 |
| |
| |
|
A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
|
|
|
Average Rating:  out of 20 Reviews
|
Price: $16.00
|
|
Sale: $7.45
|
| |
|
Manufacturer: Beacon Press
|
|
UPC (Universal Product Code): 046442016179
|
|
EAN (European Article Number): 9780807016176
|
|
Number of Items: 1
|
| |
|
|
|
Binding: Paperback
|
|
Author: Forrest Church::John A. Buehrens
|
|
Publisher: Beacon Press
|
|
Edition: 1
|
|
Dewey Decimal Number: 230.9132
|
|
Publication Date: 1998-06-01
|
|
Reading Level: 221
|
|
|
| |
|
Description: A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church, is hard to describe. The book is a history of the denomination, with lively passages depicting the lives and ministries of important Unitarian-Universalist leaders such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Ellery Channing. Yet it is also a collection of testimonies by contemporary laypeople and ministers, who describe their churches' responses to questions ranging from "How do I know when to get married?" to "How should the government treat single mothers?" The funny and wise introduction was written by Robert Fulghum, who indulges the often invoked criticism that Unitarian Universalism's ideals are interchangeable with those of PBS. And, finally, it contains some straightforward explications of the denomination's core principles. The Church's aversion to creeds will be off-putting to some readers--at times, it seems Unitarian Universalists believe in nothing so much as not committing to any one belief. But there's something universally refreshing about this protean faith: most religious people, at one time or another, find that God leads them to reject some tenets of their religion. Unitarian Universalists have a true genius for accepting God's most surprising Words, which makes A Chosen Faith a valuable resource for all of us. --Michael Joseph Gross
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
Customer Reviews
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
Review Summary: An uneven treatment of a modern "religion"... |
Date: 2008-10-26 |
|
| |
Details: A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, is not a primer, nor a history, and not a full review of Unitarian Universalism (UU) practices. It is not a "Best of UU" summary.
I think it is meant to be a "taste" of UU. UU is so encompassing in accepting all the good from all religions while embracing the diversity of modern society and the emphasis on deeds, not words, that the authors have a challenge in this "taste". What exacting are UUs FOR and AGAINST?
They seem to be for all that is good in people and cultures. They are against all that is bad for people and cultures.
Does this narrow things down any?
My experience, as a "Beanite Quaker" and a UU member, had me wincing on too many occasions in the text. However, I also agreed with much of what I read.
There are four authors of A Chosen Faith: UU minister Robert Fulghum (yes, he of the All I Really Needed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten fame; he wrote the foreword), Denise Taft Davidoff (preface), John Buehrens (past president of the Unitarian Universalist Association) and Forrest Church (minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York).
The highlights and lowlights [my comments in brackets]:
In response to a staged question, Fulghum writes "'So if I'm open-minded and listen to NPR and watch PBS, I qualify as a Unitarian Universalist?' 'Let's say you have Unitarian Universalist tendencies. There are, however, Unitarian Universalists who listen only to jazz or country-western music or opera, or those who watch only baseball on TV. I say again, we respect diversity in all things.'" (p. xi-xii).
"I delight to see that Unitarian Universalists are moving into the interfaith world, foraging and joining coalitions to fight for the rights of others, to engage the radical religious right in the political arena, to stand for and seek ways to institutionalize antiracism. We do this work because our religious faith demands it of us" (p. xvii; Davidoff). [Unfortunately, other religions faiths have other demands of their members, such as the situation with the LDS Church hierarchy leading the fight against same-sex marriage in California, or the pronouncements for the destruction of entire countries in some religious circles.]
"Religion is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die" (p. 5; Church).
"I have no idea what will happen to me when I die, but I know that I will die. And I know that the choices I make in this life affect the way I live. It is in this crucible, mysterious and uncertain, that my religion must be foraged" (p. 8; Church).
"If religion is our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die, Unitarian Universalism might best be described as a life-affirming rather than death-defying faith. Yet, to affirm life, we must also face death, and struggle to make sense of both" (p. 11-12; Church). [ What aspect of death needs to be explained?]
"Laypeople can be fully as prophetic as their clergy - sometimes far more so" (p. 68; Buehrens).
"Religion is dangerous, of course, because its power is independent of the universal validity of its claims" (p. 85; Church).
"One impartial response to this war of conflicting convictions is to reject religion, to distance ourselves from those who attempt, always imperfectly, to interpret the cosmic runes and gauge their responses accordingly. There are two problems with this approach. One is that such rejection deprives us of a potentially deep encounter with the mysterious forces that impel our being and the opportunity to illuminate, if but partially, its meaning. The second is that none of us is able to resist interpreting the cosmic runes" (p. 85-86; Church). [Why rejecting religion keeps humans from encountering the mysterious forces of the universe is unclear. Dark Matter makes up most of the Universe. Many physicists are actively searching for clues to its existence and impact.]
"We are always seeking new guidance from ancient sources for the shaping of our ethical and spiritual lives" (p. 89; Church). [But why should we expect guidance from people in the ancient times that, as Sam Harris pointed out, a wheelbarrow would have been an example of high technology? Where advice to wash your hands before eating, and not enslaving people, would have saved hundreds of millions of lives?]
"Looking at the religious aspects of many intergroup conflicts, at the violence carried out by zealots in the name of religion, some people conclude that the world would be safer 'religion-free.' They may even try living that way themselves. But too often they only practice a form of self-delusion. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the human spirit" (p. 103; Buehrens). [Again, Sam Harris has written "....criticizing a person's faith is currently taboo in every corner of our culture. ...Criticizing a person's ideas about God and the afterlife is thought to be impolite in a way that criticizing his ideas about physics or history is not." He also wrote, "The entirety of atheism is contained in this response. Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious." Finally, he reminded us, "When was the last atheist riot?"]
"Biblical literalists claim that the Bible is the transcript of God's word; biblical humanists are more likely to look beyond the letter to the spirit - the spirit of neighborliness, of kinship, of love" (p. 127-128; Church).
"As adults, we can feel overwhelmed. There are too many galaxies, too many light-years, too much space, and too many things; too many stars, too many creatures, too many people, problems, and choices; too much entirely on the table; too many nations, cultures, and religions; too many species of plants and animals - certainly too many insects, bacteria, and viruses altogether" (p. 140; Buehrens). [Aren't these issues discussed in most liberal arts educations?]
"If you do not want anything to change in your life, it might be safer by far to stay away" (p. 145; Buehrens).
"The more legalistic thinkers among us believe that in order to be intellectually legitimate, any opinion we hold, religious or otherwise, must be verifiable as fact. Such people resemble fundamentalists of the right; they are fundamentalists of the left" (p. 162; Church). [ Remember Harris' note: "Atheism is not a philosophy; it is not even a view of the world; it is simply an admission of the obvious." How can you be a fundamentalist of the obvious?]
The book ends with a brief chronology of UU history (pages 213-218), and suggestions for further reading.
I do believe I have a richer understanding of the authors' perspectives toward Unitarian Universalism. I do feel that I have a more liberal, and literal, bent than they do. This book could be recommended to those interested in exploring membership in UU, with the caveat that those "legalistic thinkers" (aka atheists) might take issue and go elsewhere. |
| |
|
Review Summary: A friendly Catholic Priest |
Date: 2008-07-15 |
|
| |
Details: Overall, I enjoyed and found helpful this introduction to Unitarian Univeralism. But, you must know a but is coming.
However (I fooled you!) I must say I chuckled at some of the themes that Revs. Buehrens and Church emphasized.
1. The claim to be a non-hierarchical church. Buehrens himself was the president of the UUA--not all that different from being the pope. I think you have local supervisors. Another word for supervisor is "bishop." BTW, concerning Catholics, maybe 1% of an average day has anything to do with the pope. Maybe 2% of the same day has anything to do with the bishop. 97% of the time we are congregationalists.
2. The claim to be non-credal. But what are the six sources? What are the 10 beliefs of Rev. David Rankin in the book's introduction? If you say that "they are not creeds, they are suggestions," I tell you, that is the way that the majority of Catholics take their creed.
3. The claim to all inclusiveness, toleration, and non-judgementalism. How are pro-life UU's treated, if there are any? Rankin (#6) states that "we believe in the worth and dignity of every human being." Certainly a pre-born baby is human; he/she isn't animal or vegetable or mineral. Is she/he a "being?" I think so, as opposed to a non-being. In 1966, my brother was born at 6 months maturity, at 2lbs, 13 oz. He was given a 1% chance of living. Now he is about 222lbs. No one says anyone should go to jail; that is a 'straw man' argument. Just that it should be left to the states, contra Roe v Wade, and that it be recognized as 'not a good thing, to be avoided.' Apparently, Susan B. Anthony and many of the original feminists were against abortion.
Would a UU who said "my sense of justice requires that those who take a life should forfeit their life" be tolerated?
4.) There seemed to be too much emphasis on "fundamentalists" as bogey men/women. Where's the tolerance, the love, the acceptance, even if you don't have to think alike with them?
At any rate, thank you for this introduction, and I look forward to learning more about your denomination. |
| |
|
Review Summary: Enlightening |
Date: 2008-06-25 |
|
| |
|
Details: This book was a wonderful introduction to Unitarian Universalism, a faith that I knew very little about. Often misunderstood as an "anything goes" new age religion, Unitarian Universalism has in fact a rich and long history with a lot of careful thought behind it. |
| |
|
Review Summary: Introduction for some |
Date: 2008-06-24 |
|
|
| |
Details: I grew up in one of the larger UU churches, going through the RE program and learning from people of many religious traditions what being a UU was. So reading this book now, after almost 20 years of being a UU was a very UU experience. I disagree with the authors on some points, but that's what's great about the UU faith. I learned a lot through this conflict, so from that perspective, this can be a great book. If you read this expecting a dogmatic "what a UU is", you'll be disappointed.
The sense I got from the book was that this is a good introduction if you are coming from a Judeo-Christian faith, or that is what you are most familiar with. If you are an Athiest, Wiccan, Buddhist, etc, the latter chapters may seem to be coming from a very different perspective and may not be as clear or relevant to you. |
| |
|
Review Summary: A good introduction to UU |
Date: 2008-04-05 |
|
|
| |
Details: If you want a book to share with others about what UU is about, this one would seem a good choice. It may be good for you, as well, although you may find enough on the Web to get you started, after which a visit to a UU church, if you can do that, would seem an excellent step: I don't know if it is representative, but the bookstore at my UU church is heavily supplied in many areas that would be of interest to anyone exploring UU, with both general introductory and specific material. And UU church members I've met have been happy to talk about UU and knowledgeable about it.
What this book did present especially well is UU's history, including the role of key early Unitarians and Universalists including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, John Murray, and William Ellery Channing. The brief (6 page) chronology of UU history was a big help to me and one would give you many leads for further study, as would the "Suggestions for Further Reading" that follows the chronology.
Although the effort by Unitarians on the "Humanist Manifesto" is covered, this book does not present much about those atheists who find a home within UU even though, according a survey cited in Wikipedia, 18% of the U.S. UU's describe "atheism" as the best term to describe their "belief". Nevertheless, this book does emphasize that UU is non-creedal and does include atheists.
But what this book did best for me is share the spirit of what religious pluralism means and the freedom and support it provides and which I can share within UU and with others who may not have known what UU is about. At this time (as in the past) of so much hostility among those of differing beliefs, why not learn about a faith that is so welcoming without needless conditions?
|
| |
|
| |
Similar Products
|
|
|
| |
This Product is similar to and may be found in the Following Categories:
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
