Tapestry of Faith: Love Surrounds Us: A Program on the UU Principles and Beloved Community for Grades K-1

Introduction

This argument is solid and weighty, but it is neither reasonable nor convincing. Not all the stones in Boston...shall shut my mouth. — Rev. John Murray, father of American Universalism, on the occasion of a rock thrown at him while he preached

Unitarian Universalism has a long and honorable history. The founders of our faith were often called heretics. However, the Greek word "heretic" actually means "to choose," which is exactly what our forbearers did when they chose to reject the Trinity and eternal damnation and follow their own beliefs. We have no creed, yet Unitarian Universalism has a common history that binds its members together and a faith heritage that exemplifies our fourth Principle: affirmation of each person's free search for truth and meaning.

The theme of this session is "Our religion has a long history surrounded in love." Participants learn about the richness of our liberal religious heritage and discover that the basic beliefs of our religion were established hundreds of years ago. The story and activities in this session discuss historical figures and events that were important to the development of our religion today.

Goals

This session will:

  • Introduce the Unitarian Universalist idea that each person is free to search for what is true and right in life (fourth Principle)
  • Celebrate our heritage of Unitarian Universalist thought
  • Develop participants' knowledge and appreciation of our liberal religious heritage.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Discover UU history through a visual representation
  • Connect names and faces to some Unitarian and Universalist historical figures
  • Learn how our religion spread in early American history
  • Produce art that celebrates our centuries-old history.