Workshop 1: The Locus of Moral Authority

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Part of What We Choose: Ethics for Unitarian Universalists

In This Section

Introduction
From What We Choose

Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. — Albert Einstein We are regularly faced with the need to choose a course of action in response to a given situation. We must weigh a variety of factors, including competing interests, expediency, and moral or ethical values. This…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
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Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: Program Overview and Expectations 10 Activity 2: Opening Scenario 20 Activity 3: What Guides Me? 25 Activity 4: Emerson’s Locus of Moral Authority 30 Activity 5: Group Covenant 20 Faith in Action: Covenants in Congregational Life…
Spiritual Preparation
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Recall an important moral or ethical decision you have made, and use the following focus questions to help you think about your decision-making process: What was the dilemma and what decision did you make? What framework or ethical precepts guided your decision making?…
Welcoming and Entering
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Materials for Activity Handout 1, Schedule for Ethics Workshops Newsprint, markers, and tape Sign-in sheet and pen or pencil Pocket folder, pen/pencil, and paper for each participant Name tags, single-use or durable Optional: Refreshments Preparation for Activity Customize Handout 1, Schedule for…
Opening
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Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship table or designated space Chalice, candle, and lighter, or LED/battery-operated candle Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Preparation for Activity Arrange the worship table or designated space. Description of…
Activity 1: Program Overview and Expectations
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Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Schedule for Ethics Workshops Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Download Handout 1, Schedule for Ethics Workshops. Customize the handout for your program. Copy for all participants, plus a few extra….
Activity 2: Opening Scenario
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Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Read the scenario so you will be comfortable presenting it. Post blank newsprint. Description of Activity Introduce this activity using these or similar words: Each workshop in this series will…
Activity 3: What Guides Me?
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Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Journals or notebooks, one for each participant Writing and drawing materials, such as pens, pencils, fine point color markers, and color pencils Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Write this prompt on newsprint: Share a story fr…
Activity 4: Emerson's Locus of Moral Authority
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Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story “Emerson’s Moral Dilemma” Leader Resource 1, About Emerson Leader Resource 2, The Divinity School Address — Excerpts Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Familiarize yourself with the story so you will be…
Activity 5: Group Covenant
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Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Handout 2, Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources Optional: Your congregation’s covenant Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 2, Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources for all participants. If your…
Closing
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Activity time: 5 minutes Materials for Activity Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Taking It Home handout Preparation for Activity Customize Taking It Home and copy for all participants….
Leader Reflection and Planning
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Consider these questions as you review the workshop with your co-leader: Which parts of the workshop most engaged participants? Why? Were there parts that did not work as well? What could we have done differently? Where was it easy for you to work together? Where was it difficult?…
Faith In Action: Covenants in Congregational Life
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Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Sample Unitarian Universalist congregational or small-group covenants, and descriptions of how each came to be written Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnbook Preparation for Activity If you have a congregational covenant,…
Alternate Activity 1: Exploring Ethical Statements
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Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 3, Ethical Statements Newsprint, markers, and tape Optional: Computer and digital projector Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 3, Ethical Statements for all participants….
Alternate Activity 2: Values Mapping
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Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Construction paper Writing implements in various colors, including pens, pencils, crayons, and/or markers Preparation for Activity Read the Description of Activity; then, make your own values map as an example….
Taking It Home: The Locus of Moral Authority
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Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth. — Albert Einstein Share with family members or friends the story you wrote about in Activity 3, What Guides Me? Include children and youth as appropriate. Invite others to share stories that help them frame their ethical and moral…
Emerson's Moral Dilemma
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Ralph Waldo Emerson was a leading 19th-century philosopher, father of the Transcendentalist movement. Before he became a philosophical and literary luminary, he was a Unitarian minister and served the Second Church in Boston between 1829 and 1832. In pursuing ministry, Ralph Waldo followed in the…
Handout 1: Schedule for Ethics Workshops
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Workshop Title Day, Date, Time Workshop 1: The Locus of Moral Authority Workshop 2: Unchanging Truths Workshop 3: The Collective Good Workshop 4: Cultivating a Virtuous Character Workshop 5: Natural, Legal, and Human Rights Workshop 6: The Story of Our Lives Workshop 7: Relational Ethics Workshop…
Handout 2: Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources
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There are seven Principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations covenant to affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person; Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations; Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; A free an…
Handout 3: Ethical Statements
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There are moral sources and/or authorities that inform or guide my ethical behavior. I have firm moral convictions. Each person is entitled to their view of what is right and wrong. Truth exists and our understanding of it becomes clearer over time….
Leader Resource 1: About Emerson
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Ralph Waldo Emerson advocated direct experience of religious sentiment, unmediated by clergy, or by tradition or ritual. In describing himself as a “Transcendentalist,” Emerson lifted up his belief that it was possible for people to have a direct, transcendent experience of reality, a personal…
Leader Resource 2: The Divinity School Address: Excerpts
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Remarks by Ralph Waldo Emerson, delivered before the graduating class of Harvard’s Divinity School on July 15, 1838. The intuition of the moral sentiment is an insight of the perfection of the laws of the soul. These laws execute themselves. They are out of time, out of space, and not subject to…
Find Out More
From What We Choose

Andrews, Barry M. A Dream Too Wild: Emerson Meditations for Every Day of the Year (Skinner House, 2003) Andrews, Barry M. Ralph Waldo Emerson in the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography.

Download all of What We Choose (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Workshop 1: The Locus of Moral Authority

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