Comments on: How is this great theological endeavor going to happen?

By: Scott Wells

Scott Wells — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 03:28:26 +0000

No, Roger, not “the hyphenated thing” but what I’ve heard from some Humanists — a definition of humanism so broad (which itself puts the three Humanist Manifestos in a dubious light) as to include all Unitarian Universalists, and by default make it the sine non qua of Unitarian Universalism. A sort of offering-itself-up as the center. I’ve seen the claims recently, but I don’t recall particular names. When I find them, I’mm blog about them.

By: roger butts

roger butts — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 02:44:57 +0000

What are you saying here? Is this the whole hyphenated thing? Is that what you’re talking about? Why is it a humanist endeavor in your opinion?

I say this in contradistinction to some of the current Humanist thought that wants to make every shade of Unitarian Universalism a province of its own. This is a failing gambit I think, making Humanism nothing in its hope to make it everything. Indeed, this has been the ill-fated curriculum of Unitarian Universalism in general until very lately.

By: Scott Wells

Scott Wells — Mon, 02 Jan 2006 05:11:05 +0000

I’m with Jaume and chutney, understanding that a common UU theology might well write me out. Or perhaps not, we might — Deo volens and the if we’re very care-full — find ourselves in a highly decentralized theology. One where every nugget of theology touches other nuggets (for want of a better term right now) but needn’t touch all others. I say this in contradistinction to some of the current Humanist thought that wants to make every shade of Unitarian Universalism a province of its own. This is a failing gambit I think, making Humanism nothing in its hope to make it everything. Indeed, this has been the ill-fated curriculum of Unitarian Universalism in general until very lately.

Every day I understand better why so many Christians — notably the ministers — leave for greener pastures, but it needn’t be that way for any of us.

By: chutney

chutney — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 20:03:42 +0000

As initial goals, I’d suggest the topics of Authority and Eschatology. Authority, because of the postmodern problem (however you take it), and Eschatology because of the problem of fundamentalism. Both topics seem “relevant,” though I hate that word incredibly.

For the more goalish part of the goal, assign folks (or let them assign themselves) one of the topics and ask them to relate it to a particular theologian, movement, etc., with an eye toward evaluating for its use in practical theology.

By: chutney

chutney — Sun, 01 Jan 2006 19:57:26 +0000

What Juame said.

By: Jaume

Jaume — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 23:16:57 +0000

There is already a UU-Theology mailing list. I left it some time ago because, with all those personal theologies being explained, the conversation did not seem to go anywhere. I think that a favorite passtime of us UUs is to explain our own theology and not care much about others. What we need IMO is more non-personal theologies.

I think that we need that more people write their own proposal of a common UU theology, which may partly coincide with their own personal theology. I am not particularly interested in the personal spirituality of that individual from a scholarly point of view. What I want to know is what she has to say about UU, not about herself. And we don’t need to agree or even accept that any of our “common UU theologies” are “the” UU theology for everybody. Of course there will be reactions, some of them quite radical, either in favor or against. Indifference would be a bad symptom, excitement and passion (especially if spoken against the proposal) is more interesting and promising. But at least a core list of consistent proposals need to be published and discussed in order to generate a language, a set or sets of theoretical concepts to work with, and start a serious conversation.

By: Jamie Goodwin

Jamie Goodwin — Fri, 30 Dec 2005 08:32:06 +0000

The more I think about it the more I think I would like to see the people who are pushing for a common theology discussion in UU to share their personal truths.

Perhaps that is what people are wanting more of? Perhaps it’s time to start talking! It seems to me a rational place to start is with our own personal theologies.