This month, try something new that you’ve never tried before! This can be something big or something small, but it should be something that is new to you. Here are some ideas:
Throughout the history of Christianity there have been big fights over changes in religious belief and practice, with different people say their version is the real version.
But King John Sigismund, the one and only Unitarian king in history, had a different point of view. Way back in 1561, John Sigismund was very interested in religion, partly because people in his country of Transylvania kept fighting about it. The Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Calvinists, and Unitarians all argued about whose views about God and Jesus and how church services should be conducted were right.
Finally, King John called the best speaker from each church to come to a place called Torda for a debate to decide who was right. The speaker from the Unitarian church was a man named Francis David. He argued that no one has the right to force people to believe anything about God, and that it’s OK if our understanding of religion changes.
After 10 days, King John ordered the debate to end. But he did not announce a winner; he did not say that any of the four churches was the best. Instead, King John agreed with Francis David, and he created what was called the Edict of Torda, which declared that every church and every person would be free to follow their own beliefs, even if those beliefs changed over time. There are still Unitarians in Transylvania today who share that commitment to freedom of belief.
Read more about Francis David from the UUA’s Tapestry of Faith programming, or read the Edict of Torda for yourself!
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Did you know that prisoners now make up more than 20% of the CLF’s membership? Read more →
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CLF Pen Pals for some of the 725 CLF members in prisons who are new to Unitarian Universalism. Read more →
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…that you can sign up for CLF online classes to stretch your mind and spirit? Click here to learn more. Read more →
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As wave is driven by wave
And each, pursued, pursues the wave ahead,
So time flies on and follows, flies, and follows,
Always, for ever and new. What was before
Is left behind; what never was is now;
And every passing moment is renewed.
by Ovid, from Metamorphoses
January 2017
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. —Bertolt Brecht
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The regular VUU crew chats about the power of joy, where Santa Claus fits in, and the complexities of multi-faith families during the holidays. Plus, Jackson Crawford pops by at the beginning of the episode to share stories about his time as a White House intern this fall.
As mentioned in the show, visit Joanna Fontaine Crawford’s blog to read more about the different levels of Santa (don’t miss the day-after Christmas letter posted in the comments).
The VUU is hosted by Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Aisha Hauser, Hank Peirce, Michael Tino and Alicia Forde, with production support provided by Terri Burnor. The VUU streams live on Thursdays at 11 am ET. This episode aired on December 22, 2016.
Note: The audio above has been slightly edited for a better listening experience. View the live original recording on YouTube.
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Elandria Williams and the Rev. Carlton E. Smith with the Black Lives of UU organizing collective are back on The VUU! We talk about shifting organizing strategies to meet the reality of a non-petitionable government regime and the need to protect and defend (in literal ways) the most targeted while still keeping our intersectionality grounded in this moment.
Training/resources mentioned in this episode:
– The Highlander Center
– Catalyst Project
– CultureStrike
– The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
– Beautiful Solutions
– Safety Pin Box
Black Lives of UU 2017 Convening
New Orleans – March 9-12, 2017
http://www.blacklivesuu.com/convening2017/
The VUU is hosted by Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Aisha Hauser, Hank Peirce, Michael Tino and Alicia Forde, with production support provided by Terri Burnor. The VUU streams live on Thursdays at 11 am ET. This episode aired on December 15, 2016.
Note: The audio above has been slightly edited for a better listening experience. View the live original recording on YouTube.
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Quest for Meaning is a program of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF).
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation with no geographical boundary, the CLF creates global spiritual community, rooted in profound love, which cultivates wonder, imagination, and the courage to act.