Tuesday, August 15, 2017

The mission of Unitarian Universalism is to teach forgiveness

We teach what we believe about ourselves. What do Unitarian Universalists believe about themselves? Do they believe they are special living in a hostile world? Do they believe that they are defective and unacceptable in some way and therefore are attempting to create a safe space into which they can feel like they belong? Do they believe they alone have a progressive message that the world would benefit from hearing?

Life presents us with a curriculum which we are to learn and we find ourselves repeating the lessons until we do learn them and then we desire to teach them to others to save the world from its suffering.

And what is the primary lesson we need to learn by teaching? It is an existential lesson which is simply that our suffering comes from our attempts to separate ourselves from our creator by building up and protecting our egos. Our mission is to teach that we are not our ego but a part of something far more mysterious, glorious, and awesome. The path to happiness is to eschew the ego, forgive ourselves and others and join the rest of Life in the At-one-ment. This involves looking for the divine spark, the Great Rays, from all living things and encouraging others to do the same.

The mission of Unitarian Universalists is to teach not only a respect but a love for the interdependent web of all existence and the most important step in this direction is to forgive our own trespasses and the trespasses of others against us.

Take away = The basis of our Unitarian Univeralist faith is forgiveness and this requires awareness and generosity. How can you teach the value of forgiveness to others so that you better learn the lesson yourself?

5 comments:

  1. Forgiving ourselves and others is so difficult because of our judgementalism and the deep seated myth in our culture that God will judge us and our greatest fear is being found inadequate or defective in some way.

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  2. "the most important step in this direction is to forgive our own trespasses"

    Seriously? I thought that's pretty much what psychopaths and sociopaths do. . .

    Stunningly hypocritical, and shamefully conscienceless, habitually "forgive" their own trespasses while remaining extremely judgmental of "others".

    If Unitarian Universalists want forgiveness for their own trespasses they need to seek forgiveness from the people who their own trespasses have caused harm to. Forgiving one's own trespasses aka "self-forgiveness", that avoids accountability and redress for one's trespasses borders on psychopathy and sociopathy.

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    Replies
    1. Avoidance of responsibility and accountability is not the same thing as forgiveness. True forgiveness occurs only when the taking of responsibility happens as well as an explanation of factors that contribute to the harm caused and a making of amends.

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  3. In December of 2014 I offered conditional forgiveness to Montreal Unitarian U*U Sue Montgomery for falsely accusing me of libeling her when in fact I was, and still am. . . telling the readily verifiable Truth about her complicity in, and even knowing and willful participation in, Unitarian Universalist perversion of justice, indeed misuse and abuse of Canada's criminal justice system, towards the end of concealing UUA clergy sex abuse from the public.

    See: http://emersonavenger.blogspot.ca/2014/12/media-lawyer-mark-bantey-chalica.html

    Sue Montgomery ignored and thus rejected that offer of forgiveness if she acknowledged her "sins" and repented, so she remains unforgiven. I have repeatedly offered conditional forgiveness to Unitarian Universalists if they responsibly acknowledge their "sins" and repent of them, but they obstinately refuse to acknowledge even the slightest wrongdoing. I have never encountered a group of people who on the one hand are unjustly judgmental to the point of ludicrousness, and on the other hand who so stubbornly and self-righteously pretend that they have done no wrong whatsoever.

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    Replies
    1. Fear is what keeps people from taking responsibility or perhaps the lack of awareness or perhaps a judgement that the individual is not responsible and is being falsely accused and attacked.

      The question may become, "How is one to deal with the fears of the people one wishes to interact with and perhaps even engage in relationship?"

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