Goal:
to introduce a way of thinking about prayer that reflects our liberal tradition.
Activities:
Read: Can UUs Pray?
Make Prayer Beads
These hand-made bracelets will help you to remember some of the good things you can pray about. They’re easy and fun to create and make cool family gifts!
One Saturday night we invited all the families in our church to come to the church hall and make prayer beads. We gave everyone four lumps of polymer clay (we used Sculpy but you could use other brands like Fimo) in four different colors:
We used red, a happy color, for the thankful bead, because we are Thankful for things that make us feel happy and loved.
We used yellow, a bright color, for the Hopeful bead, because things look bright and sunny when we’re Hopeful.
We used green, the color of growing things, for the improve bead, because when we Improve, we grow.
We used Blue, the color that people use to describe a sad mood, for the Sorry bead because we are sad or blue when we’re Sorry.
We also had clay in lots of other colors so people could decorate their beads with stripes, dots, stars, or whatever. Finally, everyone poked a small hole down the middle of each bead with a thin wooden skewer so we could put string through the beads. These hand-made bracelets will help you to remember some of the good things you can pray about. They’re easy & fun to create and make cool family gifts!
After we had all made our beads, we baked them according to the directions, put silk cord through them, and tied them around our wrists for prayer bracelets. I’11 bet there were lots of bedtime prayers that night!
We, the congregations of the Unitarian
Universalist Association, promise to encourage:
– The importance and value of each person in
the world
– Fairness and understanding for each person
– Acceptance of one another and spiritual
growth in our congregations
– A free and responsible search for truth and
meaning
– The freedom to say "yes" when everyone else
says "no," and the use of voting in our
churches and country
– The hope for one world united, living in
peace, with freedom and fairness for everyone
– The understanding that everything and
everyone in our world depends on one
another for life
This way of thinking and feeling that we
Unitarian Universalists share comes from many
places:
– The wonder that all people experience that
makes us feel good about being a part of the
world, and the force that is part of us all
– People whose lives and the way they lived
them make us feel strong enough to try to be
fair and understanding when something isn’t
right, showing love can make the change
– Important and wise ideas from all religions
– Jewish and Christian teachings that tell us to
love our friends and our enemies as much as
we love ourselves
— Humanist teachings that guide us to listen to
common sense and the results of science, and
remind us to be honest in finding our own
truths
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
Your version:
he makes me lie down in green pastures.
Your version:
He leads me beside still waters;
Your version:
he restores my soul.
Your version:
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Your version:
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
Your version:
I fear no evil; for thou art with me;
Your version:
thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Your version:
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Your version:
thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Your version:
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
Your version:
and I shall dwell in the house ofthe LORD forever.
Your version:
Amen .
Your version:
The living spirit of any religion shines through most clearly in its hymns. The Psalter is
the hymnal of ancient Israel, compiled from older collections of lyrics for use in the temple of Zerubbabel. Most of the psalms were probably composed to accompany acts of worship in the temple and may be classified as follows: Hymns (acts of praise suitable for any occasion and including the sub-types Enthronement Hymns, celebrating the Lord’s kingship, and Songs of Zion, expressing devotion to the Holy City); Laments (in which an individual seeks deliverane from illness or false accusation, or the nation asks for help in time of distress); Songs of Trust (in which an individual expresses his gratitude for deliverance); Thanksgiving (in which an individual expresses his gratitude for deliverance); Royal Psalms… Wisdom Psalms… Wisdom Psalms… and Liturgies.
…The ascription of nearly half of the psalms to David is testimony to the regard in which the great singer of Israel was held.
The book of Psalms reflects many aspects of the religious experience of Israel. Its
intrinsic spiritual depth and beauty have made it from earliest times a treasury of resources for
public and private devotion.
Notes on Psalm 23:
This type of Psalm is called a song of trust. It is an expression of confidence in God’s protection. The Lord is compared to a shepherd. The word "soul" means vitality, life. "Paths of righteousness" or "of rightness," that is, right paths which suits the context better.
"Shadow of death" is the reading of the scribes, but "deep darkness" is the better rendenng from the Hebrew. The Lord is compared to a gracious host. "Dwell in the house of the Lord" means to worship in the temple. "Forever" Hebrew for "length of days," meaning "as long as I live"
Notes on The Gospel According to Matthew (in which to find "The Lord’s Prayer"):
The Gospel according to Matthew is a manual of Christian teaching in which Jesus Christ, Lord of the new-yet-old community, the church, is described particularly as the fulfiller and fulfilment of God’s will disclosed in the Old Testament…
The accounts of Jesus’ deeds and words, drawn from Christian sources both oral and written, are arranged in generally biographical order: chs. 1-2 Birth of Jesus; 3.1-12, Activity of John the Baptist; 3.13-4.1 1, Baptism and temptation of Jesus; 4.12-18.35, Jesus’ preaching and teaching in Galilee; chs. 19-20, Journey to Jerusalem; chs. 21-27, The last week, concluding with Jesus’ crucifixion and burial; ch. 28, the resurrection; Jesus’ commission to his disciples.
Within this natural framework the accounts of what Jesus said or did are grouped by common subject matter. The five discourses of Jesus, a noteworthy feature of this Gospel are collections of teachings on specific themes: chs. 5 – 7, The Sermon of the Mount (including The Lord’s Prayer); ch. 10 Instructions for missionary disciples; ch. 13 The parables of the kingdom of God; ch. 18, On sincere discipleship; chs. 24 – 25, On the end of this age.
This gospel is anonymous. The unknown Christian teacher who prepared it during the last third of the first century may have used as one of his sources a collection of Jesus’ sayings that the apostle Matthew is said to have made. In time a title containing Matthew’s name, and signifying apostolic authority, came to identify the whole.
Notes on the Lord’s Prayer:
The Lord’s Prayer (compare Lk.11.2-4) falls into hvo parts relating to God and to man; after the opening invocation, there are three petitions concerning God’s glory, followed by those concerning our needs… On the basis of David’s prayer (I Chr.29. 1 1-13) the early church added an appropriate concluding doxology…For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Why teach these prayers?
They are part of our culture. We want our children to be culturally literate. Psalm 23 is still very much requested as part of memorial services in our faith.
We are taught by the joke about UU youth:
Two UU youth are arguing about who knows more about the bible.
"Ya, and I bet you don’t even know the "Lord’s Prayer" says one.
"Do, to!"
"Prove it then! Betcha $5.00 you can’t say it."
" OK you are on!…The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…etc" and he recites Psalm Twenty Three.
"Well," says the other, " That’s it allright. Guess I owe you $5.00."
Goal:
To understand shared components of different religions and make a comparative analysis of local churches, temples, other places of worship.
Activities:
1. Design your own religion
Give each family member a copy of "If I Were a Founder." If you have a large group, you could break into two smaller groups and create 2 religions. If not, answer them as a whole group.
On a separate sheet of paper make three columns. Title them: Beliefs, Values, Practices. Present at least 2 examples of how beliefs, values and practices are related. For instance, if I say I value the earth as the source of life, the earth is an example of something I value. (Write the earth in the value column.) Is it also an example of a belief? Yes, a belief in the earth as the source of life. (Write earth is the source of life in the belief column.) What are some things I might do as a person who believes the earth is a source of life and who values the earth? I might plant a garden, or help at the recycle center. (Write planting in the practices column.) In other words, I believe the earth is the source of life; I value the earth, therefore I practice care of the earth. Heres another example: I believe that God is a loving force in the world. I value love. I practice loving myself and others by being kind, honest and caring. A belief often points to a value. A practice often reveals both a value and a belief.
All religions have these 3 components. Look at the religion your family founded. What are some of the beliefs, values and practices of your newly created religion?
2. Compare area churches
Find a list of churches, temples, and synagogues in your area. (The Yellow Pages are a good place to start.) Decide which ones youd like to visit and learn more about. Using a chart like the Sample Comparative Faiths Chart make a graph with the churches you want to visit on the vertical axis and the things you want to look for on the horizontal axis. Fill in the graph as you visit different places of worship. A good source book for visiting other churches is How To Be a Perfect Stranger. Look for it in your local library.
In the far-off beginning before there were any Indians living. there was another and very different race of men on the earth. For thousands of years this first race of men had been living together peacefully and happily. But as their numbers multiplied and the earth became crowded, these first people began to quarrel and fight. And Olelbis-The-Great-0ne-Who-Sits-Above-the Sky–decided something must be done.
This is what he did. He turned the people one by one into other kinds of living creatures. Some he turned into trees and follow others he turned into birds and insects, and still others into land animals and fish. You might say only a handful of people were left. And all of these were old people who would soon die. Among them was Sedit, the Coyote man. The earth in time grew very beautiful with green grassy plains and wooded hills and rivers, where animals of all kinds and birds and fish lived without fear of human hunters.
But Olelbis The-Great-One-Who-Sits-Above-the-Sky-was lonely without human beings on his world. So he thought out a new plan. He would create a new race of men. He would make the first man and woman come out of the first tree he had made. This time he wanted people to learn to live together happily and peacefully. How could he help them? Perhaps if he made them immortal they would be happy, he thought. "I will make them so that they will never have to die."
So Olelbis called the two Brothers Hus who lived with him in his beautiful Sky Land of Olelpanti and said to them: "Brothers Hus, I have a great work for you to do. Fly down to the world below where the first tree is growing. Soon I shall cause men and women to come forth out of that tree to live on the earth. But before this happens, you must build a road leading from the earth to Olelpanti. Gather great stones from the hillside and pile them one upon the other like steps leading up to the sky."
"For what purpose do you wish so great a work done, Olelbis?" asked the Brothers Hus.
"It is because I wish that the new race of men, whom I am about to bring forth from the ground, should never have to die. I desire that when they grow old they may be able to renew their youth. I shall, therefore, place two springs at the top of the road that you build, so that when a man grows old, he may climb up this road; and when he reaches the top, he may drink out of one spring and bathe in the other spring. Then his white hair will become dark again and his bent and crippled body will become strong and straight. If an old woman climbs up the road and drinks of the one spring and bathes in the other, she will come out a beautiful young girl. When these people grow old a second time, they may climb they road again and return young and strong to live anew. So shall the men of the earth live on and on forever."
When Olelbis finished speaking, the Brothers Hus said, "We will do as you have commanded us." So they gathered their tools, and spreading their wings they flew down to the earth to begin the work of building the road of stones.
By the end of the first day, they had piled the stones as high as a house. By the end of the second day, the road was as high as a tall tree. By the end of the third day, it was very high indeed. By the end of the sixth day, the road was touching the clouds. Yet it was still a long way from Olelpanti, and there was much more work to do.
A little before noon on the sixth day, as the Brothers Hus were working, they saw someone walking toward the beginning of the long road. He finally reached the place and sat down beside the road to watch the Brothers as they worked. They knew it was Sedit, the Coyote man, but they said nothing.
"What are you doing here?" Sedit finally asked. "Why are you building this road? It is a great deal of work, and does not seem to be leading anywhere. Can you tell me what it is that you are doing?"
"Olelbis has commanded us to build this road," said one of the Brothers. "Olelbis is planning to make a new race of men come out of the earth. Before he does, he wishes to have a road built reaching from the world to Olelpanti. At the top of the road Olelbis will place two springs."
"That seems strange," objected Sedit, the Coyote man. "There are springs enough on the earth. Why should there be more’!"
The other Brother went on with the story. "Olelbis has plans for these springs. As men live on earth they grow old. When men grow old, they become weak and bent and unable to do their work. Olelbis does not wish them to grow old and die. So he plans that when men grow old, they can climb this road, and bathe in one spring and drink from the other. Then they will have their youth Once more."
Sedit sat quietly for a time, thinking of what the Brothers had said. "Do you believe all this?" he asked at last.
The Brothers Hus were surprised. They had not thought of questioning the plan of Olelbis. But they were interested to know what Sedit meant. So they asked, "Why is it not a good plan?"
"What will people eat if nothing dies?" asked Sedit. "Deer will not die. Fish will not die. Men will not be able to kill anything. What will be left to eat? Nothing but acorns. How uninteresting it will be to live without hunting!"
The Brothers Hus began to be troubled. But Sedit had much more to say.
"I think it is better that men and women should marry and that new children should be born, than that old people should be made young. If they marry, the men will work for the women and the women will work for the men, and so they will help each other. If a man has a wife, he will catch fish and kill deer and bring them home and give them to his wife to cook. And if the woman has a child, her neighbors will say, ‘There is a nice baby over there, and they will go to see it. And so they may be glad together."
"But if someone dies, everyone will mourn and be sad," said the Brothers Hus. "That surely cannot be good."
"When a man grows old, let him die," said Sedit. "When a woman grows old let her die. When they die, the neighbors will come and say, ‘A man has died,’ or ‘A woman has died.’ Then they will make ready to help the relatives of the dead. I think this is better."
"Suppose," continued Sedit, "an old man goes up that road alone and comes back young. He is still alone just as before. They will have nothing to be glad about. They will never make friends. They will never have children. They will never have any fun in the world nor anything to do but to grow old and to go up that road and come back again young. It is not good."
The Brothers Hus had not thought of these things before. Yet the longer they thought, the more true Sedit’s words seemed.
"Let us destroy the road that we have built," one Brother finally said to the other. "Let us fly back to tell Olelbis these things. Perhaps he may change his plans for men."
Then Sedit, the Coyote man, turned and walked away, satisfied that he had spoken truly. And the Brothers Hus prepared to fly back to Olelpanti. They pulled several large stones out from the bottom of the pile and the whole road fell, the stones scattering far and wide.
Then just as they were ready to take flight up to Olelpanti, one of the Brothers called back to Sedit.
"Of course, you know that this means that you too will die– just as every other living thing upon the earth will die."
"Come back! Come back!" screamed Sedit. "We must talk some more."
But the two Brothers flew off. Higher and higher they rose, circling above Sedit, until at last he could see them no more.
"What am I to do now? I wish I had not said so much," thought Sedit. "I wish I had not said anything. I do not want to die. What can I do?"
For some time Sedit stood looking around helplessly–till he saw some sunflower plants growing nearby.
"If everything on earth is going to die," said Sedit, "then I am not going to remain on earth. I will make wings for myself, and I will fly to Olelpanti where all living things last forever."
So Sedit picked the leaves off the sunflower plant. He fastened them together in the shape of two wings, and tied the wings to his shoulders. Then he lifted himself as a bird into the air. He flew a short way without any trouble, but the hot noonday sun began to dry the leaves, and one by one they wilted and dropped off. He tried to fly faster in order to reach Olelpanti before the leaves were all gone. But the leaves fell faster than he could fly, Then he felt himself falling. He landed on the pile of rocks which was to have been the road to Olelpanti and was crushed to death.
Olelbis, looking down from Olelpanti, saw all that had happened.
"It is his own fault," he said to the Brothers Hus who had just arrived at Olelpanti. "Sedit is the first of all living things to die. He has been killed by his own words. From this time on, all men will die. They will know the gladness of birth. They will know the sorrow of death. And through these two things together men will come to know love."
Clarence Darrow – Defense lawyer and evolutionist
William Jennings Bryan – Prosecuting lawyer and fundamentalist
"The Court" – Judge
Policeman
The courtyard (laughter and applause)
Day 7
Darrow-You have given considerable study to the Bible, haven’t you, Mr. Bryan?
Bryan-Yes, sir, I have tried to…
Q-The Bible says Joshua commanded the sun to stand still for the purpose of lengthening the day, doesn’t it, and you believe it.
A-I do.
Q-Do you believe at that time the entire sun went around the earth?
A-No, I believe that the earth goes around the sun.
Q-Do you believe that the men who wrote it thought that the day could be lengthened or that the sun could be stopped?
A-I don’t know what they thought.
Q-You don’t know?
A-I think they wrote the fact without expressing their own thoughts…
Mr. Darrow- Can you answer my question directly? If the day was lengthened by stopping either the earth or the sun, it must have been the earth?
A-Well, I should say so.
Q- Now, Mr. Bryan, have you ever pondered what would have happened to the earth if it had stood still?
A-No.
Q-You have not?
A- No; the God I believe in could have taken care of that, Mr. Darrow.
Q- I see. Have you ever pondered what would naturally happen to the earth if it stood still suddenly?
A- No.
Q-Don’t you know it would have been converted into molten mass of matter?
A-You testify to that when you get on the stand, I will give you a chance.
Q-Don’t you believe it?
A-I would want to hear expert testimony on that.
Q-You have never investigated that subject?
A-I don’t think I have ever had the question asked.
Q-Or ever thought of it?
A-I have been too busy on thinks that I thought were of more importance than that.
Q-You believe the story of the flood to be a literal interpretation?
A-Yes, sir.
Q-When was that Flood?
A-I would not attempt to fix the date. The date is fixed, as suggested this morning.
Q-About 4004 B.C.?…
A-I do not think about things I don’t think about.
Q-Do you think about things you do think about?
A-Well, sometimes.
(Laughter in the courtyard.)
Policeman-Let us have order….
Bryan-These gentlemen have not had much chance-they did not come here to try this case. They came here to try revealed religion. I am here to defend it and they can ask me any question they please.
The Court-All right…
(Applause from the court yard.)
Darrow- Do you know anything about how many people there were in Egypt 3,500 years ago, or how many people there were in China 5,000 years ago?
Bryan-No.
Q-Have you ever tried to find out?
A-No, sir. You are the first man I ever heard of who has been in interested in it. (Laughter.)
Q-Mr. Bryan, am I the first man you ever heard of who has been interested in the age of human societies and primitive man?
A-You are the first man I ever heard speak of the number of people at those different periods.
Q-Where have you lived all your life?
A-Not near you. (Laughter and applause.)
Q-Nor near anybody of learning?
A-Oh, don’t assume you know it all.
Q-Do you know there are thousands of books in our libraries on all those subjects I have been asking you about?
A-I couldn’t say, but I will take your word for it….
Q-Have you any idea how old the earth is?
A-No.
Q-The Book you have introduced in evidence tells you, doesn’t it?
A-I don’t think it does, Mr. Darrow.
Q-Let’s see whether it does; is this the one?
A-That is the one, I think.
Q-It says B.C. 4004?
A-That is Bishop Usher’s calculation.
Q-That is printed in the Bible you introduced?
A-Yes, sir….
Q-Would you say that the earth was only 4,000 years old?
A-Oh, no; I think it is much older than that.
Q-How much?
A-I couldn’t say.
Q-Do you say whether the Bible itself says it is older than that?
A-I don’t think it is older or not.
Q-Do you think the earth was made in six days?
A-Not six days of twenty-four hours.
Q-Doesn’t it say so?
The Court-Are you about through, Mr. Darrow?
Darrow-I want to ask a few more questions about the creation.
The Court-I know. We are going to adjourn when Mr. Bryan comes off the stand for the day. Be very brief, Mr. Darrow.
Bryan-The reason I am answering is not for the benefit of the superior court. It is to keep these gentlemen from saying I was afraid to meet them and let them question me, and I want the Christian world to know that any atheist, agnostic, unbeliever, can question me anytime as to my belief in God, and I will answer him.
Darrow-I want to take an exception to this conduct of this witness. He may be very popular down here in the hills….
Bryan-Your honor, they have not asked a question legally and the only reason they have asked any question is for the purpose, as the question about Jonah was asked, for a chance to give this agnostic an opportunity to criticize a believer in the world of God; and I answered the question in order to shut his mouth so that he cannot go out and tell his atheistic friends that I would not answer his questions. That is the only reason, no more reason in the world.
Mr. Darrow:
Q-Mr. Bryan, do you believe that the first woman was Eve?
A-Yes.
Q-Do you believe she was literally made out of Adams’s rib?
A-I do.
Q-Did you ever discover where Cain got his wife?
A-No, sir; I leave the agnostics to hunt for her.
Q-You have never found out?
A-I have never tried to find
Q-You have never tried to find?
A-No.
Q-The Bible says he got one, doesn’t it? Were there other people on the earth at that time?
A-I cannot say.
Q-You cannot say. Did that ever enter your consideration?
A-Never bothered me.
Q-There were no others recorded, but Cain got a wife.
A-That is what the Bible says…
Q-I will read it to you from the Bible: "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Do you think that is why the serpent is compelled to crawl upon its belly?
A-I believe that.
Q-Have you any idea how the snake went before that time?
A-No, sir.
Q-Do you know whether he walked on his tail or not?
A-No, sir. I have no way to know. (Laughter in audience).
Q–Now, you refer to the cloud that was put in heaven after the flood, the rainbow. Do you believe in that?
A-Read it.
Q-AII right, Mr. Bryan, I will read it for you.
Bryan-Your Honor, I think I can shorten this testimony. The only purpose Mr. Darrow has is to slur at the Bible, but I will answer his question. I will answer it all at once, and I have no objection in the world, I want the world to know that this man, who does not believe in a God, is trying to use a court in Tennessee–
Darrow-I object to that.
Bryan-(Continuing) to slur at it, and while it will require time, I am willing to take it.
Darrow–I object to your statement. I am exempting you on your fool ideas that no intelligent Christian on earth believes.
The Court-Court is adjourned until 9 o’clock tomorrow morning.
What is worth fighting for? Two KINGS HAD FOR MANY MONTHS been quarreling over a small piece of land. There a high bank had been made to stop a river from flooding the fields around it. "This bank belongs to my country," said one of the kings.
"No," said the other king. "This bank belongs to my country."
The more they talked, the angrier the kings became. Finally, since they could not agree peaceably, they decided to fight the matter out. Each one called his army to prepare for battle. Each king planned to be ready the next day to lead his army forth to fight the other king and his army.
Buddha heard that the two kings were planning to fight each other. He sent a messenger to each one saying, "Before you go to war, will you please allow me to hear your com-plaints? Perhaps I may help you to find some other way of settling your quarrel."
Neither king was very happy about meeting Buddha. Still they both consented and came to the house of the teacher. There the three men sat down together to talk the whole matter over.
Buddha began, in his gentle way, to ask the kings certain questions. First he would put his question to one king and then he would ask the same question of the other king. "Why do you say that the bank belongs to your kingdom?" he asked. "Of what use is the bank to you if it does belong to you? What will you do with it?"
When Buddha thought he understood the reasons for their quarrel, he asked another question, first of one, then of the other. "If you go to battle over this bank of earth, will not many of your soldiers be killed?" May not you yourselves even lose your lives?
"That is true," the kings admitted. "Many will be killed. But what else can we do?
"Which is worth more: a bank of earth, or the lives of your men, or your own lives? asked Buddha.
"Of course the lives of our men are worth far more than a bank of earth." Both kings agreed on that.
Buddha had one more question still to ask. "Which would take more money: to build another bank or to put back the lives of men once dead?"
"The lives of men cannot be brought back with all the money in the world." said the kings. "The lives of men are priceless."
"Are you then going to risk what is so precious that no money can ever buy it back, in order to have a small piece of ground that is like the ground on a thousand other hills?"
As the two kings talked and listened, they began to lose their angry feelings and to work out a peaceable agreement, In the end they did not go to war, and for many years the people of the two countries lived side by side in peace.
(This story is taken from The Gospel of Buddha, by Paul Carus and published by Open Court Publishing Co., Chicago, 1915.) Reprint permission granted by Open Court Publishing Company.
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