Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages you to seek your own spiritual path. Our faith draws on many religious sources, welcoming people with different beliefs. We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma. Our congregations are places where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our communities—and the world—a better place. http://www.uua.org/visitors/index.shtml

Who is a Person of Faith?
Sermon by Steve Edington

Feb. 6th 2005

this is an excerpt of the sermon, to view the full sermon please go to www.uunashua.org/sermons/personoffaith.shtml

A person of faith. What does that mean? This is the topic I want to pursue with you in a somewhat abbreviated way today, and on our next two Sundays as well. What does, or can, it mean for each one of us to be a person of faith - and what does it mean for this gathered community to be a community of faith? This is our topic both for today and for February as well.

I'd like to offer a road-map kind of distinction for two types of faith I want to put before us today. I say "road map" because the actual territory that a map purports to illustrate is never as neatly and cleanly drawn as a map shows it to be. But a map is still a useful guideline, nonetheless. So take this as a map, while realizing that your own religious and spiritual territory probably will not break as cleanly, or be drawn as neatly, as I'm about to draw it here.

That said, I would set forth two types of faith. They differ with respect to the realms in which they are ultimately vested or anchored. One, and we'll call it "Mode One," is the realm of the supernatural or the other-worldly; the other - oh, hey let's make it "Mode Two" - is the realm of the natural and the this-worldly. Both of these modes of faith are lived out in this world and in one's day to day comings and goings. Persons of faith, in both of these realms or modes, will pretty much do the same kinds of things from one day to the next: Go to work, go shopping, watch the Super Bowl and the like. They worship in different places, most likely however; and worship according to different precepts.

Mode One faith, to stay with our road map terminology, holds that our lives, and the life of the earth and universe are ultimately in the hands of a willful and intentional Supernatural Supreme Being, usually referred to as God, Jehovah, or Allah depending upon the particular religion in which it is set. Quite often the will, intent, and commands of this Supreme Being are revealed through a sacred text; a text which, if not taken completely literally, is still to be accorded the utmost seriousness and authority nonetheless. It is this God who gives meaning, purpose, and direction to our lives-and without such a God there is no meaning, purpose, or direction in any ultimate sense.

The powerful, and ongoing presence of this kind of faith in our society, and other parts of the world, goes a long way in explaining why an issue like the teaching of human evolution will not go away. For serious and fully committed Mode One persons of faith the idea that we human beings got here via a process of millions of years during which time we evolved from lesser developed life forms undercuts the idea of a willful and intentional Supreme Being who purposefully created human beings in a Godly image. Such a stance, so this line of reasoning goes, renders life ultimately meaningless and devoid of any chance of spiritual growth and nurture. There are, I know, all kinds of ways of responding to that which I'll save for another day. Moving from the personal to the societal, God (and we're still in Mode One faith) also has a plan and a will for societies; and one role, if not obligation, for person of faith in this Mode is to see that that plan is carried forth. If Bill Moyers is anywhere near correct, persons of faith, in this Mode, are enjoying a fair measure of success at the moment.

I'm not exactly giving away any secrets when I say that this is not the Mode of Faith in which I operate. At the same time I have no desire - not on the personal level anyway - to be pejorative about it. Such faith has been, and is, a powerful and sustaining force in many person's lives; and has gotten them through some terrible trials and tribulations they might not have otherwise borne. I have no need or desire to take such faith away from anyone, even if I could. When it gets the public or civic arena that's another story, which is, again, for another time.

Okay, Mode Two. This one holds that meaningful living, and spiritual nurture, can be found within the realm of the natural. This is a faith stance, I would say. Persons who operate in this mode may quibble about what actually constitutes the "realm of the natural" but let's set that one aside for today too. I went to our website this past week and read the sermon John Sanders gave here back on January 2nd, which was the first Sunday of my mini-sabbatical. I found it to be a wonderful example of a Mode Two Person of Faith. To be a person of faith in this mode means that you trust the human capacity for reason and rationality, and the strength found in the exercise of the human will; while also recognizing that such trust and exercise only takes one so far. As John put it, one is still left sensing the need for "something more." The faith stance here is that this "something more" can indeed be found; and it can be found without recourse to the Supernatural.

To personalize this for a moment I believe, as a matter of faith, that there is within this natural world and universe - and within myself as a part of this natural world and universe - a depth dimension to life that I call sacred or holy. We can touch this dimension when we push beyond our rational faculties - not deny or disavow them but push beyond - and find our divine spark that connects us to the rest of being, to the rest of existence. Some call this sacred dimension the "God Within". On occasion I do myself. Others have other terms for it. Important as language is, the experience to which it points is of greater import.

While I am not a practicing Buddhist, I find the Buddhist idea of being awake, or awakened, a good characterization of this mode of faith and faithful living. The word Buddha itself means "awakened one." Awakened in the sense of being truly aware of your surroundings, aware of the world in which you live, and aware of your relationship to all that is. To live by faith, in this awakened manner, is to believe in this relationship and believe that it is worth living out. My playful title for next Sunday's sermon in "Fake It 'Till You Make It." But what it's actually about is trust - trusting yourself, trusting your internal resources - your "God within" if you prefer (or not if you don't) - and trusting in your capacity to live in an awakened way, even when you feel there's no way you can do any of that. In other words, it'll be about living by faith-your faith.

One more point on what I'm calling "Mode Two" faith today before finishing up. Beyond the personal, the right and proper role of faith, of persons of faith, and of religion of whatever stripe in one's larger society or culture is to be the conscience of that society. Part of being truly awake means being awakened to compassion, to human need, to the demands of justice; and awakened to the care of the earth itself and all its creatures. This was the principle by which Martin Luther King, and those who have followed his example and model, have operated. His method was not to push a partisan, and divisive political agenda by which "God's will" would allegedly be fulfilled, but rather to set before those in power the means by which the common good could be further advanced, and that the demands of justice, equity, and compassion could be better met. Dr. King, and others like him, did this as persons of faith. As persons who were awakened to the human needs of their time, and who believed in the power of the human spirit, and in the power that is both contained within and that transcends the human spirit to see that such ends were accomplished.

Subject:  U U Faith
By: D. Doreion Colter
December 30, 2007 

This is an excerpt of the sermon to view the full sermon you can view it at www.firstunitarian.net/publications/sermon/uu_faith.12.30.07.doc
 

First, is the free and discipline search for truth.  This is permanent in Liberal Religion, because it is the foundation, upon which faith rest in Liberal Religion. 

“Truth” is the sum total of what each of us is compelled to believe based upon a free and disciplined search for truth with reason as our ultimate authority.

UU Faith is not a believe whatever you chose to believe faith, rather it is a faith in which each of us is free to believe what we are each compelled to believe based upon a free and disciplined search for truth…

This is not a social club where you come to participate in a pity party.  It is not where you come because here you can continually give a litany of what you do not believe.

What you do not believe has no power.  There is no power present in what you do not believe to transform you.  Therefore it cannot transform this community, this city, or the world in which you live.

There is only power in what you are compelled believe.  However, what you are compelled to believe is always in a state of transition, and change, as you peruse your free and discipline search for truth. 

What one is compelled to believe is transient, but one’s free and disciplined search for truth is permanent…

What one is compelled to believe must not rest upon the authority of ancient text, doctrines, dogmas, creeds, the writings of the Church fathers, or any one else, these may inform your free and discipline search, but the ultimate authority for what you are compelled to believe must be reason, and reason alone.

What you are compelled to believe must fit with the world as you know and understand it.  It must fit within the realms of your worldview, new technology, scientific advancements, new knowledge, and your personal experience of life it self, as you have lived it.

Community is the collective compelled beliefs of all of individuals within the community, as different, and as individual, as they may be, that composes a core belief that resides within the community.  It is this core belief within the community that gives the community a unity of truth that provides the cohesiveness that turns a “motley group” of people into a community of faith.
 

“Faith Works: The Perspective of Liberal Tradition”
Sermon by the Rev. Jim Eller
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Kansas City, Missouri
www.allsoulskc.org
February 26, 2006

This is an excerpt from the sermon to view the full sermon please go to: www.allsoulskc.org/sunday/sermons/022606.pdf

If religion is only the belief in a supernatural being and
related worship, then our community and tradition may be an
alternative to religion. If, however, there are other ways of
understanding religion, then ours may be an alternative religion
and not an alternative to religion.
I believe strongly that Unitarian Universalism is a
religion, and that our community is a church and not a lecture
and debate society. This sermon is in the tradition of an
alternative or liberal interpretation of religion and worship.
Religious liberals are devoted to an open and progressive faith
gathered within a community of seekers. Although our way of
faith is different from others, it is a way of faith and an
invitation to explore.
Whatever faith is, at its best, it is said to help with survival.
For many, faith provides a positive attitude, a hopeful outlook.
Yet, there can be too much faith or a kind of blind faith.
For some people, things unseen reassure faith. This kind of
faith is a belief that God will take care of all things, and
whatever is going on will be okay, because it is God’s will.

Yet, some UUs who claim to reject faith are the very same
people who believe that technology and human ingenuity will
always save us…that there is nothing that science will not
discover. I have heard some UUs say that there is no such
thing as the mystery of existence, only things yet to be known.
It is only a matter of time until all things will be known. This
too may well be a too-simple faith.
Most of us want a subtler, more enduring and more
sustaining faith than either of these. We want to use both our
reason and our hearts. We want both truth and wisdom in
finding our way through life. We want meaning that includes
doubt. Religious liberals find that certainty alone is a
dangerous path. Any image of Life must include ambiguity and
uncertainty to be truly useful or an accurate reflection of Life.
Why? Consider this unfortunate story.
A man boards a bus as it leaves the terminal. He wears
an overcoat. Beneath the coat he is wearing a bomb. His
pockets are filled with nails, ball bearings and rat poison. The
bus is crowded. At each stop, heading for the center of town,
more and more people get on board. He is happy. The bus is
full now. With a press of the button he destroys himself and
most of the people on the bus. Because he has filled his
pockets, he has ensured further casualties on the street.
Later, his parents learn of his death. Although they are
sad, they also feel tremendous pride at their son’s
accomplishment. He has prepared the way. They are certain
that he has gone to heaven and has sent his victims to hell. It
is a double victory. The event was cause for great celebration,
and the neighbors honored the family with food and gifts. An
occasion such as this is happy for some, and a deep and
horrible tragedy for others.
The dangers of a too-certain faith, a faith without
compassion, are the reasons that religious liberals reject the
rigidity of orthodoxy of any faith that is beyond reason. A faith
that requires its followers not to question, but just believe, is
potentially a very harmful faith. The abuses of this kind of faith are legend.

Some years ago a colleague and mentor, Rev. John Wolf,
suggested that I watch a televangelist so that I could see what
the “competition” was offering. “Just believe,” says televangelist
Robert Tilton, “and send money, so that you might be healed
by the Lord and my ministry of healing. All that is required is
that you believe and that you send me money. Put your
affected body part up against the television and believe, send
money to my ministry and be healed.” Though I was shocked,
it was working for the Reverend Tilton: money was rolling his
way, and clearly he was reaching some of the general public.
If this is faith, I understand why many thoughtful people
reject faith altogether. There is a faith that emerges after we
reject a simplistic faith. Is it possible to have faith that is not a
denial of both reason and the fullness of our humanity? Is it
possible to have faith in something other than in a
“Supernatural Interventionist God” or in the heavenly rewards
of a hereafter? This kind of religion promises certainty and
certain rewards and punishments.
What do we offer instead? Ambiguity and uncertainty.
What about a faith in the here and now? This kind of faith is
one that trusts and embraces all of Life, irrespective of
outcome.

James Luther Adams, a Unitarian, said that faith is that
about which we are willing to risk the waged meaning of our
lives. Faith is not a knowing or a believing. It is a trust that
meaning is possible and not a certainty. It says that something
happens between our lives and our world that makes the world
richer and our lives worth living.

Faith is a risk and a gamble. A liberal faith is a knowing
and a trusting more than a believing. There are no guarantees
in a liberal faith. Yet, faith is the confidence that allows us to
live our lives in spite of setbacks. It is to wager everything we
have on behalf of our integrity and sacredness of our lives, and
the commitments we make. We stand ready for life. We
choose. We risk. We love. We do the best we can and the
rest is not up to us. Our willingness not to know is a profound faith.

Faith is the willingness to choose and the confidence that
this choosing will be good. Faith is the belief that ultimately
Life works and the willingness to pay the price no matter what
the outcome. If the choosing is right, then the outcome is
almost irrelevant. True faith allows us to live on the edge
between hope and despair, between love and death and
holding both. This kind of faith allows us love life; the whole
damned disaster of it. So, here is to life and to the God of Life.
For many of us this kind of faith is good, and it is enough. The
choices we make and the good we do is the proof of our faith.
Every act of integrity and hope is another testimony to the fact
and meaning of Life.
Rumi put it this way:
This being human is a guesthouse,
Every morning is a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness and a meaningfulness,
Some momentary awareness comes, and
It is an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
May we have faith in Life, enough to plant for future
generations. May we be bold enough to bring fruition the
golden dreams of love and justice. May we again and again
accept Life on Its own terms more than on ours.