Our Living Tradition Draws from Many Sources©
September 15, 2002
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland
Jane Thickstun, Celebrant

Reading
The reading is the statement of Principles and Purposes formulated by the Unitarian Universalist Association in the early 1980s.

We covenant to affirm and promote:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person.

2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning

5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

The living tradition we share draws from many sources:

1. Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.

2. Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.

3. Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.

4. Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.

5. Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.

6. Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual support and trust.

Sermon

This time last year, when we had just been shocked by the terrorist attack on our country, I talked about the Principles and Purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. The ones that Hank just read. On that particular day, we asked what the principles could offer us in our time of need. Then once a month all last year, we looked at each of the seven principles. The principles provide a foundation, though not a doctrine; they provide an ethical and theological groundwork for us to build on. The sources, on the other hand, describe the various sources of religious wisdom that Unitarian Universalists draw on in their search for truth and meaning, and in their efforts to make the world a better place.

Our denominational statement wasn’t always divided into these two distinct parts. In a book called With Purpose and Principle, UU minister Edward A. Frost describes the history of the statement of principles and purposes. I’ll be quoting from it a lot. Before the merger in 1961, Unitarianism and Universalism each had some statement of belief, in spite of a strong tradition in each of freedom of belief. But because of this tradition of freedom, and the need to avoid establishing a creed, it has been difficult all along to develop any kind of statement of common belief.

The Universalists adopted their first one in 1803 at a convention in Winchester, New Hampshire, and it was called the Winchester Confession. Universalism was formed in this country where the dominant religions were Calvinistic. The "Calvinistic doctrine of election proclaimed that some would be saved and some damned, according to God’s inscrutable will, regardless of what they did or did not do." (Frost, p. 2) The Winchester Confession stated the basic premise of Universalism -- that "God would ‘finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness’" – but it also had a liberty clause which said that "local congregations could adopt their own statements of faith and belief ‘provided they do not disagree with our general profession.’" (Frost, p. 2-3) The Universalists adopted new professions of faith in 1899 and in 1935 that updated the language but also affirmed that "no precise form of words" would be required of ministers or members. (p. 3)

Unitarianism grew as a movement within the congregations of the established churches of New England. By 1825, the American Unitarian Association had been formed, and issued a statement that reads: "We value our doctrines only so far as they evidently are the revelation of the will and character of God and so far as they tend to improve the religious, moral, and intellectual condition of mankind . . . . The great end of this association is the promotion of pure morals and practical piety." (p. 5) Soon after it began as a separate religious movement, Unitarianism went through extensive internal division about its theological identity. It began as a liberal Christian faith, meaning that while it denied the divinity of Jesus, it was "grounded solely in the teaching and example of Jesus as known through the Christian scriptures." In the 1800's, many influences started pulling Unitarians away from a strictly Christian outlook. For three-quarters of a century, the struggle went "back and forth between those who wished to keep the Unitarian Association solidly Christian," and those who wanted to go beyond Christianity to a ‘naturalistic’ and ethically based religion." (Frost, p. 5-6)

In 1984, the struggle was finally resolved with a new statement that found general agreement. It said that "these churches accept the religion of Jesus, holding in accordance with his teaching, that practical religion is summed up in love to God and love to man." It included a liberty clause that said that "nothing in the constitution of the Conference was to be construed as an authoritative test, and that all were welcome who were ‘in general sympathy with our spirit and our practical aims." (Frost, p. 6)

The peace didn’t last long, however. By the 1920's the presence of many humanistic, non-theistic ministers brought about a long humanist-theist debate in Unitarianism that lasted for some thirty years. In an effort to grow the denomination during World War II, another statement was formulated that contained a list of five principles with which it was felt most Unitarians would agree. These were the precursors of our current principles and include things like: Individual freedom of belief; the democratic process in human relations; and universal brotherhood.

At the time of the merger in 1961, a statement was put forth that combined the essence of the most current statements from Unitarianism and Universalism. The new statement of purpose said:

"The Association, dedicated to the principles of a free faith shall:

(a) Support the free and disciplined search for truth as the foundation of religious fellowship;

(b) Cherish and spread the universal truths taught by the great prophets and teachers of humanity in every age and tradition, immemorially summarized in the Judeo-Christian heritage as love to God and love to humankind;

(c) Affirm, defend, and promote the supreme worth and dignity of every human personality, and the use of the democratic method in human relationships;

(d) Implement the vision of one world by striving for a world community founded on ideals of brotherhood, justice, and peace;

(e) serve the needs of member societies;

(f) organize new churches and fellowships and otherwise extend and strengthen liberal religion;

(g) Encourage cooperation among people of good will in every land.

(Frost, p. 109-110)

The latest version of our Unitarian Universalist statement of principles and purposes was formulated in the 1980's, in response to the need to update the language to make it more inclusive of women. This was when the sources were separated out from the principles. In an effort to address the issue of diversity, the new statement stated that although we are indeed diverse, what we share is a ‘living tradition’ that draws from many sources. The sources include direct experience, the words and deeds of prophetic men and women, wisdom from the world’s religions, humanist teachings and Jewish and Christian teachings. The statement was adopted at the 1984 General Assembly in Columbus, Ohio.

Since we’re dealing with Unitarian Universalists, the process didn’t happen without plenty of controversy. But there was almost as much controversy eleven years later, when the sixth source was added. This is within my memory. It is also so new it didn’t make it into the hymnals. If you look at the statement in the hymnals - the page before the first hymn - you’ll see that there are only five sources. The sixth source is "spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature." It passed by barely enough votes. At the time, many felt that "earth-centered traditions" were included in the seventh principle and world religions references. I also noticed a lack of respect for those whose practices included direct borrowing from earth-centered traditions such as paganism and Native American religions.

Why do we have so many sources? After all, most religions wouldn’t include, say, wisdom from the world’s religions as one of the sources of their own tradition. What does it say that we do? Is our tradition nothing more than an amalgam of other people’s traditions? Is it really as vague or empty as some accuse us of being?

In most religious traditions, and within Christianity at least, religious authority consists of the church as an institution, the scripture, and experience. Catholics emphasize the church more, while Protestants, who sprung up in response to the invention of the printing press and the availability of bibles, emphasize scripture. Experience is always interpreted in the context of the tradition. Unitarian Universalism no longer recognizes as religious authorities either the church or the bible. Because of this, our religious experience is capable of being interpreted in a wide variety of contexts. It is subject to the demands of conscience, which is our ultimate religious authority, but even our consciences are developed in the context of a wide array of influences, perhaps looking something like our list of sources.

Unitarian Universalist minister Makanah Morriss suggests that "the six sources are what offer to me the sacred attraction to be a Unitarian Universalist. It is our inherent pluralism as a religious people that attracts most if not all folks to our liberal religious path in a culture where most mainstream denominations pursue only two or three sacred sources at the most. Ours has been a religious heritage open to many streams of religious and spiritual insight. In our Principles and Purposes we clearly claim this heritage and this gift to our followers." "The Six Sources, Humanism in Particular" a sermon by the Rev, Ken Sawyer on May 5, 2002) Unlike some people, Unitarian Universalists affirm pluralism as a good thing - we acknowledge that each of us can only know truth and create meaning from our own particular perspective, from our own context, from within the culture we grow up in. We believe that we can broaden our perspective, and perhaps get a wider sense of the truth, by learning from other traditions. Our diversity of sources is an important aspect of Unitarian Universalism. We talk a lot about the principles, but in fact our seven principles flow from the sources. Perhaps the order should be reversed.

My colleague Scott Alexander says that something "you notice about these sources is how open and interactive they are. We see no fatal incompatibility (for example) between Jewish and Christian teachings (which are God-oriented and biblically-based) and humanist teachings (which are decidedly not)……and so it is for all these co-mingling and compatible sources. With all these diverse sources, we are looking not (so much) for how they might disagree or differ but rather for how frequently they speak to and support one another. We look for the similarities and overlap, the inner-connections and commonalties, the universals and synergies –– and welcome (as a creative force in our thinking) the ways in which these sources see reality and truth differently." (What are the Sources of My Faith?) It is also important to note that they are not fixed, but able to change, as the addition of the sixth source in 1995 shows.

Not every Unitarian Universalist will see every source as a source for them individually. Many probably feel that some of the sources speak more directly to them than others. But all of them contribute to our living tradition. If our tradition weren’t living and changing, if it were static and not open to new influence, we would all still be Christians. But just as the Christians of earlier days had to make room for the non-Christian theists, and the theists had to make room for the humanists, nowadays we need to make room for those whose path favors a different source than ours. It is not easy; it never has been. What we are going through these days is not new. The pagans trying to gain acceptance in our congregations are not experiencing greater struggles than the humanists of the 1930's. Probably the biggest struggle in Unitarian Universalism these days centers around those who find inspiration from the Christian tradition, and find much resistance to their expressions.

But there is room for all of us in this living tradition of Unitarian Universalism that draws from many sources. Over the course of the year, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of the six sources, and seeing what treasures of wisdom each one has to offer. We are enriched by our pluralism, our diversity of belief, and our description of our Sources is a statement to ourselves and to the world of our commitment to it.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland is recognized by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a Welcoming Congregation. We welcome, affirm, promote and celebrate the full participation of all persons in all of our activities without regard to age, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other such category of exclusion.

Please feel free to contact us with any feedback, corrections or questions at jaham@delta.edu