Skeptical as in there's a very strong humanist thread in Unitarian history that has definitely carried forward to UUism. It's certainly not across the board, but 'theists vs. nontheists' is one of the greater divides among UUs and sometimes you'll find entire congregations which may not be made up solely of nontheists but which are primarily nontheist in the language in their services. (And you'll find New England UU churches that are just barely not Protestant Christian, and UU churches that hold eight public sabbats, and all kinds of other things.)
It's certainly not a place that is unfriendly to anyone's spiritual choices, and in fact the Rel Ed leader at the church I attend now has full moon circles at her home that I someday will remember to attend, but the regular services themselves and my activities outside of services so far (limited somewhat by sharing a vehicle and not sharing a church) don't really feed that side of things. (On the other hand, Buddhism is a clear area of interest for the minister, so it's very good for feeding that!)
Yeah, I definitely do not pigeonhole well into any of the aspects of the triple goddess either. I'm not uncomfortable with any of it in ritual with other people, and I wouldn't even rule out joining a Wiccan coven if the right one came along, much in the same way that I wouldn't rule out joining a UCC church if my fiancee and I were seeking one that we both liked and she didn't feel at home in a UU one, but joining a UCC church wouldn't make me a Christian (in any of the senses that are the reason why I do not call or consider myself a Christian, which is another can of worms entirely but can be shorthanded pretty easily with 'it implies exclusivity and I'm very not exclusive about my religion') and joining a coven wouldn't make me a Wiccan. Both are sufficiently compatible with the mess that is my personal path that I could probably feel very much at home in the right group, but neither one is an accurate descriptor.
Funny thing, I've been drawn to Athena for years but, before I finally realized that I would be happier not having sex anymore, used to be hesitant about really embracing such an asexual deity -- probably more because I was still struggling with my own disinterest than due to any influence from fertility-centric Paganism.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2009-05-24 03:35 am (UTC)It's certainly not a place that is unfriendly to anyone's spiritual choices, and in fact the Rel Ed leader at the church I attend now has full moon circles at her home that I someday will remember to attend, but the regular services themselves and my activities outside of services so far (limited somewhat by sharing a vehicle and not sharing a church) don't really feed that side of things. (On the other hand, Buddhism is a clear area of interest for the minister, so it's very good for feeding that!)
Yeah, I definitely do not pigeonhole well into any of the aspects of the triple goddess either. I'm not uncomfortable with any of it in ritual with other people, and I wouldn't even rule out joining a Wiccan coven if the right one came along, much in the same way that I wouldn't rule out joining a UCC church if my fiancee and I were seeking one that we both liked and she didn't feel at home in a UU one, but joining a UCC church wouldn't make me a Christian (in any of the senses that are the reason why I do not call or consider myself a Christian, which is another can of worms entirely but can be shorthanded pretty easily with 'it implies exclusivity and I'm very not exclusive about my religion') and joining a coven wouldn't make me a Wiccan. Both are sufficiently compatible with the mess that is my personal path that I could probably feel very much at home in the right group, but neither one is an accurate descriptor.
Funny thing, I've been drawn to Athena for years but, before I finally realized that I would be happier not having sex anymore, used to be hesitant about really embracing such an asexual deity -- probably more because I was still struggling with my own disinterest than due to any influence from fertility-centric Paganism.