Body of Christ, Droplets of the ocean, over-soul, cosmic consciousness and the first principle

by Glen Daniels

St. Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians in part 12, verse 12 - 13 "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." The key in Paul's statement here is "by one spirit" meaning that we are all part of a whole. It is this part of the whole which is holy, which has worth and dignity.

Another metaphor rather than the body might be the ocean of which we each are single droplets. As a droplet we tend to think we are self sufficient and autonomous when, in fact, we are utterly dependent on the whole. And so we can come to understand that what we do to and for our brothers and sisters we do to ourselves. We are all in this thing called life together.

The genius of Unitarian Universalism is the Universalist idea that we all go to heaven. No one goes to hell. It is one for all and all for one. 

While other religions have taught condemnation and exclusion, Unitarian Universalism has taught the opposite, the basic goodness of everybody and the need for compassion and inclusion. This idea of the over-soul articulated by Emerson in the mid nineteen century further strengthens this Universalist belief. Mr. Markham, in his Tuesday night class, referred to this idea, in passing, as "cosmic consciousness." This cosmic consciousness comes at the later stages of spiritual development and is something that a person has to be ready for. 

Perhaps, one of the reasons that UU is such a small denomination is that, as Jesus said, "many are called but few are chosen" meaning that the majority of humans are not at a place where cosmic consciousness is yet possible. It is our job, though, as Unitarian Universalists to facilitate this growth by reminding our fellows that every human being has inherent worth and dignity even if there are barriers and obstacles to its recognition. The feet and the eyes may not seem to have much to do with each other as very different anatomical parts but they both are important parts of the human body.

Application of UU first principle implies, perhaps, voluntary poverty

by Christopher O'Connor

The capitalistic system is based on the bottom line, profit. In our contemporary world where most physical needs are now easily met, capitalism has moved on to create a perception of needs in people that they didn't know they had before so that these people will buy the corporations goods and services. In order to create this perception of need, modern marketing techniques are created, refined, and promulgated on a global level. These marketing techniques are based on dividing practices where they compare one person with another, one group with another with one person or group appearing to be deficient, inadequate, and/or vulnerable in some way losing in the manufactured competition and comparison. The world has been skillfully divided into the haves and the have nots and it has given rise to jealousy, envy, greed, contempt, disdain, bullying, exclusion, isolation, and attack.

Into this capitalistic culture comes Unitarian Universalism which, as its first principle, counters all this with a value that every person has inherent worth and dignity. Nothing could be more counter cultural in a capitalistic society which operates and profits on the opposite value that some people are better than others and that many people without the corporation's product or service are unworthy and without dignity. Is it any wonder that Unitarian Universalism is such a small denomination when its primary value is overwhelmed by an economic narrative that constantly undermines it?

Unitarian Universalists have few fellow pilgrims journeying through this world other than groups like the Amish, and people who take religious vows of poverty. Is it possible for UUs to also take vows of poverty and develop more communitarian life styles? Perhaps communities should be started for UUs who take their principles seriously and want to live a life style more congruent with the values we espouse. The serious application of the first principle would lead to eschewing the capitalistic propaganda that human life is improved through gratuitous materialism. A first step might be to simplify one's life style and donate one's surplus to those in genuine need.

Are you holy? Unitarian Universalism teaches that you are

by Barb McMullen

The idea that "the person" is made up of the social roles he or she plays is a significant and powerful idea. Our beliefs in what we should think, how we should feel, and how we should behave is strongly influenced by peer pressure which come from the norms and attitudes of our reference groups.

We often accept the idea of "free will" but upon closer study it becomes apparent, sometimes to our shame, that our behavior, thoughts, and feelings are more influenced by social dynamics and environmental circumstances than by individual awareness and decision making.

The social psychological research of pioneers in the field of social psychology like Stanley Millgram and Solomon Asch demonstrate that human behavior is more determined by social expectation than by individual autonomy. These findings have significant implications for our moral and spiritual awareness and development. Mr. Markham referred to this with his examples of people in recovery doing a relapse prevention plan where the person is asked to focus on his/her triggers and when necessary to avoid or diminish the influence of those triggers by changing his/her "people, places, and things." The Our Father, the great Christian prayer, says in part, "...and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." Evil in this context refers to separation from God and further enmeshment in the ego plane. What are the triggers in our lives that cause a relapse, meaning a shift from miracle thinking to the activities of the ego?

The "miracle" as Mr. Markham refers to in his third class is a higher level of consciousness which is focused on the spiritual plane of the holy, not the drama of specialness and scarcity. When Unitarian Universalism points, in the first principle, to that idea that every person has inherent worth and dignity, it is saying that every person is holy. What if we started treating everybody this way? In order to do this, we must first include ourselves. Do you think and feel yourself to be holy, that is a person of inherent worth and dignity? Unitarian Universalism teaches that you are while other religions teach that you are a sinner. This religious belief that people are inherently defective and sinful is a false teaching opposed to the insight and awareness of UU. Will you join the effort to spread the good news that people are holy?

Akilter - The importance of potlucks in Unitarian Universalism

by Barry Walker

Beecham, MA - The Unitarian Universalist church is holding a pot luck supper this Friday night. Craig Barlow stated that he is really looking forward to it because Mrs. Wilsey will be bringing her green bean casserole which she makes with mushroom soup and bacon bits. "Everybody has their favorite dish," said Craig, "which is what makes it so wonderful. This is the main reason why I love this church - its pot luck dinners."

The UU church is a small church, they are lucky if they get 15 people to a service, but usually the number at the pot lucks doubles because church members come and bring friends. "We don't have a minister," said Lynette Wilsey, "because we can't afford one, but who needs a minister, really, when you can have pot lucks?"

Besides the food itself, the pot luckers say, they enjoy the fellowship, the gossip about what's going on in town, and the men talk about the Patriots football, but outside of that we stay away from topics that might be divisive like politics and religion. "We just get together to enjoy the food and each others company," said Heather MacNamara who is the youngest member of the congregation at age 47.

"Unitarian Universalism is a dying denomination," said Doug Anderson, "because we don't believe in anything other than being nice to each other, and you know what they say about 'nice guys finishing last.' A way to a man's heart is through his stomach so we consider our potlucks outreach, you know, missionary activity of sorts." Fred Dickson weighed in, "God, in whom we don't necessarily believe, would, I think, be very pleased because we get along together, and as Jesus told us, to love one another."

"Mrs. Wilsey's green bean casserole is made with love," said Craig. "I can taste the love in the beans and that's what church is all about."

Stephen Daily - Vulnerability undermines worth and dignity

by Stephen Daily

Perhaps the greatest impediment to miracle readiness or the appreciation of the first principle of the inherent worth and dignity of every person is the unconscious fear of our own deep seated, innate defectiveness and inadequacy. This unconscious sense of unworthiness gives rise to a chronic anxiety of being vulnerable to shaming. This fear of being shamed leads to repression or what we have more colloquially called "denial". This repression and denial gives rise to lying, pretense, hypocrisy, arrogance, and "control issues". The "need to be right" leads to power struggles with ourselves and others contributing to a psychological, biological, and spiritual toxic brew of emotions which are conscious and largely unconscious. The sad observation is that none of this anxiety and hell on earth is necessary because we are all okay as we are if only we could develop the cosmic consciousness to become aware of this spiritual reality.

Unitarian Universalism's first principle which directly states that each person has worth and dignity is amazing in our culture where the myth of scarcity and defectiveness is the air we breath. It seems that the denial and repression of our feared inadequacies and defectiveness block our awareness of first, the worth and dignity of ourselves, and then our fellow human beings. Being in a capitalist society where the marketing of products and services is based on advertising depicting needs, often needs we didn't even know we have, is based on a competitive comparison with others leaving us feeling unworthy, with lesser dignity, which can only be ameliorated by the purchase of the advertised products or services.

Our capitalist materialistic system of economics is based on a deficiency model of scarcity. Perhaps, Unitarian Universalists have not recognized before or if so, often enough, that the whole economic system of our society which is killing us because of its toxic impact on our physical environment is based on a deficiency model constantly telling us that we are inadequate in some way as compared to other people and therefore must spend money on the advertisers goods.

In more traditional religions, those with a religious vocation often take vows of voluntary poverty. There are many reasons and influences in this spiritual practice, but perhaps one of the most important reason is the recognition that on a spiritual level a person's worth and dignity does not depend on material wealth to repair cultural stimulated deficicences. If we would have true peace and joy it will require the recognition of our intrinsic beauty as the creation of the Spirit Of Life, not only our own beauty but that of all our fellow human beings. Rejecting the myths of scarcity, and recognizing the fears of vulnerability precipitated by shaming is liberating for us and for all human beings.

Editor's note;

Stephen Daily is a psychotherapist and will be writing regularly in 2015 on UU A Way Of Life  about the emotional and psychological influence of UU values and understandings on our lives as individuals and as a human family.

Susan Schmidt - Are you miracle ready?

By Susan Schmidt

David Markham in his Tuesday night class #3 discusses the meaning of the word "person" in the first principle of Unitarian Universalism. He asks the question, "What does it mean when we say the "person" has worth and dignity?"

My understanding of A Course In Miracles is that humanity is on an evolutionary trajectory to become aware of the Atonement which is, in Course terms, better articulated as the At-One-Ment. John Lennon in his great song, Imagine, points to the awareness of this reality when we humans are able to rise above our divisions demarcated by national boundaries, religious creeds, colors, sexual orientations, sex, and any number of other dividing practices that we humans engage in in an attempt to make ourselves unique and special. What we forget when we engage in these dividing practices is "yes, we are special and unique just like everyone else."

Unitarian Universalism takes us closer to the awareness that Mr. Markham is pointing to when we consider our seventh principle, the respect for the interdependent web of all existence. Rev. James Ford describes himself and a few other UU pastors as "first and seventh principle preachers." It would seem that all Unitarian Universalists who really embrace the UU Way Of Life should be first and seventh principle UUs.

Mr. Markham quotes A Course in Miracles when he says in his talk, "Miracles arise from a mind that is ready for them. By being united this mind goes out to everyone, even without the awareness of the miracle worker himself." T-1.III.7:7-8 The question might be are you ready, are we ready as a church, to work miracles? A miracle in the Course's terms is a change in perception. A miracle is seeing the world in a new and different way than the way of the ego. A miracle is when the light bulb goes on and we have a rise in consciousness and we realize the wholeness of life and that we are utterly dependent on the whole and in this realization are filled with gratitude.

It says in the Course, "You respond to what you perceive, and as you perceive so shall you behave." T-1.III.6:1

"Since you and your neighbor are equal members of one family, as you perceive both so you will do to both. You should look out from the perception of your holiness to the holiness of others." T-1.III.6:6-7

May you experience your day as a miracle.

Editor's note:

Susan Schmidt is a long time student of A Course In Miracles, and she is interested in studying the resonance of the Course with Unitarian Universalist values and understandings. She will be writing a regular column for UU A Way Of Life.

Tuesday night class #3, The person = unit of survival = organism and environment