Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: A Place of Wholeness: A Program for Youth Exploring Their Own Unitarian Universalist Faith Journeys

Taking It Home: Reason

My religious superstitions gave place to rational ideas based on scientific facts, and in proportion, as I looked at everything from a new standpoint, I grew more and more happy, day by day. — Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 19th century Unitarian suffragist and author of The Woman's Bible

In Today's Workshop...

We explored the meaning of reason and its importance for Unitarian Universalists. We participated in a fictitious forum between Linus Pauling and Charles Hartshorne to demonstrate how reason and science can be used to reach very different perspectives. We applied this to our own lives and social justice work by practicing the use of reason. We also acknowledged the many sources of wisdom that work with reason in the process of developing beliefs and making decisions.

Explore the topic further...

  • Check out the PBS series The Question of God. Similar to the Pauling-Hartshorne forum, this series focuses on two influential figures—Sigmund Freud, a critic of religious belief, and C.S. Lewis, who advocated for faith based on reason. This series explores the lives and perspectives of these two men and how they understood the meaning of life.
  • Read or watch the 2009 Ware Lecture by Melissa Harris-Lacewell. Post the video or parts of the text on your Facebook or MySpace profile, blog, website, or other social networking account, and ask friends to post responses.
  • Did you enjoy the chocolate river activity? There are many websites with icebreakers and group games. Not only are these games fun, they can help you understand group dynamics. Playing together is a good way to get to know others in a group. Why not do a little research and collect a few icebreakers you can use, if needed. Perhaps start off a meeting with a game you read about on Ultimate Camp Resource, GroupGames.com or Deep Fun, a resource created by the Unitarian Universalist Association.