FAITH LIKE A RIVER
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 14: THE SEVEN SEAS — GLOBALIZATION
2011
BY JACKIE CLEMENT ALISON CORNISH
© Copyright 2011 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 11:06:06 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
The best religionists are broad instead of bigoted, and they are open and compassionate and kind. In a town and in the world they build bridges more than walls or fences or moats. — Dana McLean Greeley, first president of the UUA (1961-1969)
Unitarian Universalism has enjoyed contact and engagement with people from many religions and cultures through much of its history. This workshop presents representative stories of different ways people in our religious tradition have related to other religious traditions and cultures. Participants explore ways this engagement has enriched our movement through dialogue and cooperative action, and consider ways Unitarian Universalism may have enriched the cultures and traditions of others.
Activity 4, Women, Faith, and Service touches on issues of cross-cultural power imbalance. If you have more time, substitute the longer version (Alternate Activity 3) for a deeper exploration.
Before leading this workshop, review the Accessibility Guidelines for Workshop Presenters in the program Introduction. Make preparations to accommodate individuals who may be in the group.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 5 |
Activity 1: Khasi Hills Creation Story | 25 |
Activity 2: 1893 World's Parliament of Religions | 25 |
Activity 3: Unitarian Universalism around the World | 25 |
Activity 4: Women, Faith, and Service | 25 |
Faith in Action: Where in the World Are Unitarian Universalists? | |
Closing | 5 |
Alternate Activity 1: Institutional History and Support | 25 |
Alternate Activity 2: Caroline Soule — Universalism's First Missionary | 25 |
Alternate Activity 3: Women, Faith, and Service — Longer Version | 45 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
Consider what you have learned about the history of Unitarian Universalism thus far. Do you view Unitarian Universalism as a North American and/or European religion, its historical development primarily connected to the establishment and growth of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe? Do you think of Unitarian Universalism as a religion of, and for, the world? Perhaps you think of it as both.
You may wish to ask participants to engage in this same spiritual practice so that they, too, arrive at the workshop centered and ready to engage with the material and the group.
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Welcome everyone to the workshop as they enter. Ask them to sign in, make (or pick up) name tags, and pick up the schedule and time line handouts from the welcome table. Point out the posted agenda for this workshop.
Including All Participants
Write the agenda in large, clear lettering and post it where it will be easily visible to all participants. Provide name tags large enough and markers bold enough so names will be easily visible.
OPENING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Light the chalice with these words by Transylvanian Unitarian Bishop Janos Erdo (1913-1996), published by the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU) in July 2007. These words are an English translation from the original Hungarian:
Every time we light a candle, we remember the past. Whoever forgets the past must live through it again. But those who remember the past find in it directions for the present and the future, and can revive tradition in all its richness. It is the duty of each generation to study history, so that in the light of the past it may see clearly what is its own special task. It is our duty too, on this special occasion.
Including All Participants
Remind volunteer readers to speak slowly and clearly so all can hear.
ACTIVITY 1: KHASI HILLS CREATION STORY (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Invite participants to sit at tables. Introduce the story with these or similar words:
The culture of the Khasi Hills of India is rich with legends. There are legends that explain the presence of natural phenomena such as the spots on the moon and the elaborateness of peacock feathers. There are stories that explain all the varied relationships among the gods, people, animals, and the earth.
The first, and still extant, Unitarian church in India was founded in 1795 in Madras by Thirvengatam, a Hindu who, while travelling in England, was influenced by the Unitarian writings of Theophilus Lindsey and Joseph Priestley and was christened with the name William Roberts. The largest Unitarian group in India, however, includes the nearly 10,000 Unitarians who belong to the Khasi and Jaintia Hills congregations founded by Hajom Kissor Singh. In 1887, dismayed by the strict Calvinist Christianity of British missionaries, Singh founded his own church that welcomed the teachings of Jesus, but honored those teachings alongside the practices and teachings of the area's indigenous religion, and the teachings of Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism. Inspired by the work of Charles Dall, a Unitarian missionary in Calcutta, and the writings of William Ellery Channing, Singh named his church the Unitarian Church of North East India. Singh's Unitarianism rejected narrowness of interpretation and the doctrine of the Trinity while remaining strongly theistic. Singh's church drew wisdom from indigenous stories such as the creation story of the Seven Tribes as well as from Unitarian Christianity. In order to help his congregations thrive, Singh wrote a number of hymns, many still in use today, and a prayer book from which anyone could lead a service. By the time of his death in 1923, there were ten Unitarian congregations in North East India. Today there are more than three times that number.
Explain that you will share a creation story from the indigenous culture of the Khasi Hills. Invite participants to listen for spiritual values they hear reflected in the story.
Read or tell the story. When you are done, ask participants to consider the questions you have posted and then turn to a partner to share their responses. Allow five minutes for paired sharing.
Invite participants to remain in pairs and create a drawing together that illustrates the Khasi Hills creation story. Invite them to illustrate the values inherent in the story, particularly those values which are in harmony with Unitarian Universalist values. Invite participants to post their drawings when complete.
ACTIVITY 2: 1893 WORLD'S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Distribute Handout 1, Time Line, 1893. Give participants a moment to review the major events of 1893. Invite any additions.
Present or read the contents of Leader Resource 1, The 1893 World's Parliament of Religions.
Then, distribute copies of Handout 2, Voices from the Parliament. Invite volunteers to read the words of women and men who presented papers and wrote about the Parliament. Invite participants to use Handout 1, the 1893 time line, to notice the events that shaped the experiences of those speaking.
Post the questions you have prepared and invite comments and discussion.
To conclude, invite the group to reflect on the discussion they have just had. Ask:
ACTIVITY 3: UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AROUND THE WORLD (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Introduce the activity:
I am going to distribute information about Unitarian Universalism in a number of places outside of the United States, invite you to read the information aloud, and then locate the region on the world map.
Distribute the slips of paper from Leader Resource 2. Invite participants to read their slips aloud one at a time. After each slip has been read, invite the reader to attach the slip to the world map in its appropriate location. After all the slips have been read and posted on the map, invite participants to offer additional information about these or other Unitarian Universalist congregations or organizations with which they are familiar.
Including All Participants
If attaching slips to the wall map might be difficult for one or more participants, invite one person to attach all the slips.
ACTIVITY 4: WOMEN, FAITH, AND SERVICE (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
I spent 34 years working among the Khasi people in India, but I was never a missionary! Let's get that straight right at the beginning. I went to India from my native England with the intent of identifying myself as completely as possible with the people of India and to become one with them in every way. I had no wish for them to think of me as in any way, through either Government or Missions, identified with the British in India, save by the accident of my birth which had made me British. — attributed to Margaret Barr
Description of Activity
Using Leader Resource 3, Women, Faith and Service, present the stories of Margaret Barr and the Blackmer Girl's Home of Tokyo.
Invite participants to brainstorm words that come to mind in response to the words "mission" or "missionary" and record responses on the blank sheet of newsprint. After the group has brainstormed a list, invite participants to identify which words have positive associations, which have negative connotations, and which are neutral.
Display the quote you have prepared and invite comments. Suggest that there is more than one way for people of different cultures and religions to be in relationship. Three models can be described by the terms power over, power with, and empowering. Write these terms on newsprint. Invite participants to react to these three phrases. Ask if anyone would like to add others. Then ask:
Point out that both of the stories have been reconstructed here through a combination of primary and secondary sources, not all of which are in agreement. Ask:
CLOSING (5 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Gather the group in a circle around the chalice. Distribute Taking It Home. Announce the date, time, and place of the next workshop and any other "housekeeping" information. Request or remind volunteers if you want participants to read material aloud or perform other roles at the next meeting.
Invite the group to read in unison the words of Keshab Chandra Sen, Reading 474 in Singing the Living Tradition, "Unto the Church Universal." Extinguish the chalice.
FAITH IN ACTION: WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS?
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Post, in an easily accessible location:
Invite others to examine the map and the information about international Unitarian Universalists and to add their contributions. Set extra sticky notes and pencils/pens nearby.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
After the workshop, co-leaders should make a time to talk together to evaluate this workshop and plan future workshops. Use these questions to guide your shared reflection and planning:
TAKING IT HOME
The best religionists are broad instead of bigoted, and they are open and compassionate and kind. In a town and in the world they build bridges more than walls or fences or moats.
—Dana McLean Greeley
Does your congregation already have a connection to one of the global Unitarian Universalist communities explored in this workshop? If so, find out more about the relationship and how you can become a part of it. Or, choose one of the Unitarian Universalist communities from Activity 3, or one of the international organizations from Alternate Activity 1, and investigate it. Is this an organization that you could individually support with your time, talent, or treasure or encourage your congregation to support?
Read about then-UUA president William Sinkford's 2008 pilgrimage to Africa, visiting some of Unitarian Universalist communities there. You can find photos, videos, and written reflections from the pilgrimage group on line (at www.uua.org/news/sinkfordafrica/index.shtml).
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: INSTITUTIONAL HISTORY AND SUPPORT (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
In this disastrous and shrinking world it is no longer possible—if it ever was—for local communities to be more secure than the surrounding world. Our ultimate security therefore lies in making the world more and more into a community... All of you have the opportunity to share in the answer, and thus help us build a peaceful world.
Description of Activity
Explain that they will hear about some of the UUA-authorized Unitarian Universalist organizations that have supported and continue to support international cooperation. Have the five volunteers read the stories of the organizations aloud.
Then, ask participants if they have experience with any of these organizations or other UU organizations that do international work. Some are: the UUA's Office of Internal Resources, the Holdeen India Program, and the Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation.
Read the displayed quote aloud. Invite participants to consider and discuss the questions.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 2: CAROLINE SOULE — UNIVERSALISM'S FIRST MISSIONARY (25 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Read the story "Universalism's First Missionary" aloud or present it in your own words.
Post the prepared questions. Explain to participants that missionary work was often a challenge for Caroline Soule. As we heard in her own words, she had to overcome a natural shyness in speaking to gatherings, and her poor health and rigorous schedule often taxed her strength. But she was dedicated to, and energized by, her cause of bringing Universalism to a wider circle of people.
Ask participants to consider the questions. Invite them to share the stories of those who have been missionaries in their lives.
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 3: WOMEN, FAITH, AND SERVICE — LONGER VERSION (45 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
I spent 34 years working among the Khasi people in India, but I was never a missionary! Let's get that straight right at the beginning. I went to India from my native England with the intent of identifying myself as completely as possible with the people of India and to become one with them in every way. I had no wish for them to think of me as in any way, through either Government or Missions, identified with the British in India, save by the accident of my birth which had made me British. — attributed to Margaret Barr
Description of Activity
Use this activity in place of Activity 4, if you have time, to allow deeper reflection on the question of power in relationships between religions and cultures.
Using Leader Resource 3, Women, Faith and Service, present the stories of Margaret Barr and the Blackmer Girl's Home of Tokyo.
Invite participants to brainstorm words that come to mind in response to the words "mission" or "missionary" and record responses on the blank sheet of newsprint. After the group has brainstormed a list, invite participants to identify words which have positive associations, have negative connotations, or are neutral.
Display the quote you have prepared and invite comments. Suggest there is more than one way for people of different cultures and religions to be in relationship. Three models can be described by the terms power over, power with, and empowering. Write these terms on newsprint. Invite participants to react to these three terms. Ask if anyone would like to add others. Then ask:
Point out that both of the stories have been reconstructed here from a combination of primary and secondary sources, not all of which are in agreement. Ask:
Now, invite participants to form three groups. Post the role play scenario you have written on newsprint. Read it aloud.
Invite each small group to develop a role play based on the scenario. Invite one group to develop a conversation between the two youths that reflects "power over;" another, a conversation that represents "power with;" and the third, a conversation of "empowering."
Allow the groups 15 minutes to develop their role plays. Then invite them to re-gather and present their sketches to one another.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
STORY: THE SEVEN TRIBES
A traditional story of the Khasi people, as relayed by Darihun Khriam, the first woman minister in the Khasi Hills.
Early in the history of the world, heaven and earth were connected by a great tree that grew on the crest of a high hill. Using this tree as a ladder, the sixteen families of heaven could move back and forth between earth and heaven, enjoying the bounty of each as they liked. The people lived in peace and prosperity for many years. But, eventually, they became discontented that the great tree was so large that it covered all the land with shade. This made it hard to grow crops, and they longed for the sunshine. Some say it was the urging of an evil spirit that led them to the plan of cutting down the tree. Perhaps it was just their own hubris deciding they no longer needed this connection to heaven, but the people set to cutting down the tree with axes and saws. Although they worked all day, they could not cut through the great girth of the tree so at nightfall they took their axes and their saws, and returned to their homes to rest.
In the morning when they returned to their work, they found no sign of the progress they had made the day before. The tree had healed completely! And so they set to work with greater urgency the second day, but again were unable to cut all the way through the trunk in the span of that day. And when they returned the next day to complete the task, again, the tree had healed leaving no sign of their work. This went on, day after day until, in their confusion and frustration, the people called a council to see what was to be done. At the council, a small bird gave them the solution to their problem. Each night, after they returned to their homes, the tiger would come and lick the wounds of the tree. He would lick and lick until he had erased all traces of the cuts and the tree was made whole. To cut down the tree they must stop the tiger.
Accordingly, at the end of the next day's work, the people left their axes and saws in the tree, with the cutting blades pointing outward. That night when the tiger came, the tools cut his tongue, and he was unable to heal the tree. In this way the people were able to complete the destruction of the tree. It is said that the branches that fell on the Bengali country flattened the land into plains, and the leaves created a rich mulch to make that land fertile. The thickest branches fell on the land of the Khasis creating great mountains and gorges so rugged that they exist to this day.
But, mostly, the result of felling the great tree was to sever the link between heaven and earth. Those who were on the earth could no longer visit heaven, and those who were in heaven could no longer visit the earth. There were seven families on the earth that day, those who became the ancestors of the seven tribes of the Khasi Hills.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
STORY: UNIVERSALISM'S FIRST MISSIONARY
Caroline Augusta White Soule had many "firsts" to her credit. She was the first president of the Universalist Women's Centenary Aid Association and the first president of its successor organization, the Women's Centenary Association. She was the first Universalist missionary and the first woman to be ordained in Europe.
Caroline Augusta White, born September 3, 1824 in Albany, New York took academic honors in her hometown on graduation from the Albany Female Academy; she won a gold medal for her essay, "The Goodness of God Not Fully Demonstrated Without the Act of Revelation." Following graduation, she took an unpaid position as principal of the young women's department of the Universalist Clinton Liberal Institute in Clinton, New York. There she met and married the Rev. Henry Soule, head of the young men's department.
The couple soon left Clinton. Henry was called to serve churches in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Always suffering from ill health, Henry Soule died of smallpox in 1852 at the age of 37, leaving Caroline with five young children. To support her family, Soule turned to teaching, writing, and editing. To live more economically, she moved them from Connecticut to a log cabin in Iowa.
In 1863, with her children grown, Soule returned to New York to seek treatment for her failing eyesight. She remained in the east, and in 1869 became one of the founders of the Women's Centenary Aid Association (WCAA) and its first president, traveling extensively to raise funds for the centennial celebration of Universalism in the United States. When the celebration was accomplished, Universalist women who had established a voice and a presence in the denomination through their work voted to continue the organization permanently. In 1873, the Women's Centenary Association (WCA) was chartered, with Caroline Soule as its first president. Soule's 11-year presidency of the two successive organizations included duties such as fundraising, writing, preaching, lecturing, and spreading the word about Universalism. Although it was required by her position, public speaking was a challenge for her. She wrote of her struggles in a letter to her friend, the Rev. A. B. Grosh, "After our W.C.A. began its work, I was necessarily obliged to speak to our women; but my sufferings were intense always, and only my love for the cause carried me through."
One of the WCA's goals was to raise funds for foreign mission work, so when Soule vacationed in Scotland in 1875 to restore her health it was natural that she should take an interest in the Universalist congregations that had existed in that country since the early 1700s. While in Scotland, Soule preached, helped to found the Scottish Universalist Convention, and dedicated a new church building in Larbertt—a moment of joyful celebration for a working class congregation that had shoveled piles of snow from the interior of the former building in winter and moved from pew to pew to avoid raindrops in summer.
After returning to the United States, Soule became minister of the Universalist church in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1876. Her time in Elizabeth was short, however, as the WCA elected to send her as their first missionary to Scotland the following year. Arriving in 1878, Soule spent her first year traveling throughout the country, preaching in Dumfernline, Larbert, Braidwood, Lochee, Dundee, and Glasgow. Soule considered herself a conservative "Bible Universalist," and was pleased to find little theological difference between the Universalists and the Scottish Unitarians who, unlike their American contemporaries, held to a belief in revealed religion. After touring the isolated and largely poverty-stricken Universalist congregations of Scotland, Soule concluded that Universalism was spreading satisfactorily, but that a lack of organization was hampering its growth. She chose Glasgow as the new center of Scottish Universalism and helped organize St. Paul's Universalist Church of the informal group of Universalists that had been gathered in the city since the early 1870s. Some of Soule's worship innovations, such as hymn singing and Christmas celebrations for children, were seen as highly unorthodox and reeking of "popish festival," but when her missionary tour was done, the congregation of St. Paul's petitioned to have her stay another year.
Soule returned to the United States to serve the congregation of Hightstown, New Jersey for four years, then returned to Glasgow and St. Paul's in 1886, staying until her retirement six years later. In 1894 Soule wrote of her career of firsts, "I was always tired, for there was never a chance to rest... but fatigue in the cause of Universalism is infinitely better than inaction." Caroline Augusta Soule died in her adopted homeland of Scotland in December of 1903.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
HANDOUT 1: TIME LINE, 1893
The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition took place in the midst of a time of radical cultural and societal change in the United States. While the overall mood of the nation was mixed as the country felt the real effects of intensified urbanism, industrial capitalism, and the higher profile of science and technology, the message of the Exposition was one of optimism and faith in progress. Here are some of the events that occurred that year:
January 6 — The Great Northern Railway connected Seattle with the East Coast.
January 17 — The U.S. Marines landed in Hawaii, resulting in the overthrow of the government of Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii.
February 1 — Thomas A. Edison finished construction of the first motion picture studio in West Orange, New Jersey.
February 23 — Rudolf Diesel received a patent for the diesel engine.
March 4 — U.S. President Benjamin Harrison was succeeded by Stephen Grover Cleveland.
April 6 — The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah was dedicated.
May 1 — The 1893 World's Fair, also known as the World's Columbian Exposition, opened to the public in Chicago, Illinois.
May 5 — A crash on the New York Stock Exchange, later known as the Panic of 1893, started an economic depression.
June 7 — Gandhi committed his first act of civil disobedience in India.
June 21 — The first Ferris Wheel premiered at Chicago's Columbian Exposition.
June 27 — Stocks crashed on New York stock exchange.
July 6 — The small town of Pomeroy, Iowa was nearly destroyed by a tornado; 71 people were killed and 200 injured.
July 12 — Frederick Jackson Turner gave a lecture titled "The Signficance of the Frontier in American History" before the American Historical Association in Chicago.
July 22 — Katharine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" in Colorado.
August 27 — The Sea Islands Hurricane hit Savannah, Charleston, and the Sea Islands, killing 1,000-2,000.
September 11 — The World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago opened its first meeting. The event lasted until September 27. A standing ovation was given to Hindu Swami Vivekananda after the salutation for his address, "Sisters and Brothers of America... "
September 19 — New Zealand became the first country in the world to grant women the right to vote.
September 21 — Brothers Charles and Frank Duryea drove the first gasoline-powered motorcar in America on public roads in Springfield, Massachusetts.
September 23 — The Baha'i Faith was first publicly mentioned in the United States at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
October 1 — The third worst hurricane in United States history killed 1,800 in Mississippi.
October 28 — Carter Harrison, mayor of Chicago, was shot and killed by an assassin.
October 30 — The 1893 World's Fair, also known as the World's Columbian Exposition, closed.
November 7 — Colorado women were granted the right to vote.
December 20 — Georgia approved the first state anti-lynching statue.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
HANDOUT 2: VOICES FROM THE PARLIAMENT
Though their numbers were modest compared to other denominations, the Unitarians and the Universalists were each well represented at the Parliament. Unitarian minister Jenkin Lloyd Jones was the Executive Secretary to the General Committee responsible for organizing the Parliament, and Augusta Jane Chapin, the second woman ordained to the Universalist ministry, also served on the Committee. Men and women of both faiths presented papers on a wide range of topics. As part of the Parliament, both the Unitarians and the Universalists also held denominational meetings attended by laypeople and clergy from around the country.
Here are some voices of Unitarian and Universalist women and men heard at the Parliament or soon after.
Augusta Jane Chapin (1836-1905), spoke at both the opening and closing ceremonies. This is from her presentation on Opening Day:
Welcome. I am strangely moved as I stand upon this platform and attempt to realize what it means that you all are here from so many lands representing so many and widely different phases of religious thought and life and what it means that I am here in the midst of all this unique assemblage to represent womanhood and woman's part of it all... The World's first Parliament of Religions could not have been called sooner and have gathered the religionists of all these lands together. We had to wait for the hour to strike, until the steamship, the railway and the telegraph had brought men together, leveled their walls of separation and made them acquainted with each other; until scholars had broken the way through the pathless wilderness of ignorance, superstition and falsehood and compelled them to respect each other's honesty, devotion and intelligence. A hundred years ago the world was not ready for this parliament. Fifty years ago it could not have been convened, and had it been called but a single generation ago, one-half of the religious world could not have been directly represented... Few indeed, were they a quarter of a century ago who talked about the Divine Fatherhood and Human Brotherhood, and fewer still were they who realized the practical religious power of these conceptions.
Fannie Barrier Williams (1855-1944), an African American Unitarian and social reform activist, was a member of All Souls Church (Unitarian) in Chicago. She spoke at the World's Parliament of Religions on "The Condition of the American Negro:"
In nothing do the American people so contradict the spirit of their institutions, the high sentiments of their civilization, and the maxims of their religion as they do in denying to our men and women the full rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The colored people have appealed to every source of power and authority for reliefs, but in vain... It is a monstrous thing that nearly one-half of the so-called evangelical churches of this country repudiate and haughtily deny fellowship to every Christian lady and gentleman happening to be of African descent... The golden rule of fellowship taught in the Christian Bible becomes in practice the iron rule of race hatred... The hope of the negro and other dark races in America depends upon how far the white Christians can assimilate their own religion.
In addition to his role in organizing the Parliament, Jenkin Lloyd Jones (1843-1914), was part of an effort to continue the work begun by the Parliament the following year at the First American Congress of Liberal Religious Societies. Jones subscribed to the belief that the key to religious unity was not theology, but the ethical and spiritual impulses found in all peoples:
Believing as we do that the Parliament was more than... a spiritual sensation, we must take to heart the prophecy we find in it. We think it pointed to the possibility to unite men of diverse races and faiths in an actual fellowship, in working organizations, potent, inspiring, in short the Parliament of Religions predicted a movement that will undertake a new church in the world... the glimmering lights of the future guide us. We go to build the church of the twentieth century — open temples of reason, holy shrines of helpfulness, confessionals where the soul will not be afraid to confess its ignorance.
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), the Unitarian author of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," writer, reformer, and peace advocate, addressed the Parliament in a talk titled "What Is Religion?"
Now, it seems to me very important that from this parliament should go forth a fundamental agreement as to what is religion and as to what is not religion. I need not stand here to repeat any definition of what religion is. I think you will all say that it is aspiration, the pursuit of the divine in the human; the sacrifice of everything to duty for the sake of God and of humanity and of our own individual dignity. What is it that passes for religion? In some countries magic passes for religion, and that is one thing I wish, in view particularly of the ethnic faiths, could be made very prominent — that religion is not magic...
I think nothing is religion which puts one individual absolutely above others, and surely nothing is religion which puts one sex above another. Religion is primarily our relation to the Supreme—to God himself. It is for Him to judge; it is for Him to say where we belong—who is highest and who is not; of that we know nothing... Any religion which sacrifices women to the brutality of men is no religion.
From this parliament let some valorous, new, strong, and courageous influence go forth, and let us have here an agreement of all faiths for one good end, for one good thing — really for the glory of God, really for the salvation of humanity from all that is low and animal and unworthy and undivine.
Joseph Henry Allen (1820-1898), a former editor of the Unitarian Review, wrote commentary about the Parliament's effect in his 1895 article "The Alleged Sympathy of Religions:"
It is quite possible, no doubt, by the powerful solvent of metaphysics, to reduce the intellectual elements of these warring faiths into some colorless compromise which we might call a 'universal' or 'absolute' religion... But history tells us much of the conflicts of religions, little of their sympathy... The great success of our Parliament is not to be had by merging the great faiths of humanity in what at best would only be a flavorless neutral compound; but rather in showing how they may best flourish, independently, side by side.
John White Chadwick (1840-1904), a Unitarian minister, reflected on the Parliament in his article "Universal Religion," published in 1894:
We have been far afield in quest of a universal religion, and we have come back with empty hands... Would Christianity be better for the Mohammedan, the Brahman, the Buddhist than the religions to which they adhere?... Let their absolute values be what they may, relatively, to the peoples who acknowledge them and believe in them, they are doubtless the best religions possible because they have come into existence in answer to their special needs.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
LEADER RESOURCE 1: THE 1893 WORLD'S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS
The World's Columbian Exposition, a spectacular and exuberant world's fair, was held in Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan in 1893 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in North America. The architecture alone, Daniel Burnham's "White City," was unlike any other temporary construction, its grandiose neoclassical architecture arrayed amidst lagoons, fountains, monumental statuary and acres of buildings. As a part of the Exposition, which drew thousands of visitors in the single season it was open, several "Congresses" were held on specific topics and issues. Perhaps the most impressive of these meetings was the World's Parliament of Religions, held for 17 days in September, 1893. No event of its kind, bringing together thousands of representatives of the great historic religions of the world, had ever been attempted. So central was religion to the Exposition that these words were featured on the grand Peristyle, at the heart of the complex:
Toleration In Religion Is The Best Fruit Of The Last Four Centuries.
Planning for the Parliament began three years before the actual event. A 16-person General Committee was charged with settling on a mission and program, inviting participants, and hosting the event. Unitarian minister Jenkin Lloyd Jones served as the Committee's Executive Secretary.
As a percentage, Christian Protestants dominated the Parliament, both as speakers and attendees. Yet there was, from the beginning, an intentional effort to include representation from the world's major religions: Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Jainism. (There was no inclusion of indigenous religions, as these were considered "primitive," and represented at the Exposition, if at all, in the anthropological displays. Neither was the newest of American religions, Mormonism, represented.)
From the beginning, people who participated in or attended the Parliament had different, and sometimes opposing, purposes and expectations. Some, especially those interested in the field of comparative religions, hoped that one result would be an increased interest in the study of religions. Others aimed to demonstrate the supremacy of one (their) religion above another, or to clarify the public's misunderstandings of (their) religion. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who did not participate in the Parliament, wrote to the committee that his disapproval rested on "the fact that the Christian religion is the one religion. I do not understand how that religion can be regarded as a member of a Parliament of Religions without assuming the equality of the other intended members and the parity of their position and claims."
The General Committee, which included representation from different sects and faiths, tried to lay a foundation that promoted an environment of openness and possibility, but there were no existing models of interfaith conversation or cooperation to guide them. Here are a few of the objectives the committee stated in 1891:
A review of the 216 presentations made during the Parliament's 17 days and the subsequent commentary reveals great diversity. That participants from different faith traditions would interpret the Parliament in different ways was understandable, perhaps inescapable, given the tensions that attach to any multi-faith effort, even today: How are competing religious claims to truth mediated? Is there an evolutionary progression in religion (and is Christianity the pinnacle of that process)? Can the adherents of religions learn truths from one another in a way that does not presume conversion? Is the identification of those things that religions hold in common the first step towards a universal religion? The answers to these questions had profound implications for white, Protestant Americans in 1893, who were being challenged by ever-growing numbers of immigrants who practiced Catholicism, Judaism, and other faiths. They also had implications for the Protestant denominations' mission work overseas. These words from John Henry Barrows, the General Committee's chairperson, illustrate what must have sometimes seemed a chasm between the Parliament's objectives and its participants. He reflects on his understanding of the ultimate influence of the Parliament:
The Parliament has shown that Christianity is still the great quickener of humanity, that it is now educating those who do not accept its doctrines, that there is no teacher to be compared with Christ, and no Saviour excepting Christ ... The non-Christian world may give us valuable criticism and confirm spiritual truths and make excellent suggestion as to Christian improvement, but it has nothing to add to the Christian creed.
The sense of religious superiority reflected in Barrows' words was not shared by all at the Parliament. One of the most popular speakers, Swami Vivekananda, reflected that "every religion is only evolving a God out of the material man; and the same God is the inspirer of all of them. Why then are there so many contradictions? The contradictions come from the same truth adapting itself to the different circumstances of different natures."
World's fairs serve at least two purposes. One, they hold a mirror to the present moment, showing the state of the "world," albeit often in idealized ways. But world's fairs also portend, if not help set, the future course of progress. The World's Parliament of Religions did indeed serve both purposes. It offered a panoramic view of the vast diversity of existing religions and their beliefs and practices. It also laid groundwork for an emerging ecumenical, and eventually pluralistic, religious America.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
LEADER RESOURCE 2: UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AROUND THE WORLD
Africa
In 2000, there were only a handful of Unitarian Universalist congregations in Africa. Now there are dozens. The first Unitarian Universalist churches were founded in South Africa, where four congregations were organized between 1867 and 1986, and in Nigeria. In Lagos, Nigeria, the First Unitarian Church of Nigeria was founded in 1994, joining the Unitarian Brotherhood Church (Ijo Isokan Gbogbo Eda), which was founded in 1917 when Bishop Adeniran Adedeji Isola's liberal theology led to a break with the Anglican Church of Nigeria. More recently congregations have been founded in Uganda, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, and Kenya, the country which has experienced the most remarkable growth in Unitarian Universalism.
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Brahmo Samaj (BRAH-moe sah-MAZH)
In India, in 1821, Rammohun Roy, a Hindu of Brahmin caste, convinced William Adam, a Scottish Baptist missionary, of the truth of Unitarianism. Together they founded the Unitarian Committee and the Calcutta Unitarian Society. However, Roy struggled with being identified as Christian and hoped to create a progressive religious organization that could more fully integrate his native Hinduism. He founded the Brahmo Samaj (Society of God) in 1828 to accomplish this aim. Roy maintained ties to Unitarianism throughout his life, and following his death the Brahmo Samaj continued to interact with Unitarian groups in India, England and the United States.
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Canada
Both Universalism and Unitarianism in Canada were, by and large, imports from the United States and Great Britain. The first Universalist preacher in Canada was Christopher Huntingdon who moved to Compton (in what is now Quebec) in 1804. The first congregation was organized in Stanstead, Quebec, in 1830. On the Unitarian side, the first preacher was David Hughes of England, and the first church was organized in Montreal in 1842. While the Universalists experienced little growth in Canada, Unitarianism spread westward in the late 19th century thanks to a large Icelandic immigrant population. (Although Unitarianism was never an established faith in Iceland, many Icelandic Unitarian congregations were started in Canada and the United States.) The Canadian Unitarian Council, created in 1961, was part of the Unitarian Universalist Association until 2001, when it became an autonomous organization, independent from the UUA.
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The Czech Republic
In 1910, Norbert Capek, a Baptist minister, was introduced to leaders of the American Unitarian Association by Tomas Masaryk, future president of Czechoslovakia, who was himself married to an American Unitarian. Threatened for his outspoken liberal views, Capek moved to New York to serve a Baptist church in 1914, but by 1919 he had become a Unitarian. Returning to Czechoslovakia in 1921, Capek founded the Liberal Religious Fellowship (later the Religious Society of Czechoslovakian Unitarians) in Prague. The Prague congregation grew to 3,500 with outreach to eight other cities. In 1941 Capek was arrested for his opposition to the Nazi regime and put to death in Dachau. Although the churches faced oppression under Nazi and Communist regimes as well as internal discord, Unitarian congregations continue to thrive in the Czech Republic today.
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England
Elements of universal salvation and antitrinitarian had appeared in the British Isles from the earliest days of the Radical Protestant Reformation. In the 18th century, Universalism was carried from England to America by George de Benneville (1741) and John Murray (1770).
In 1774 Unitarianism began its institutional life in England with the opening of Theophilus Lindsey's Essex Street Chapel in London. In 1806 the Unitarian Fund for Promoting Unitarianism by Means of Popular Preaching was organized, and by 1810 more than 20 Unitarian congregations were holding services in England. Ten times that number of congregations existed in 1825 when the British and Foreign Unitarian Association was organized (by coincidence on the same day, May 25, the American Unitarian Association was founded). John Biddle, Joseph Priestley, Thomas Belsham, and James Martineau are just a few of the names associated with the growth of British Unitarianism.
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Hungary
Although the tradition of Unitarianism among Hungarian-speaking people stretches back to the 16th century, it occurred primarily in parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that are not part of Hungary today. The first Unitarian church in Budapest was organized in 1873. In 1920, when the portions of Transylvania that gave rise to Unitarianism were ceded to Romania, the several churches in Hungary organized as a separate group, but remained subordinate to the Romanian bishop until 1971 when Jozcef Ferencz became the first bishop of Hungary. Today there are about 2,000 Unitarians in ten or more congregations in Hungary.
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India
In addition to the Brahmo Samaj and Khasi Hills movements, Unitarian congregations were started in Madras and Calcutta. The Madras (Chennai) Unitarian Church was founded in 1795 by William Roberts (born Thiruvenkatam Vellala). Roberts came to know the work of Joseph Priestley, Theophilus Lindsey, and Thomas Belsham after he was brought to England as a servant by the East India Company. Returning to Madras, Roberts brought his Unitarian beliefs and founded a congregation which continues to this day. William Adam, converted to Unitarianism by Brahmo Samaj founder Rammohun Roy, served as a Unitarian missionary in Calcutta from 1821 until 1838 and was followed by Americans Charles Brooks in 1854 and Charles Dall in 1855. Dall's mission of 31 years was the longest continuous Unitarian mission in India.
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Jamaica
Amidst controversy, Egbert Ethelred Brown founded the Unitarian Lay Center in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in the early part of the 20th century. After he was ordained in 1912 at Meadville Theological School with backing from the Montego Bay community, Brown served as a missionary of both the American and British Unitarian Associations. Within a few years, funding for his work was discontinued and the AUA transferred Brown to Kingston, where he had to start over. Support for the mission was always tenuous, and in 1917 funding for the Kingston mission was withdrawn. Despite unimaginable hardship and denominational resistance, Brown moved to the United States where he founded and led the Harlem Unitarian Church.
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Japan
Both the American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America had missions in Japan by the end of the 19th century. Arthur Max Knapp represented the Unitarians beginning in 1888, and George Perin began the Universalist mission in 1890. Both operations published religious literature, founded churches, and began schools for the ministry. The Universalist mission also included kindergartens and schools. Although the Unitarian mission was effectively ended by financial troubles in 1920, the American Universalist mission continued until Americans were forced to leave at the beginning of the Second World War. During the war, native-born ministers continued the work. John Shidara founded Kamagame Universalist in Nagano after the Tokyo church was destroyed. After the war, Shinchiro Imaoka founded the Tokyo Unitarian Church. Both churches, as well as Tokyo's Koishikawa Universalist Center, remain in operation today.
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Khasi Hills
The largest Unitarian group in India is the nearly 10,000 Unitarians of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills congregations founded by Hajom Kissor Singh. In 1887, dismayed by the strict Calvinist Christianity of British missionaries, Singh founded his own church that welcomed the teachings of Jesus, but held them alongside the native religion of the area, as well as the teachings of Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism. By the time of his death in 1923, there were 10 Unitarian congregations in North East India. Today there are more than three times that number.
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Philippines
Although the turn of the 20th century saw a strong unitarian influence in the Philippine Independent Church (including then Civil Governor of the Philippines and Unitarian William Howard Taft), the influence was never converted into a formal movement, and the church eventually became affiliated with the Episcopal Church. Rev. Toribio Quimada brought a more lasting Universalism to the Philippines in the 1950s. Excommunicated from his former church for using materials from the Universalist Service Committee, Quimada founded the Universalist Church of the Philippines in 1954. The name was changed to Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines when the church formally joined the UUA in 1988. Tragically, Quimada was murdered that same year for his social activism among poor farmers. The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines continues today with approximately 2,000 members.
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Poland
Antitrinitarian thought had been espoused in Poland for nearly a decade before the Minor Reformed Church (often called the Polish Brethren) was formally constituted in 1565. Beginning with the arrival of Faustus Socinus in 1579, the town of Rakow became a major center for publishing and teaching Unitarianism. Socinus wrote widely, but his revision of a catechism, originally written in 1574 and published after his death as the Rakovian Catechism, was perhaps his most enduring legacy. Unitarians were forced from Poland by the turn of the 17th century and it was not until the early 20th century that Unitarian congregations began to reappear. The Second World War again interrupted the rise of Unitarianism in Poland, but the Unitarian Church in Poland was organized in the 1980s.
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Scotland
Unitarian and Universalist thought dates back to at least the 17th century in Scotland. In 1755, a small group of congregations in the Scottish Borders region declared themselves Universalist, and St. Mark's Unitarian Church in Edinburgh traces its history back to 1776 (it avowed belief in universal salvation in 1792 and adopted the name Unitarian in 1813). Beginning in the mid-19th century, ties were forged between Scottish and American Universalists, giving rise to a 20-year joint venture mission between the Women's Centenary Association (WCA) and the General Convention late in the same century. The Rev. Caroline Soule, first president of the WCA and the first American missionary for Universalism, served as minister of St. Paul's Universalist Church in Glasgow from 1879 until her retirement in 1892.
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South Africa
The Free Protestant Church in Cape Town, South Africa was founded by Dawid Faure in 1867. After studying for ministry in the Dutch Reformed Church, Faure found that he needed a church unbound by traditional dogma and open to new insights. The church he organized became part of the Unitarian movement in 1921. The church was served by ministers from the United States or Great Britain until native South African Robert Steyn was called in 1979. The Unitarian Church of Cape Town was joined by congregations in Johannesburg (founded in 1956), Somerset West (1984), and Durban (1986).
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Transylvania
In Transylvania, official recognition of the Unitarian faith dates back to 1571, with close to 500 congregations gathered by 1579. But official recognition was short lived, and, in the face of political and religious oppression, the number of Transylvanian churches had shrunk to 125 by 1800. In the mid-19th century, there was a resurgence in Unitarianism and the churches grew stronger, partly due to the fact that they were no longer illegal and partly due to increased contact with Unitarian congregations abroad. After World War I, the American Unitarian Association increased its support of churches in Transylvania and Hungary and introduced a sister church program. Contact between American Unitarians and those in Transylvania continued, at a reduced level, throughout Nazi occupation and Communist rule. Since 1992, the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council (UUPCC) has strengthened ties between congregations in North America and those in Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and India.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
LEADER RESOURCE 3: WOMEN, FAITH, AND SERVICE
Unitarian and Universalist women have a history of creating important organizations of their own. Some of these organizations came to play a role in supporting the work of Unitarians and Universalists in places beyond their own country's borders.
In 1869, the Women's Centenary Aid Association was founded by American Universalist women to help raise funds to support denominational efforts at the hundredth anniversary celebration of Universalism in the U.S. Through the years, the organization changed its name and funding priorities several times. Some of its projects included missionary work in Japan and the British Isles; "supporting schools for African American children in the American South;" providing financial support for floundering parishes, ministerial students, disabled ministers, and ministers' widows and orphans; and publishing and distributing denominational literature.
American Unitarian women founded The Women's Auxiliary Conference in 1880. It, too, changed its name and its focus through the years. It supported leadership training and religious education, and offering financial support to congregations.
In 1908, British Unitarian women founded the British League of Unitarian and Other Liberal Christian Women (also known as the Women's League), and initially focused their efforts on publications and correspondence.
At the end of the 19th century, the Women's Centenary Association, descendant of the Women's Centenary Aid Association, became active in missionary work in Japan. Its primary project was the Blackmer Girl's Home in Tokyo. The project's history was recounted by the Rev. G. F. Keirn, Superintendent of Nippon Dojin Kirisuto Kyokai (nee-PONE doe-JIN kee-DEE-stoe kee-oh-KAI), in "Twenty-Five Years of the Universalist Japan Mission, 1890-1915:"
At a meeting held Feb. 17, 1896, in Miss Osborn's residence No. 4 Daimachi, Koishikawa [dah-ee-MAH-chee koe-EE-shee-kah-wah], Tokyo, Miss Osborn presented a proposition to establish a girl's home. The proposition was approved, and it was voted that she might use the surplus of mission funds, about forty yen per month, for this purpose. She also reported that there were three girls now ready to enter and it was confidently expected that more would apply soon. Though one of the three girls had for some time been living with Miss Osborn, this was the first official beginning of what is now known as The 'Blackmer Universalist Girl's Home.' When Miss Osborn was on her next furlough in America, she saw Mr. Lucian Blackmer, of St. Louis Mo, who then was, and continued to the end of his life to be, an ardent supporter of the Mission. On hearing from her the needs of the Home, he was moved to give money sufficient to buy land and erect a building for its use. In recognition of this generous gift the Home bears his name... Though English and music are taught, this is not a school, neither is it a rescue home as some have erroneously supposed. It is simply a Christian home where girls may live under its helpful influence while attending school. It is estimated that at least one hundred and ten girls have had residence of different duration in the Home since its founding.
There was a Sunday School and kindergarten connected to the Blackmer Home, with the resident girls apparently serving as teachers, or teachers-in-training.
Interestingly, several more modern sources mention the Blackmer project, and though they all agree on the Universalist women's support for the project, and that the project served girls, they vary in some key details. One account reports that its "mission was the rescue of Japanese girls whose families would otherwise sell them into domestic slavery or to brothels (not to be confused with girls who trained to be Geisha). Rescued girls in the Blackmer School were educated and trained to become good Japanese wives; the school helped arrange marriages for older students." Another account elaborates on the source of funding: "By 1913, the women were entirely supporting the work at Blackmer, releasing the General Convention's money for other aspects of the mission project." Yet another source reports that Blackmer House was "where orphans and the poor could be trained in English, homemaking, and kindergarten teaching skills."
The ultimate demise of the Blackmer Girl's Home is also reported in different ways. It is clear that the Home was destroyed in the World War II bombing of Tokyo. But some accounts report that, before that fateful end, the Americans who ran the churches and missions had been ousted by the war, leaving a very few Japanese trained ministers to keep the project going as best they could. Another account relates that, in 1942, "salaries to several Universalist women from the United States who were employed at the Blackmer School had been discontinued, since they had not been heard from since December 1941... " Later accounts indicate that "the women survived the war in internment camps but that one of them had gone over to the Catholics."
Though accounts clearly disagree, it seems clear that the Universalist women's organization was involved, from beginning to end, in a project that served girls in a country that most of its members would never visit. It is curious that time has erased so many details, and that no one can completely agree on either the purpose or the population served.
Another example of a women-to-women project is the work of Margaret Barr. Barr was born in 1899 in Yorkshire, England. Her family was Methodist, but when Barr attended college in Cambridge, she discovered Unitarianism. After qualifying as a teacher, Barr studied for the ministry at Manchester College, Oxford. While serving a Unitarian church in Rotherham, Barr attended a British General Assembly and heard about the work of Hajom Kissor Singh and the Unitarians of Khasi Hills, India. Already drawn to Gandhi's work, Barr sought a ministerial appointment to India. She was denied, however, as the General Assembly was unwilling to send a single woman to work in such a remote location.
Undaunted, Barr secured a teaching position in Calcutta, and from there, worked her way to the Khasi Hills in 1936. The British General Assembly eventually granted her a one-year exploratory commission for her work, and the (British) Women's League contributed funding, an effort they would sustain for nearly 30 years. From Barr's base in Shillong, she assisted local Unitarian communities in opening schools and orphanages. After ten years, convinced that those institutions were sufficiently established, she moved to remote Kharang and established a rural center with a residential school. At the same time, she maintained her position as Superintendent for the Unitarian Union of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
Barr resisted any label that implied that she was a "missionary." Instead, she considered herself a bridge-builder between religions and peoples. In 1963, she was awarded the UUA's Award for Distinguished Service. She died as she lived, at work in her adopted homeland of India, in 1973.
FAITH LIKE A RIVER: WORKSHOP 14:
LEADER RESOURCE 4: INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF)
Following the success of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, there was interest in forming an organization that could continue the work of bringing together different religious groups in dialogue and cooperation. In 1900, the International Council of Unitarian and other Liberal Religious Thinkers and Workers was founded on May 25th, the 75th anniversary of the American Unitarian Association.
The name was changed in 1930 to the International Association for Liberal Christianity and Religious Freedom, and again in 1969 to the current name, the International Association for Religious Freedom. The name changes reflect the evolvution of the organization. Initially dominated by North American Unitarians, the organization grew to have greater representation from around the globe and from other liberal Christian groups. The most recent name change was prompted by the membership of the Rissho Kosei-Kai, a liberal Buddhist group. The IARF now welcomes representation from member groups including Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Jews, Humanists, Shintoists, Zoroastrians, and Christians.
The IARF continues its original mission of promoting dialog and understanding through international congresses. It also sponsors community development projects and maintains representation at the United Nations.
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International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW)
Although women were not excluded from the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), their role was limited in the early decades, and women came together to found the International Union of Liberal Christian Women. The organization traces its history to its first meeting in Berlin in 1910 and was formally chartered in 1913. In recognition of a widening scope and membership, the organization changed its name in 1975 to the International Association of Liberal Religious Women. The IALRW links women around the world to promote friendship, education, networking, and financial support for women and children. IALRW is a member organization of the IARF.
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Partner Church Council (PCC)
As the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) grew in size and scope, its role of connecting Unitarians around the world diminished. In the absence of an existing international organization, several new groups arose to meet specific needs, the Partner Church Council and International Council of Unitarians and Universalists among them.
Following World War I, when Transylvania was transferred by treaty from Hungary to Romania, the Unitarian churches came under harsh oppression. Many Unitarians left Transylvania for Budapest or other destinations. In response, relief efforts were begun by American Unitarians which included a "sister church" program. Under this program, American churches sent 100 dollars per year to their "sister" congregation in Transylvania, and scholarships for training ministers were established by Meadville Lombard and Starr King theological schools. By World War II these connections had largely faded.
Through the efforts of several leaders including Transylvanian-born Judit Gellerd, Natalie Gulbrandson (then UUA Moderator and a former IARF President), and others, a Partner Church Program was formed in the early 1990s. When funding was cut during UUA budget tightening, Leon Hopper, Judit Geller, and Richard Boeke moved to form the independent Partner Church Council.
The PCC, founded in 1993, now supports partnerships between North American congregations and churches in Transylvania, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Khasi Hills of India, the Philippines, and Poland.
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International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU)
The ICUU was another of the organizations that grew in response to the need for international connection and cooperation among Unitarians and Universalists. The idea was first proposed to the British General Assembly in 1987 by Rev. David Usher. At the time, there were tensions between those who thought that international groups should join the UUA and those who thought that the UUA should join international groups, and it would take eight years of talks and planning for Usher's proposed organization to be realized. In 1995, in Essex, Massachusetts, representatives from fourteen countries met to found the ICUU.
Every other year, ICUU delegates meet to transact the business of the Council and forge closer ties for mutual support and the growth of the faith. Past programs have included leadership schools, youth conferences and educational symposia.
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Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO)
Unitarians and Universalists have been involved with the United Nations since its founding in 1945, and with its precursor, the League of Nations. Both denominations passed resolutions in support of the United Nations in the 1950s and upon merger, the UUA created an advisory council on the UN.
At the suggestion of United States Ambassador to the UN, Unitarian Adlai Stevenson, Unitarian Universalist congregations began in 1962 to appoint envoys to the UU United Nations Office. By 1965, more than 300 envoys had been identified. Today, the UU-UNO represents 138 congregations and 1,855 members through 496 Local Envoys and 25 District Envoys.
FIND OUT MORE
Learn more about the history of Unitarian Universalism outside of the United States and explore partnerships and relationships of our own time:
Hewitt, Phillip. Unitarians in Canada (Ontario, Canada: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1978)
International Association for Religious Freedom website (at www.iarf.net/)
International Association of Liberal Religious Women website (at www.ialrw.org/)
International Council of Unitarians and Universalists website (at www.icuu.net/)
Lavan, Spencer. Unitarians and India. (Boston: Skinner House, 1977)
Rev. William G. Sinkford's 2008 Pilgrimage to Africa (at www.uua.org/news/sinkfordafrica/index.shtml)
Seager, Richard Hughes. The World's Parliament of Religions. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1995.
Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council website (at www.uupcc.org/)
Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office website (at uu-uno.org/).