vortech
Bluelighter
Who went to a church this Sunday?! I'm just curious who still goes to church and what kind of church. I know a lot of people who have either given up on religion, and if they haven't, they just kind of put it in the background of their life. A lot of people in the 'millennial' age group (of which I am the oldest- one more year and I would be 'generation x' or whatever they call them now) simply identify as Spiritual with no religious affiliation. I met someone yesterday who claimed to be both Buddhist and Christian (Buddhism is actually a philosophy according to most definitions so not exactly a conflict) . That's when I told everyone about the Unitarian Universalist church that I had been attending less than a mile away, and hardly anyone knew what UU is. It basically embraces the truth and goodness of every religion, and instead of focusing on 'God' (they literally don't say the word in their service) they focus on ethics/morality/equality/grace/miracles and The Mystery without putting a label on it, and the church operates primarily to serve the community in any way needed.
Point being, I believe 'church' and the whole concept of people coming together in harmony, to serve, commune, celebrate, create etc. is essential for a healthy community, I hope one that believes in and practices evolution, equality, and PLUR kind of stuff, which is why I feel greatest affinity with the UU fellowship because they resonate with these principles.
A great example from my past that subverted the whole religion aspect and kept all the cool parts was a weekly event from my Tucson days, ironically called 'Church Night' held every Wednesday night as a venue for the local Burners and Friends community to connect, dance, share food, etc, generally abiding by the 10 Principles of Burningman, so it was grounded with some structure and guidelines from the start. It wasn't perfect, and during its last days it had to go private because non-burners (sometimes underage) who didn't understand the Principles heard about it and used it as a place to get free food and dance to the DJ, and many times drugs were involved. I'm split on the fence on whether any drug can be rightly considered a spiritual or religious sacrament, but I do know too much of ANYTHING will get you slapped in the head by forces of Divinity.
Point being, I believe 'church' and the whole concept of people coming together in harmony, to serve, commune, celebrate, create etc. is essential for a healthy community, I hope one that believes in and practices evolution, equality, and PLUR kind of stuff, which is why I feel greatest affinity with the UU fellowship because they resonate with these principles.
A great example from my past that subverted the whole religion aspect and kept all the cool parts was a weekly event from my Tucson days, ironically called 'Church Night' held every Wednesday night as a venue for the local Burners and Friends community to connect, dance, share food, etc, generally abiding by the 10 Principles of Burningman, so it was grounded with some structure and guidelines from the start. It wasn't perfect, and during its last days it had to go private because non-burners (sometimes underage) who didn't understand the Principles heard about it and used it as a place to get free food and dance to the DJ, and many times drugs were involved. I'm split on the fence on whether any drug can be rightly considered a spiritual or religious sacrament, but I do know too much of ANYTHING will get you slapped in the head by forces of Divinity.