THE NEW UU
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 2: WHERE DO WE COME FROM? UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ROOTS
BY JONALU JOHNSTONE
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 9:31:38 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
Universalists are often asked where they stand. The only true answer to give to this question is that we do not stand at all, we move. — Lewis Beals Fisher, late 19th-century Universalist theologian
The workshop offers a brief overview of Unitarian Universalist history, focusing on ideas and people more than on institutional and denominational structures. Participants interact with one another as they engage with the material, working in small groups to identify famous Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists. They learn stories from our Unitarian Universalist tradition and from your congregation's history.
Before leading this workshop, review Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters (at www.uua.org/re/tapestry/adults/newuu/introduction/160181.shtml) found in the program Introduction and make any preparations needed to accommodate your group.
If you have only an hour for the workshop, omit Activity 2 and shorten Activity 3 by five minutes.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 2 |
Activity 1: My History with Faith Communities | 15 |
Activity 2: Famous Unitarian Universalists Mix and Match | 25 |
Activity 3: Themes in North American Unitarian Universalist History | 25 |
Activity 4: A Story of Our Congregation | 20 |
Closing | 3 |
Alternate Activity 1: Timeline | 30 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Consider your own history with Unitarian Universalism and your congregation. What changes have you witnessed in theology, focus, worship style, and social action? What changes have you been part of? What aspects of Unitarian Universalist history most attract you? What disturbs you in our history? Share your responses with your co-facilitator(s).
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
As people arrive, introduce yourself and invite them to make or find their name tags. If anyone new attends, introduce yourself and invite them to write their contact information on the sign-up sheet. Point out rest rooms and refreshments and direct people to the child care space if you are providing child care.
Including All Participants
Speak directly to each person who arrives, especially anyone new to the group.
OPENING (2 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
At the designated starting time, bring participants together. Invite a volunteer to light the chalice. Share Reading 647, "An Eternal Verity," responsively with the group.
ACTIVITY 1: MY HISTORY WITH FAITH COMMUNITIES (15 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to introduce themselves and present a brief description of their own history with faith communities. Initiate the activity with these or similar words:
We had a chance to get to know each other a little bit in the last workshop. Since we're talking about history, we'd like to learn something of our personal histories with religious communities—Unitarian Universalist and others.
Call attention to the questions you have posted. Model the process for participants, encouraging brevity. Continue around the circle, reminding participants that pauses for thinking are fine. If participants begin providing more information than a simple response to the questions, remind them gently to keep their answers brief.
ACTIVITY 2: FAMOUS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS MIX AND MATCH (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to work together in small groups to match the name of each famous Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist with a brief description of who they were. Introduce the activity:
Unitarians and Universalists have often held an influence larger than their numbers. You may know of people who were Unitarian, Universalist, or Unitarian Universalist, without knowing anything about their religious affiliation. I'm going to give you a list of well-known Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists. There are also descriptions of what each person did. Your job is to match the names with the descriptions. Of course, you probably won't recognize all of these names, so you'll work in small groups. You'll have fifteen minutes to work together.
Distribute Handout 1, Famous Unitarian Universalists Mix and Match. Invite participants to move into groups of four or five to work on the matching exercise. Help the groups by asking questions such as, "Who knows any of these names?" but do not reveal correct answers at this point.
After 15 minutes, bring the small groups back together. Review the answers by asking for each group's response for each name, and then providing the correct answer from Leader Resource 1, Famous Unitarian Universalists Mix and Match Answers. Encourage discussion as you move through the answers.
ACTIVITY 3: THEMES IN NORTH AMERICAN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST HISTORY (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Read the story "Themes in North American Unitarian Universalist History" aloud, encouraging responses to the included discussion questions.
After the story, continue the discussion with these questions:
ACTIVITY 4: A STORY OF OUR CONGREGATION (20 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Introduce the storyteller and provide any appropriate background about the congregation's story. Invite the storyteller to tell the story.
Share any memorabilia that relates to the story. Provide examples of how the story has shaped and informed the congregation's identity. Ask participants if they have seen ways the story is reflected in the congregation's practices today. Invite questions and discussion.
CLOSING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to sing together Hymn 212, "We Are Dancing Sarah's Circle," or say together Reading 680, by Barbara Pescan. Extinguish the chalice.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: TIMELINE (30 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to collaborate to construct a timeline of Unitarian Universalist history.
Solicit from participants a few key historical event dates from the larger world to provide a framework and perspective for events in Unitarian Universalist history (e.g., the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement). Add these to the timeline using the same color you used to show the 50- and 100-year segments. Place each event in its general time frame; it is not important to place them exactly.
Using a second color of marker, invite participants to place the names of the famous Unitarian Universalists from Handout 1 on the timeline. Refer to Leader Resource 1, Famous Unitarian Universalists Mix and Match Answers as needed. Then, brainstorm other famous Unitarian Universalists participants know, and place them on the timeline in the same color. Again, don't be concerned so much with specific time dates (e.g., birth and death) as with the general time period in which each person lived.
With a third color of marker, add periods of time associated with the trends outlined in the story "Themes in North American Unitarian Universalist History." In addition to the dates included in the story, these may help you craft a timeline:
With a fourth color, add dates associated with your own congregation.
Ask participants what they notice about timelines, particularly any connections among events in different colors. Discuss the observations.
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 2:
STORY: THEMES IN NORTH AMERICAN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST HISTORY
Read the story aloud, and ask the questions as they come up to encourage interaction and deeper thinking about the concepts. Or, if you are familiar enough with the ideas, tell the story in your own words, being sure to emphasize the four themes: freedom of thought, or noncreedalism; on-going revelation; the power of Nature; and building the Beloved Community.
Though it has roots going back to early Christianity, Unitarian Universalism as an organized movement on this continent comes from two particular religious traditions—Unitarianism and Universalism—which consolidated in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Though both Unitarians and Universalists have conceived of and practiced their faith in individual and original ways, certain themes emerge in their—our—story.
[Ask participants what themes they think might emerge in Unitarian Universalist history. Support plausible hypotheses.]
The four themes we will consider during this workshop are freedom of thought, or noncreedalism; on-going revelation; the power of Nature; and building the Beloved Community.
Freedom of Thought and Noncreedalism
Both Unitarians and Universalists resisted and challenged codified beliefs. Initially, Unitarianism developed within the standing order churches of Massachusetts, the direct descendents of the Puritans and Pilgrims. Some ministers started to preach about the ability of people to become more like God and cited Jesus as an example, rather than a savoir. Orthodox ministers and church members interpreted this new movement as a violation of creeds accepted within the church. They worked to exclude the new way of thinking and those who promoted it. But the "heretics," who came to be called Unitarians, refused to leave their congregations. Many a congregational battle was pitched, usually over the calling of an unorthodox minister. When the orthodox lost, they often left their churches. Many New England town squares still feature a Unitarian church near a Congregational (now United Church of Christ) church, a circumstance that dates to this tumultuous time at the beginning of the 19th century. Ironically, Unitarians were labeled for their idea of God (a single God, rather than a Trinity), which was not as central to their thinking as their concept of human beings as more divine then depraved.
Universalists, on the other hand, left their churches over the heretical idea that God would ultimately save all people, not just those who were chosen, or those who believed. Rejecting the idea of hell, they had set aside part of the creed, so they too, rejected creeds.
[Invite participants to consider how the early Unitarian and Universalist ideas are reflected in what they've seen in your Unitarian Universalist congregation.]
Later challenges arose in both Unitarianism and Universalism about whether it was necessary to be Christian, or even to believe in God. Many Unitarians, especially Westerners, joined the Free Religious Association, insisting on absolute freedom of conscience, a notion which, despite arguments, prevailed. Universalists, though a bit more conventional, consistently added a conscience clause to their statements of faith. By the 20th century, they, too, as a group, had set aside many conventions of Christianity. In the 20th century, humanism became an important theological force in Unitarianism.
[Invite observations about the importance of different ideas about God and humanity in your congregation.]
On-Going Revelation
Because Unitarian Universalism supports freedom of thought and belief and does not require subscribing to a creed, we are free to look for truth in many different places. "Revelation" is the word traditionally used to describe how God becomes known to human beings. We have adopted the word to describe truth more generally. We look in different places for truth which keeps emerging, rather than being sealed, or confined, to a particular book or tradition. We look to our own personal experience, trusting it as much, or more than, the words from the past.
Beginning with the Transcendentalists, Unitarians began to find truth in religions other than Christianity. Emerson, for example, studied the Bhagavad-Gita, a Hindu scripture. In 1893, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a prominent Midwestern Unitarian leader, brought the Parliament of World Religions to Chicago, hosting participants from a breadth of religious backgrounds to share their thinking. By that time, Universalists, too, had begun broadening the concept of Universalism beyond the idea of universal salvation to embrace what is universal in human experience.
[Ask participants, "Can you see ways that openness to different expressions of religion has shaped Unitarian Universalism?"]
With revelation not limited to biblical sources or the authority of (mostly male) clergy, women claimed their place in our religious tradition. Thus, Unitarians and Universalists became early supporters of women's rights, including suffrage, the ordination of women, and the economic independence of women from their fathers and husbands.
[Ask participants how they see the movement for women's rights reflected in Unitarian Universalism.]
Around the same time, many Christians were shaken by scientific ideas. Charles Darwin proposed his theory of evolution. Unitarians and Universalists had already realized that science, too, was a source of truth, so had little difficulty with Darwin's ideas. Even harder than Darwin's theory for many orthodox Christians to accept was the 19th-century movement of historical-literary criticism of the Bible, which examined biblical texts as products of a particular time and place. Again, Unitarians and Universalists had no problem with such ideas, because they embraced the ever-widening sphere of truth from a variety of sources.
[Invite participants to consider other forms of revelation that may have added to the richness of Unitarian Universalism. Participants may remember something from Workshop 1 regarding the Sources.]
The Power of Nature
With science as an esteemed source of truth rather than the source of an inconvenient conflict with religion, the Transcendentalist movement, an outgrowth of Unitarianism began to look to nature for life lessons. Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Nature" inspired Unitarians to see not only the authority of the natural world, but also to understand humanity, or human nature, as something that was part of the natural order. These Transcendentalist ideals inspired later humanists, as well as mystics and theists.
Once feminists discovered goddess imagery in the 1970s, Pagans began to find a place in Unitarian Universalism. "Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions... " was added to the Sources in 1995. These theological commitments to the Earth and Nature—from Transcendentalism to Paganism—have been played out through environmental activism in Unitarian Universalist congregations since the 1970s.
[Ask, "Have you noticed any focus on Nature or environmental concerns in this congregation?"]
Building the Beloved Community
Both Unitarians and Universalists have focused on this world, rather than the next. Their "this-world" orientation has often moved them to the leading edge of social change.
[Ask: Can you think of examples of this from your experience, or from ideas we have already explored in this workshop?]
Examples of Unitarian and Universalist work to build a Beloved Community include:
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 2:
HANDOUT 1: FAMOUS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS MIX AND MATCH
A. William Ellery Channing
B. John Murray
C. Olympia Brown
D. King John Sigismund
E. William F. Schulz
F. Lewis McGee
G. Joseph Priestley
H. Margaret Fuller
I. Sophia Lyon Fahs
J. Norbert Capek
K. Theodore Parker
L. Ralph Waldo Emerson
M. Tim Berners-Lee
N. Frances Ellen Harper Watkins
O. Joseph Tuckerman
P. Clara Barton
Q. William Howard Taft
R. Thomas Starr King
S. Dorothea Dix
T. James Reeb
i. Former UUA President and former director of Amnesty International
ii. Founder of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and discoverer of oxygen
iii. 19th-century Transcendentalist writer, educator, feminist
iv. 19th-century Universalist minister who served both Unitarian and Universalist churches and kept California from leaving the Union during the Civil War; famously credited with saying, "The one [Universalist] thinks God is too good to damn them forever, the other [Unitarian] thinks they are too good to be damned forever."
v. Inventor of the World Wide Web (www) (proposed in 1989)
vi. Free black poet and abolitionist
vii. Teacher and reformer of jails and prisons; advocate for people with mental illness
viii. Transcendentalist minister who left a Unitarian pulpit over the issue of communion; known for lectures and essays including "Self-Reliance"
ix. Preacher of the sermon "Unitarian Christianity" which laid out the principles of early American Unitarianism
x. Nurse who organized the American Red Cross
xi. King of Transylvania who issued the first Edict of Religious Toleration
xii. Brought Universalism from England to the U.S.; helped end the practice of taxes paid to the established church
xiii. First woman ordained by the Universalists (1863); fought for voting rights for women
xiv. Founder of the Benevolent Fraternity of Unitarian Churches, serving poor people in Boston; "father of American social work"
xv. Unitarian minister killed during the fight for civil rights at Selma, Alabama (1965)
xvi. Republican U.S. president, Supreme Court justice, and President of General Conference of Unitarian and Other Christian Churches
xvii. Religious educator whose curricula and inspiration profoundly shaped mid- 20th-century Unitarianism
xviii. First African American minister of a Unitarian congregation, the Free Religious Fellowship in Chicago
xix. Brought Unitarianism to his native Bohemia (now Czech Republic); died a Nazi prisoner; introduced the Flower Service now commonly celebrated as Flower Communion
xx. Wrote both fiction and non-fiction to promote abolition, women's rights, and Indian rights
THE NEW UU: WORKSHOP 2:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: FAMOUS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS MIX AND MATCH ANSWERS
Provide these answers during large-group discussion after small groups complete the matching exercise in Activity 2. Dates are provided for use with Alternate Activity 1.
A. William Ellery Channing (1780-1842)
ix. Preacher of the sermon "Unitarian Christianity" which laid out the principles of early American Unitarianism
B. John Murray (1741-1815)
xii. Brought Universalism from England to the U.S.; helped end the practice of taxes paid to the established church
C. Olympia Brown (1835-1926)
xiii. First woman ordained by the Universalists (1863); fought for voting rights for women
D. King John Sigismund (1540-1571)
xi. King of Transylvania who issued the first Edict of Religious Toleration
E. William F. Schulz
i. Former UUA President (1985-1993) and former director of Amnesty International (1994-2006)
F. Lewis McGee (1893-1979)
xviii. First African American minister of a Unitarian congregation, the Free Religious Fellowship in Chicago
G. Joseph Priestley (1733-1804)
ii. Founder of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and discoverer of oxygen
H. Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)
iii. 19th-century Transcendentalist writer, educator, feminist
I. Sophia Lyon Fahs (1876-1978)
xvii. Religious educator whose curricula and inspiration profoundly shaped mid- 20th-century Unitarianism
J. Norbert Capek (1870-1942)
xix. Brought Unitarianism to his native Bohemia (now Czech Republic); died a Nazi prisoner; introduced the Flower Service now commonly celebrated as Flower Communion
K. Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880)
xx. Wrote both fiction and non-fiction to promote abolition, women's rights, and Indian rights
L. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
viii. Transcendentalist minister who left a Unitarian pulpit over the issue of communion; known for lectures and essays including "Self-Reliance"
M. Tim Berners-Lee
v. Inventor of the World Wide Web (www) (proposed in 1989)
N. Frances Ellen Harper Watkins (1825-1911)
vi. Free black poet and abolitionist
O. Joseph Tuckerman (1778-1840)
xiv. Founder of the Benevolent Fraternity of Unitarian Churches, serving poor people in Boston; "father of American social work"
P. Clara Barton (1821-1912)
x. Nurse who organized the American Red Cross
Q. William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
xvi. Republican U.S. president, Supreme Court justice, and President of General Conference of Unitarian and other Christian Churches
R. Thomas Starr King (1824-1864)
iv. 19th-century Universalist minister who served both Unitarian and Universalist churches and kept California from leaving the Union during the Civil War; famously credited with saying, "The one [Universalist] thinks God is too good to damn them forever, the other [Unitarian] thinks they are too good to be damned forever."
S. Dorothea Dix (1802-1887)
vii. Teacher and reformer of jails and prisons; advocate for people with mental illness
T. James Reeb (1927-1965)
xv. Unitarian minister killed during the fight for civil rights at Selma, Alabama
FIND OUT MORE
Several websites offer information about noted UU historical personalities. One of the most comprehensive is the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography (at www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub) developed by the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society. You might also want to explore Famous UUs (at www.famousuus.com/).
The Unitarian Universalist Women's Heritage Society (at www.uuwhs.org/items.php) has many documents online.
The online Harvard Square Library (at www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/) provides rich UU historical resources, including dozens of biographies of notable American Unitarians (at www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/?subject=AU) and Universalists (at www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/universalists/) and a "This Day in Unitarian Universalist History" (at www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/365_this_day/) home page feature.
The UUA website provides a summary of Unitarian Universalist history (at www.uua.org/visitors/ourhistory/index.shtml).