My Beliefs

I am a Unitarian Universalist. Part of the purpose of this blog is for me to think out loud, with you, as I inspect and hone the beliefs that carry me through life.

Even so, it might help to identify a starting point! Much has been written (and will continue to be written) about belief in Unitarian Universalism. Explore some of what has been said on the website of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

I have described my own religious profile on this blog and elsewhere as follows:

My heritage is Christian, because it was into that tradition that I was born and in which I was raised, baptized, and confirmed, and it provides the predominant framework within which I see and understand the world, whether I want it to or not.

My theology is panentheist, because I believe that everything exists within the divine whole, which is comprised of, and yet greater than everything that is. For example, if you put a bunch of limbs, nerves, organs, bones, etc. into a pile next to a living being, you have the same components, and yet a human being is something more than just a collection of all its parts.

My practice is pagan, in that I feel my most powerful spiritual connections to nature, natural cycles, and my natural human response to "the arts", particularly music and movement.

My beliefs are mystical, having been influenced by the more liberal aspects of the Christianity of my youth, but even moreso by the study of various faith traditions, which I began in my late teens. My thoughts on God and humanity, being intimately and inextricably related one to the other, are expressed very well in the poetry of Sufi mystics, such as Shamsuddin Muhammad ('Hafiz').

My religion is Unitarian-Universalist, because it is with this faith that I re-link my mind, body, and spirit, and it is with this faith that I feel whole. I believe in the unity and universality of experience, albeit with different modes of expression, and my chosen faith allows me to express that in my living.

You can find my personal Credo, a living statement of faith, here.

My post, "Unitarian Universalists Believe What We Must", has been recomposed in the form of a pamphlet produced by the UUA called "Finding What We Believe". Check it out!

UU Multifaith Pendant and African Christmas Beads