I am considering becoming a minister with the Unitarian Universalist church. And I plan to go to Naropa University to get the degree that would allow me to become a minister at a UU church (a Master’s of Divinity is required). Now, I am a relatively sane person and I espouse no belief in a god. Why would I want to join the Unitarian Universalist church, much less become a minister in the UU church? Well, I have a number of personal reasons but the main reason that attracted me is that they do not espouse any homophobia or transphobia. In fact a number of Unitarian Universalists are understanding, awesome people that I love to congregate with. Every UU congregation I have attended has had some of the warmest, funniest people that I have ever met.
Discussion of religion - In Unitarian Universalism, you can responsibly develop your faith based on your research into religious traditions and experience itself. I am a UU Atheist, but I would not be chastised if I espoused beliefs that come from Wicca or earth-based religions. I study religion enough to be considered a theologian. So, why wouldn’t I want to belong to a church that encourages honest and searching discoveries about one’s faith? Furthermore, I believe that many young people that are disaffected by the idea of church would highly benefit from attending a UU service.
There are few societies of atheists for social justice - Keep in mind that I said there are few societies that atheists use to advocate for social justice. There are MANY atheists that believe in social justice and many of those atheists protest for civil rights. However, there is no dedication to human rights implicit in being an unaffiliated atheist. If I were to stop talking about atheism today, I would still be an atheist. But I want to actively help people. My father is a bigoted, homophobic asshole who drinks himself stupid. I believe that ending my family’s lineage is not enough to benefit the world. I believe reparation must be made.
