sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (06/30/84)
From UPI, as printed in the Boston Globe, 6/29:
______________
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Unitarian Universalist Assn. yesterday approved the
marriage of homosexual couples. The 1300 delegates at the group's
international General Assembly approved the resolution, which had earlier
been approved by the board of trustees, 77-0, on a voice vote. A
spokesman, Kenneth Campbell, said the church is the first major
denomination to affirm religious celebrations of the union of homosexual
couples. The association president, Eugene Pickett, said, "We believe it
is important to respect the commitment of two people to each other in a
ceremony which has personal and religious significance, even if it doesn't
have legal validity." The Unitarian Universalist Church has 1010
congregations in the United States, Canada and eight other nation.
-------------
To which I say, "Amen and Alleluia." It is truly refreshing to see a
religious organization take a forward, prophetic stand without the
normal mealy-mouthed equivocating which usually accompanies ANY possibly
controversial decision, gay-related or not. I don't know much about the
U-U Assn., but I intend to find out more about them.
--
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPAalan@allegra.UUCP (Alan S. Driscoll) (06/30/84)
>> COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Unitarian Universalist Assn. yesterday approved the >> marriage of homosexual couples. The 1300 delegates at the group's >> international General Assembly approved the resolution, which had earlier >> been approved by the board of trustees, 77-0, on a voice vote. > To which I say, "Amen and Alleluia." It is truly refreshing to see a > religious organization take a forward, prophetic stand without the > normal mealy-mouthed equivocating which usually accompanies ANY possibly > controversial decision, gay-related or not. A vote of 77-0 says it all, but then, the UUA has never been afraid to take a controversial position. > I don't know much about the > U-U Assn., but I intend to find out more about them. If you find traditional religion repressive, but would still like some kind of spiritual community, UU is worth checking out. You can think of it as a "roll your own" religion. There is no church dogma. They supply a supportive, caring community of open-minded people. The rest is up to you.
saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (07/02/84)
I don't know much about Unitarian churches, but I do know one thing: most of
the couples I know who come from different religious backgrounds have decided
to get married in the Unitarian church because it is much more open minded
about mixed marriages than their own churches are.
(I have thins strange feeling that I am going to receive a lot of flaming
for this relatively anodine comment, so my asbestos gloves are on!)
Sophie Quigley
...!{clyde,ihnp4,decvax}!watmath!saquigleyriddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (07/03/84)
I am not now a member of the Unitarian church, but I was raised as one
and members of my family still are. If any of you have simple
questions about Unitarianism I'd be happy to try to answer them by
e-mail.
Briefly, Unitarian-Universalism has its roots in the philosophical and
religious movement of which Emerson and Thoreau were a part. Most
Unitarians consider the church to be part of the Judeo-Christian
tradition, but many members do not consider themselves to be Christians
or Jews. (My father, for instance, is very active in the church
although he is an atheist.) The central theological point of
Unitarianism is religious tolerance and the notion that each of us
should be free to believe as our consciences dictate.
The Unitarian church has been involved in social issues since the days
of the struggle to abolish slavery, and many congregations have
supported gay rights in the past by loaning their buildings to gay
social and religious groups. I'm glad to hear that UU has taken the
step of approving gay marriages, and I hope that other churches will
now follow suit.
--- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.")
--- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddlerjb@akgua.UUCP (R.J. Brown [Bob]) (07/05/84)
Unitarians are not classically considered to be Christians
because they deny many basics of the Faith - Chief among these
is the Deity of Jesus and the Trinity. Indeed that is why
they are called Unitarians ? Es Verdad No?
People who would go to the Unitarian "haven" for mixed marriages
probably did not have an understanding of the fundamentals of
Christianity to begin with. Perhaps they had "Churchianity."
Note well I'm not belittling Unitarians, as such, as I am sure
many of them have arrived where they are by some deliberate
process and choice. They have chosen to reject orthodox
belief and of course that is still (Thank God) their right.
Bob Brown {...ihnp4!akgua!rjb}
AT&T Technologies, Inc.............. Norcross, Ga
(404) 447-3784 ... Cornet 583-3784alan@allegra.UUCP (Alan S. Driscoll) (07/06/84)
> Unitarians are not classically considered to be Christians > because they deny many basics of the Faith - Chief among these > is the Deity of Jesus and the Trinity. Indeed that is why > they are called Unitarians ? Es Verdad No? Unitarianism is not generally considered a Christian religion, at least not by Unitarians. Historically, UU evolved from the Christian tradition, but it abandoned the dogma long ago. > People who would go to the Unitarian "haven" for mixed marriages > probably did not have an understanding of the fundamentals of > Christianity to begin with. Perhaps they had "Churchianity." I'm not sure I agree with your first statement. I think many of the people who seek the Unitarian "haven" know what conservative religion teachs, and it doesn't make sense for them. I agree that many people come to UU because of "Churchianity", the desire for community. This is one of the things UU has to offer -- a supportive, caring community without the pressure to adapt the "proper" beliefs or lifestyle often found in other religions. > Note well I'm not belittling Unitarians, as such, as I am sure > many of them have arrived where they are by some deliberate > process and choice. They have chosen to reject orthodox > belief and of course that is still (Thank God) their right. UU definitely emphasizes deliberation and choice. On the lighter side, here's a Unitarian joke... It seems this man bought a new Mazarati, and wanted to have it blessed. First, he went to a Catholic priest, and asked, "Can you bless my Mazarati?" The priest replied, "What's a Mazarati?" Then the man went to a rabbi, and again asked, "Can you bless my Mazarati?" The rabbi also replied, "What's a Mazarati?" After this, he went to a Unitarian minister, and asked, "Can you bless my Mazarati?" The minister replied, "What's a blessing?" :-) I heard this joke from a Unitarian minister, of course. -- Alan S. Driscoll AT&T Bell Laboratories
martillo@ihuxt.UUCP (Yehoyaqim Martillo) (07/07/84)
I am not trying to take this too seriously but there is in fact a Jewish blessing which is said upon receiving something new which gives pleasure. The blessing is: You are a source of blessing, my Lord, King of Eternity who vitalizes us, who sustains us and who brings us to this moment. -- Yehoyaqim Shemtob Martillo Physicists talk to God. Psychologists talk to nuts.