Dear Ones:

Our ministry theme for May is pluralism. Since the founding of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) in 1961, religious, theological and spiritual pluralism have been central to Unitarian Universalist identity. Although the UUA’s precursor organizations—the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America—were liberal Christian denominations, they had each been evolving towards greater pluralism from the later decades of the 19th century and throughout the first half of the 20th century. They had each been recognizing the value of being in dialogue with people of other religions, finding common ground with people of other religions, and working on projects of mutual concern with people of other religions. They did not see increasing religious pluralism in the United States as a threat, but rather as a source of strength and resilience for the nation.

One of the many reasons I am proud to call myself a Unitarian Universalist is our continued commitment to religious pluralism in our congregations and in the larger society. For example, I love that our Children and Youth Ministry curricula include sessions on world religions, including indigenous and pagan traditions. I believe we prepare our children to live well in the world when we nurture their religious literacy. If our CYM program increases their familiarity with Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Humanism, and the great variety of indigenous and earth-based traditions, then we are serving them well.

I also love that in our “pews” on Sunday mornings, Christians sit next to Pagans, who in turn sit next to atheists, who in turn sit next to people of Jewish heritage, who in turn sit next to Buddhists, who in turn sit next to Humanists, who in turn sit next to a variety of theists, who in turn sit next to agnostics. Occasionally we add to the mix Muslims, Hindus and Indigenous practitioners. And what I love even more is the way individual UUs draw from all these traditions and more to build unique spiritual world-views, unique practices, unique life-philosophies, unique theologies.

I also love that our UU congregation is a founding member of the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA), where we join with people from a wide variety of religious identities—all manner of Protestants, Catholics, Quakers, Jews, Muslims, and other Unitarian Universalists. With our interfaith partners, we search for common ground, we pool our resources, and we work together on pressing social and environmental justice issues in our region. We also encounter this wider-world experience of pluralism when we interact with the Interreligious Eco-Justice Network (IREJN). At a recent IREJN legislative prayer breakfast, we heard prayers, meditations and calls to action from UU and Protestant ministers, imams, rabbis and a Buddhist monk. And, finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention our longstanding engagement with the Connecticut Council on Interreligious Understanding (CCIU), an organization co-founded in the 1990s by my UUSE predecessor, the Rev. Connie Sternberg. UUSE member Greg Dupuis is a dedicated leader on the CCIU board.

These are all manifestations of pluralism in our UU congregational life. These are all reasons why I am proud to call myself a Unitarian Universalist.

With love,

Rev. Josh