosophically homogeneous society as
unrealistic and undesirable. They seek instead a conciliatory society, ethical
to be sure, but supple enough to honor the personal nature and varied results of
spiritual inquiry.
The Unitarian church is not without troubles.
It has demonstrated staying power but appeals to a relative few. Despite such
legendary sympathizers as Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the
Unitarians’ growth and influence have remained modest at best. Individual
victories generally go undocumented so one can only wonder at any profit to
their souls. Certainly the absence of both formal doctrine and divine authority
can shelter the habitual but irresponsible churchgoer. And as students of all
religions, subservient to none, the Unitarians may seem more like spectators
than players on the spiritual stage. They might even be accused of nihilism for
their vague stand on the nature of God and purpose of man. Perhaps worst of
all, their penchant for religious tolerance may grow obsessive, to the exclusion
of would-be participants who hold more definite beliefs.
But with these weaknesses come compensating
strengths. On matters of cosmic dimension, ambiguity might also be
characterized as maturity, which Mark Twain aptly described as the ability of
the mind to grasp contradictory ideas without collapsing into a state of
confusion. The Unitarians do recognize a spiritual dimension in life without
pretending to comprehend it. They aim to answer and harness it for productive
ends, here and now. They claim no exclusive insight or historical sanction.
Such claims already abound in conflicting forms that can only heighten world
tensions. Hence their uncertain posture on those intangible qualities that
separate us and their underscoring of experiences we all have in common. In
short, they favor reason over ritual, conscience over creed and understanding
over dogma. They may believe in worship, but they do not worship belief.
What kind of church would question its own
sanctity and invite all ideas to compete for survival on individual merits? A
church that allows the mind to explore without threat of moral judgment – a
church that can transform intellectual freedom into spiritual resolve and
collective action – a church that offers provocative but impartial religious
education for young and old.
How can one possibly find serenity in such a
church? Some argue that the only plausible alternative to certain knowledge of
God is despair. They pity the agnostic, like the beauty queen who, seeing a
particularly ugly young woman, privately wonders how the poor wretch keeps from
suicide. In all probability one is about as happy as the other, albeit for
different reasons. Serenity comes by accepting who you are, not by knowing you
are accepted.
Characteristically, this synopsis of the
Unitarian faith lacks clarity and completeness. But like many of its members we
would rather risk confusion than delusion. We believe that those human values
esteemed by all sincere religions alike, needn’t have eternal roots to warrant
earnest commitment. We believe in the potential of each mind to mold its own
concept of what is good. Whether innate or divinely infused, that potential can
only bear fruit through a rational exchange with supporters and detractors
alike. That we all reach moral conclusions different in substance or degree,
matters less than their independent origin and hard earned place in our
conscience. After all, our world may owe its ills more to intransigence than to
inept philosophies. Religion will cure those ills only to the extent that
freedom to think and duty to act escape the walls of graves and institutions and
penetrate the masses.
Ronn and Linda Smith
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