JasmineGld Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 I grew up Southern Baptist. I eventually realized Southern Baptist theology doesn't work for me. I needed a church where (1) I wasn't afraid to ask my questions, and (2) I wasn't treated like a freak if I worked up the courage to ask those questions. I spent a few years visiting other churches, and then gave up on church completely for a while. Then someone invited me to a Unitarian Universalist church. I've been there ever since. UUism allowed me to figure out that I've always been a Christian Universalist. Universalism is a concept I was never allowed to talk about or ask about in the Southern Baptist churches I attended. It's interesting being a Christian in a UU church, among the Humanists, the Pagans, the agnostics, the atheists, and people following a number of other religious paths. It has challenged me to look at questions of faith from different perspectives. Jasmine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest billmc Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Welcome, Jasmine! I grew up Baptist myself...and then I got better! We have a couple of nice UU churches here in Fort Worth but they are a bit of a drive for me. Seems like a really good "denomination" where lots of ideas and viewpoints can be expressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Welcome to the forum Jasmine. Feel free to join in. UU is a great church to get involved with, I've visited one before. Who knows, some day I may find myself joining one. I must admit, though, that the experience was a little odd for me, with the worship service modeled after a protestant one, and the minister preaching not on Paul or Jesus, but Thoreau. Peace to you, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephM Posted April 16, 2010 Share Posted April 16, 2010 Welcome again Jasmine, It seems to me you will fit in nicely here. My brother is very active with the UU and speaks highly of it. If it were not there, i think he would never enter a church building except for a funeral. Love in Christ, Joseph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soma Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Jasmine, Welcome and feel free to enjoy our garden of ideas. I look forward to the seeds of thought that you will plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a higher way Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 Nice to meet you Jasmine! UUism allowed me to figure out that I've always been a Christian Universalist. Universalism is a concept I was never allowed to talk about or ask about in the Southern Baptist churches I attended. A pastor was once asked if he could believe the idea that God will save everybody. He replied, "I could believe, but I'd never dare preach it---I'd lose my congregation!" Blessings! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasmineGld Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 A pastor was once asked if he could believe the idea that God will save everybody. He replied, "I could believe, but I'd never dare preach it---I'd lose my congregation!" That's exactly what happened to Carlton Pearson! Tulsa, Oklahoma. We have a couple of nice UU churches here in Fort Worth but they are a bit of a drive for me. I visited one of them a few years ago. Nice church. I must admit, though, that the experience was a little odd for me, with the worship service modeled after a protestant one, and the minister preaching not on Paul or Jesus, but Thoreau. lol Yes, that takes some getting used to. After the initial oddness, it made a ton of sense to me. See, people make all these decisions about God, and God just laughs at us. Men decided to close the Canon, but God didn't stop talking. We just didn't listen as well. With that in mind, I've come to understand "prophet" and "scripture" to have a broader meaning than I learned as a child in the Baptist church. God's truth can be spoken by philosophers, environmentalists, whistle-blowers, activists. God's Word can be experienced in library shelves, pop music, geological formations, drumming circles. UUs still preach the prophets and scripture. We draw from a much broader selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest billmc Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Men decided to close the Canon, but God didn't stop talking. We just didn't listen as well. Nice to see you again, Jasmine! Yes, I believe this too! I like the way the UCC puts it, "Never put a period where God has placed a comma." Or, as their campaign says, "God is still speaking." I don't think that it's that God has disappeared and stopped speaking, it's just that we don't have eyes to see or ears to hear. billmc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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