The Religion That Caught My Eye
by Thomas RylettMany people have their different places outside of home and school where they can go and learn life skills, connect to others like them, and have a grand old time in general. I found a place for myself in Young Religious Unitarian Universalism (YRUU), the youth body of Unitarian Universalism.
A Very, Very Brief History of Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is an interesting religion. Its main symbol today is a Chalice, which can be just a lit candle or lamp in a bowl. Before the 60's, Unitarian Universalism was two separate Christian faiths. Today it is a liberal faith based on many sources including Jewish and Christian traditions and other world religions. Unitarianism was not a powerful force in Christianity since neither Catholics nor Protestants were sympathetic to it. Unitarianism rejected the Trinity of God and did not view Jesus as divine. Therefore, Unitarians were burned at the stake along with witches and homosexuals. Universalism held the view that God was merciful and would not send anyone to hell—that all people would be redeemed. Neither of these religions were particularity strong in Europe. Unitarianism was strong in England and Transylvania, and both religions took off upon reaching the New World. The Unitarian faith became quite large in the United States with members such as Thomas Jefferson. It's a bit of an oddball religion and, in the 60's with the fusion of the two faiths, began to move away from its roots to try and create new traditions.
How I Got Started
My connection with Unitarianism started in 1999 when my parents, both architects, were hired to build the new Unitarian church in Mississauga. When I first started with the Unitarian "Sunday School," we took part in a sexual health/drug education program. I really learned a lot, and they didn't use tacky videos in unrealistic situations.
When I entered Grade 9 at school I also entered the most life-changing organization I have experienced, Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUUs). Within a few months of beginning, my church in Mississauga hosted a mini-con (a one night youth conference) and I was hooked for the rest of my life.
At high school I felt out of place, having come from a liberal alternative middle-school of sixty kids, to a school of 2,000, but in the YRUU community I felt safe immediately. At the mini-con I was standing outside the door of my church and a guy in a cloak walked up and greeted me. It was a bit scary, quite new, but hey, it was cool. A few weekends later, I found myself going to a conference in Ottawa by VIA rail. When I walked into the UU church in Ottawa, I had my arms pinned behind my back and a V drawn on my forehead with red and black sharpies. At first I was shocked and I didn't know what to do and I looked around. Others looked back at me with sharpie marks on their faces and then I found out that the 'V' was for Con-Virgin (i.e., my first official youth conference). I suppose that means that by now I am a slut. With all of this I felt like I had come home.
"No, We're Not a Cult"
Since I am very enthusiastic about this part of my life I tell many people about it, and inevitably I get "so you're part of a cult" or "so you're part of a sex cult." I wish I was part of a sex cult, but I'm not, we just become very comfortable with being around other people and not being afraid to talk about things that are important to us.
The worship at night connects and fuses this community through spirituality, and the openness and freedom to be who and what we are gives people confidence and allows you to begin to truly " find" yourself. Although it's hard to explain worship, I'll give it a shot. They are usually at night, in the dark with only a Chalice as light, and involve introspection from readings from around the world, meditations, as well as connections outward through people sharing stories of happy or sad things. The sheer range of different activities that worship encompasses means that it can't be put completely into words other than to say it's about community, sharing and love.
Youth Governance: The Committee Lives On
This is not to say that being YRUU is all fun and games. There is much more to this youth community. One recent Calgary youth project was the creation of a rainbow banner over 500-feet long, to support same-sex marriage. This banner was taken to PRIDE parades all across Canada and was sent to Ottawa for rallies on Parliament Hill.
Young Religious Unitarian Universalists is a continental group and there are youth governance committees at each level. This makes the youth community more grassroots and youth driven, and lets you get involved with people from across North America. I have had the privilege of being on some of these committees. For Quebec, Ontario, and the Maritimes I am on the Youth Adult Committee, and am the representative to the New York State equivalent. This has let me give back to this great community through work, as well as giving me great experience in working in groups.
One of the things I love about being part of this religion is the way that we keep on looking at our views. We strive to always question our beliefs so nothing is outdated or redundant. Currently the Unitarian Universalist Association is reviewing the youth structures, since it's been twenty-five years since the last in-depth restructuring. These are exciting times for me since it means that we get to restructure away problems in the system, and I get to be the Canadian on the Taskforce and get to know a lot of American youth.
I love being a YRUU. It has given me so much during my teenage years. It's not for everyone, but I couldn't go without it.
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
