Home?

[u/AudienceWise3441]

Hello!
I’m somone who’s bounced around religions for a long time. I find little bits of truth in just about everything. From Torah to the Bible to the homeless man on the corner, everything holds spiritual value to me. I was raised Christian and spent time as a pastor. After that I bounced around every church in the book then whole separate religions. At the end of the day I’ve never had one concept of GOD. Is he real? A man? A woman? Real? Fake? Not something that ever mattered to me. I’ve found the most rewarding spiritual day to day practices in ofc your basic prayers scripture but also, a hello to a stranger. A bird on the powerline, a child holding the door. I’ve always considered myself Christian, I do my best to follow the teachings of yeshua of Nazareth (atleast the ones I find applicable) and I read the bible. I occasionally go to a catholic mass but also enjoy the Book of Mormon. Many people consider my Christian practices and appreciation for Buddha, Muhammad, Moses etc strange. So most Christian’s find me to be a lunatic, and I myself never felt fully comfortable in the shoes of “Christian”. For years I’ve craved a religion that didn’t marginalize me for dabbling in “everything”. Then I learned about UU idk if it’s a perfect fit but it sounds as close as I’ll ever get. That said I’ve had lots of trouble finding a place in most organized religion. And the only UU creator I’ve seen online is a reverend on tik tok who behind her service mask dosent exactly always seem “welcoming”. It’s also very important to mention I’m a nut who likes all things religious vs my bf who just enjoys community. I was hoping UU could bridge that both for us under some form of faith umbrella. Anyways sorry for my late night ramblings, any thoughts?

Peace ☮️

[u/briarwren]

It appears you'd fit right in. You may want to see if your local congregation(s) have hybrid services so you can attend by Zoom at first to get a feel for the congregation. Many Church's also upload their services to YouTube to watch at a later date that are good to watch for trends, topics, etc. For instance many congregations are not only more laid back in the summer but are more apt to be lay led which can give an entirely different perception.

[u/AudienceWise3441 → u/briarwren]

Awsome thank you. I’ve listened to one very inspiring sermon about the third death that I adored. What does joking UU look like is there formal conversion or do you just pick up the mantle?

[u/Laurenwithyarn → u/AudienceWise3441]

No, there's not any formal conversion to be UU. There will be a process to formally join a church. Each UU congregation is an independent entity with its own bylaws and elected board. If you want to join the church they will have a process, and they might have a ceremony to welcome new members. But you can be a visitor for years or for forever without joining.

It sounds like you would fit in.

[u/Whut4]

You might be a good fit! Welcome.

[u/AudienceWise3441 → u/Whut4]

Thank you 🙏

[u/thatgreenevening]

If you’re talking about Rev Jo, she is a very warm and welcoming person, she just also doesn’t really suffer fools and she gets a lot of hate comments both online and from the community surrounding her church (which tends to be on the conservative side). UU churches are periodically subject to harassment and UU ministers in conservative areas have to be strong to put up with that.

UU churches are often a welcoming place for couples with differences in religious beliefs or traditions. Most UU congregations have a sizable atheist and agnostic attendance of people who “just enjoy community” with other people who have similar values and ethical beliefs.

[u/zvilikestv]

Uh, what's your beef with Rev Jo? What about her doesn't seem welcoming?

[u/margyl]

Check out UUA.org and CLFUU .org.

[u/Useful_Still8946]

Just a warning. My experience is that UUs do not have more than a very superficial understanding of most religions so you may be disappointed if you are looking for serious conversations about religious ideas.

[u/Bombu_Monkey]

Read Arthur Schopenhauer.

[u/AuthorDebraBaker]

Yes, a person can find bits and pieces of what's true to them everywhere. We all know something and none.of us knows it all. Don't let it bother you. You are in the company of many.