I’ve spoken mostly about the positives of the UU church but there are some negatives too so I wanted to check back in on how I’m doing with this religion whose services I’m attending every week.
Let’s start with the services. I enjoy them – the singing, lighting candles to commemorate joys and sorrows, the chalice, the affirmation of acceptance of all members of the community, the progressive values. I enjoy feeling like I’m part of something bigger than myself. There’s a cadence – I wouldn’t quite call it a ritual – to the services, that I’m coming to rely on. I truly look forward to going to church every week and I miss it when I can’t go. Also, remember, I’m the one that’s huge on religious duty as a way to demonstrate faithfulness so I feel good about going to church. What isn’t great about the services is that we don’t pray together. For me, communal prayer is definitely where it’s at. UUs can’t agree that there’s a God so there’s no prayer during services and I really miss that. Also, the sermons can be a bit on the light side. There’s no theology to fall back on so the every-day examples that folks bring to the pulpit don’t always resonate. Still, they often have some pretty enlightening things to say.
And about that part where UUs can’t agree that there’s a God? That’s not great for me. Coming from a family where my parents are atheists it’s not foreign to my experience but I find it a little sad. I want to hang with people who believe, joyfully, that God created us. I want to hang with people who believe that it’s good for our character to worship our Creator. That that’s our place as human beings and that it improves us. At UU there is none of that.
The space of the UU congregation in Lansing is a positive one. The building feels good. But I would never go there just to pray. The building doesn’t feel welcoming for communing with the divine. It feels modern and arty and creative. Lots of creativity. Call me old fashioned but I do find the ultra-modern building a bit disappointing when it comes to drawing my thoughts closer to God. Then again, I don’t believe the space was intended to do that.
There are some more serious matters as well. The UUs tend to be a wealthy church nationally. And here in Ingham County they’ve just moved from East Lansing, a wealthy community where it’s easy to focus on politics because most folk’s basic needs are taken care of, to the South side of Lansing, a much poorer community. It bothers me that the congregation isn’t better integrated into the South side. They’ve been there about a year and have engaged to a certain extent but for the most part they’re still prety insular. I just find it difficult to trust a place without poor people. Man, poor people are everywhere!
One of the things I really like about the Lutheran and Catholic congregations of my friends is that they go out of their way to help people who are less fortunate than themselves, both in their congregations and outside them. My colleague K’s church bought and re-habbed a house and turned it into transitional housing for immigrant young people who have aged out of foster care. They also run a food bank. Talk about seeing the needs in your community and responding to them! When I think of social justice I’m more inclined to think of it in terms of food and shelter and jobs and family equality than I am to think of political pursuits. Maybe that’s why some of the UU interests fall a little flat for me. I’m not as political as I once was. I wish that this congregation had more of an orientation toward service.
Undoubtedly the most positive thing about the UU so far is the Building Your Own Theology class that I’m co-facilitating. It’s providing a much-needed, much-appreciated space for me to consider theology and the big-picture questions that interest me so much. I’m grateful for the space and the people in the class.
I still plan on attending UU services for the forseeable future, and I appreciate the space to be in community with others while still practicing a monotheistic faith, but I can’t help but recognize that my beliefs about God are in the minority in this congregation. Folks just don’t find value in traditional religious institutions. When I first started attending services in January I thought I would either join or not join. Then I realized it wasn’t that simple and I took the pressure off and decided to just attend services without worrying about whether I would join. Now I’m not feeling at all inclined to join but I want to continue participating.
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