UNITARIANISM: An
A sermon by
Rev. Dr. Robert Lee Zoerheide
Circa 1959
May Memorial Unitarian Society
The week after registration
was completed on the Hill, I went to the University Chapel to pick up the
Religious affiliation cards of Unitarian students.
The young man who waited and me took me into the room where the cards lay sorted into
piles upon a table -- Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Jewish, Presbyterian,
etc. He hunted and hunted far the Unitarian cards. In the middle of his search,
he threw me a quizzical smile and pointed to the largest grouping on the table.
"How would you like that
pile?" he said.
"Are they Methodist?” I
asked.
"Take a look," he
invited, going on with his search.
Not Interested
I started leafing through the
huge pile. “Religious Affiliation…………..,” I read. On
card after card the space was blank. On others, in scripts which varied from a
careless scribble to the firm and vigorous, the question was answered with a
single word -- "None." On and on through hundreds
of cards -- the same answers, with only occasional variations.
One student had written
"Lloydianism" in this Space. I racked my memory of little known
sects, without success, until my eye fell on the surname at the top of the card
– “Lloyd.” And after "Home Clergyman" on this card, appeared the name
of a radio comedian. How I should like to meet that young man! Another student,
obviously American-born, had indicated “Zoroastrianism," apparent1y in
similar spirit.
Here and there, other
information on the cards; offered some clue to the students thinking.
Potential Unitarians
Here was a no-mans-land,
indeed! With growing interest I turned back to the young man.
"May I spend some time
with these cards?” I asked. "I’m sure some of these students are
Unitarians."
I was welcome to the cards,
he assured me. “But," he asked with evident interest, "why do you say some are Unitarians? I knew they didn’t say
so on these cards.”
Perhaps I should have said
"potential Unitarians," I amended. Why? Well, why were so many
students so indifferent that they left the space blank? Surely,
not all because they had had no affiliation. Some, at least, because
they had come to feel that religion was not confined to churches, that the way
you lived might be more significant than the sect to which you belonged.
"And that’s how some Unitarians look at it."
But even more interesting to
think about -- what experiences were covered by that word, “none?" What
did it spell of doubt, of questioning, of past distress and dissatisfaction?
Among these would be students who had rejected religious groups because
they had had an unfortunate experience with some zealous sect -- students who
felt strongly enough about religious values to rebel against all forms which
appeared false to them. "And that’s another sign of a Unitarian."
After further study, I
selected 60 of the cards for follow-up. And our missing
Unitarians? They turned up in the hands of our energetic student
chairman, who had carried them off earlier in the day.
In Rebellion
The more I thought about this
incident, the more deeply I was stirred. Do you realize that 50% of all
Americans have no church life today? Some of these people -- but, of course,
not all - are in rebellion, open rebellion, against "hocus-pocus,"
pomp and circumstance in religion.
"I want none of
lip-service, in lieu of deeds," they say.
"I want none of out-worn
ceremony, in lieu of honest reverence,
"I want none of
theological complexities and creeds,
"I want, rather, the
truth of science; the beauty and grandeur of the universe; the mystery of life;
the warmth, the solace, and the inspiration of companionship shared in a
fellowship open to all."
The Displaced Persons of
Religion
These whole-hearted ones are
among the displaced persons of our American culture. They are people of
integrity, conviction, and purpose. Yet their religious affiliation is a blank,
because they have given up hope of finding a "religious" faith that
makes sense in a culture which recognizes reason, science, and the democratic
method as its best tools.
To such people as these,
Unitarianism should offer a fresh, and an honest, approach to religious living.
HOW shall we show those who
want none of religion that Unitarianism is an opportunity for them? How shall
we show them that their devotion to truth, their faith in the experimental
method, and their confidence in humanity can here be turned to account to
enable them, and all of us, to cope more effectively with our problems?
Man a "Prime
Coper"
"Man has not only had
troubles but has coped with them, and the same mortal sensitivity that has made
him a prime victim has made him a prime coper," says Bonaro Overstreet in
a recent article in the national Parent-Teachers magazine.
Did you know that you were a
"prime coper? These are unpoetic but discerning words, and the very best
time to remember them is when you begin to feel that you are a prime victim.)
rs. Overstreet’s
article is one of a series in which she deals with the "Creative
Sequence" in mental health. This is outlined as consisting of Curative,
Preventive, and Promotive stages -- or steps in coping. It interested me to see
how this same sequence might be applied to religious well-being, whether of the
individual or of the group.
OPPORTUNITIES for CREATIVE RELIGION
Suppose we consider the three
stages of this "Creative Sequence" as areas of opportunity in
religion. What do we find?
The CURATIVE opportunity, or
healing process, is of the greatest importance when you have all but given up,
when it is the only way left for you to "cope."
One of our Unitarian
ministers tells a story of a young woman in a big eastern city, who was riding
a trolley headed toward the river. She had come to the end of hope. She thought
she was going to commit suicide. As the streetcar passed the front of a small
church, the depressed woman saw a plain-lettered sign on the lawn. Her eye
caught a word or two of its message. Grasping at a straw, perhaps, she
left the trolley and walked back to read the rest of it.
"Character is what you
are; reputation is only what men think you are,” it said.
The young woman stood there
for a long time, lost in thought. In the black tangle of her despair, she began
to see one strand of hope. She did not go on to the river.
During the slow and painful
process of rebuilding her life she learned that the sign on the church lawn was
a Wayside Pulpit, supplied with great quotations selected by the American Unitarian
Association. She probably learned, too, that the only “salvation” recognized by
most Unitarians is salvation by character.
That was a streetcar named
The Therapy of Belonging
But, you say, what did the
young woman get from the church or its minister that she could not have got
from a good non-sectarian social agency? As far as the story tells, that
question would be very difficult to answer -- except for the obvious fact that
she had not found her way to a good social agency and that we do not yet
provide enough qualified social workers or psychiatrists to cope with these
problems.
But this raises the question
-- what can the liberal church do for the person who is under great stress, who
even questions the universe and doubts his own worth? Has it any opportunity
here that cannot be met through other services in our society? I think it has.
The liberal church can not
only challenge the individual to a belief in himself; it can -- or should --
support, sustain and nurture that belief through a group life whose entire
atmosphere is one in which the members recognize each other’s worth as persons
and look for their unique capacities. And what a difference this shared
faith can make!
We know today that the love
and interest of parents provides the atmosphere in which the child develops his
individuality. In the same way, this kind of environment within the group can
encourage a person of any age to find himself and develop his talents.
And as such a group considers
mans problems and weighs the mysteries of life against the dependability of the
universal order, the individual will find confidence in his relation to his
community, to his fellow man and to the universe.
We’re looking ahead, you
think? Well, we’re talking about opportunities.
Whom the World Called
"Atheist"
How often it has been true
that the value of religion has been discovered in crisis on life rafts, during
long illness, at the grave of a loved one.
One of the most beautiful
thoughts I have ever known is expressed in me of our Unitarian Funeral services
-- Love Is Immortal. Many persons today, in and out of churches,
are in doubt concerning personal immortality. Thoughts of an after-life in
which they cannot believe offer no solace. But think of the restorative power
of these words for he who has just lost the whole world, as seen through
the one who has died:
"Immortality
is a word that hope through all the ages has been whispering to love. The
miracle of thought we cannot understand. The mystery of life and death we
cannot comprehend. This chaos called world has never been explained. The golden
bridge of life from gloom emerges and on shadow rests. Beyond this we do not
know. … We love; we wait; we hope. The more we love the more we fear. Upon the
tenderest heart the deepest shadow falls. … The rag of wretchedness and the purple
robe of power lose all differences and distinctions in this democracy of death.
Character survives; goodness lives; love is immortal."
This consciousness of
enduring spirit reaches your understanding and releases your recuperative
powers.
This Unitarian service not
only offers healing. It is testimony to the opportunities which wait on
independence of judgment. For its curative insight comes to
us in the words of a man whom the world called "atheist." --
Robert Ingersoll.
So far I have spoken only of
the curative process. But it is obvious, isn’t it, that in the lives of
individuals such experience as I have mentioned will have a curative
value for one, a preventive value for another, and may inspire a third
,to promotive, or productive, activity -- according to their particular
needs. Or the same experience may serve all these purposes for the same person
at different stages.
Protect “the Free Exercise
Thereof"
Once we have learned how to
put our personal lives in good running order, we are ready to use our freedom,
to develop our individual and group capacities in the furtherance of our larger
purposes.
At this point we have to
realize that our freedom to think, speak, act and worship according to the
dictates of our conscience didn’t just happen. It had to be fought for. It is
up to us to protect and preserve it.
This brings us to the second
area of opportunity in the Creative Sequence – the PREVENTIVE, or protective,
function -- as it concerns the common interests of the group.
In the field of political and
civil rights, Mrs. Overstreet points out, the American Revolution was a
curative operation. The United States Constitution, with its balance of power,
its limitation on central authority, and its Bill of Rights, was a preventive
measure. The Second World War, likewise, was a curative endeavor; while the
formation of the United Nations Organization was a preventive and, potentially,
a promotive or productive effort.
What do we find in the field
of freedom of religion? The Protestant Reformation, the emigration of the
Pilgrims and the Puritans, and the theological battle led by Unitarians during
the last century were curative endeavors.
The first amendment to the
Constitution, guaranteeing that "Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” was a
preventive measure, and one of great importance to us today.
So also was the formation, in
1825, of the American Unitarian Association, to protect and promote the
purposes of free religion.
For Greater Strength
The individual who has moved
from rejection of religion, as irrelevant to life today, to the recognition
that his own dignity of character is a foundation for personal faith, may be
ready to associate himself with others of like concern in order to protect and
further the values which seem important to him, through the greater strength of
the group.
Such a person will require in
religion as much respect for science as he finds in a laboratory; as much
regard for truth as he finds in education; and at: least as much democracy as
he experiences in society. Herein lies the vitality of
free religion.
But if such a person cannot
find a group where these values are sought, protected, and exemplified in the
group life, he will continue to write "None" across his religious
affiliation.
Toward the Brotherhood of
Man
The cure of doubt and
despair, the nurturing of healthy personality, and the
Prevention of religious tyranny are not in themselves enough. We must use
our freedom productively to further ends beyond ourselves.
This brings us to the
PROMOTIVE, or productive, phase of the Creative Sequence, as it relates to our
larger purposes. What opportunities for creative religion does this area
encompass?
Here are great possibilities,
and so many that I can mention only a few examples. I
want to say first, however, that I am not suggesting
for a moment that creativeness in religion is confined to religious liberalism,
Far from it. If I take my illustrations entirely from our own field, it is
because it is simpler and more to the point of this discussion to do so.
What do we find of creative
productivity in the history of free religion? The religious liberals of the
16th century began to strip the Biblical record of its interpolations (the
process is still going on) and its aura of sanctity, and to seek out the man,
Jesus. Here was a creative re-examination of the Biblical material!
Much later, Channing, Emerson
and Parker helped not only their own religious followers but all
Out of such leadership came
the creedless church we know today, guaranteeing freedom of conscience,
thought, and speech to member and minister. Here was a creative revolution,
both in church policy and in the concept of personal responsibility. The full
flower of its productive results, we have yet to see.
Just as Christianity grew out
of Judaism and in turn brought forth the creedless church; so the creedless
church, founded upon love to God and love to man and recognizing all men as
brothers, may become the forerunner of a more universally acceptable; form of
institutional and personal religion.
The
What opportunities lie before
us today, because we are members of this church? They are many. Let’s look at
two areas.
First: It is up to us, isn’t it, to help shape the policies
and determine the influence of our denomination? And
this is the denomination which, beyond all others, has led the way toward true
inter-denominationalism.
Does this sound strange to
you? Many of us have thought of the National Council of Churches and its
predecessor, the Federal Council -- itself, the great parent of
interdenominationalism -- as the leader in this field. But this is a
misconception.
The National Council is a
federation of evangelical churches. Its membership is open only to those which
subscribe to its belief When the Universalist Church of America applied for
membership in the Federal council a few years ago, it was refused, with the
comment that the Universalists were "too much like the Unitarians."
And today, the National Council has, in effect, a creedal test for membership:
It requires acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. A sectarian
Christian test as a basis for interdenominational cooperation!
Isn’t Unitarian or other
liberal leadership needed in this field today?
Second: It rests in our hands, doesn’t it, how good or how
poor, how great or how small, shall be the influence of our church in our
community today? Since Unitarianism is not a creedal religion but a way of
life, its test is in our practices.
Unitarian Dorothea Dix was
living her religion when she started the reform of prisons, almshouses, and
hospitals.
Samuel Gridley Howe was
living his religion when he became a pioneer for the care of the blind.
Dr. Henry Bellows was living
his religion when he established the Sanitary Commission which developed into
the American Red Cross.
Florence Nightingale, Julia
Ward Howe, Susan B. Anthony, and Horace Mann -- Unitarians all -- exemplified
their faith in social and political reform.
And in
If we, the members, fulfill
the, opportunities of our church today and tomorrow -- if we learn how to draw
deep inspiration out of honest reverence and shared aspirations, and. to carry
it into daily living and community action -- we shall be better people because
of the experience we share here, and our community will be a better place in
which to live because our church is here.
For Discussion
1. What is the fundamental
difference between Unitarianism and religious orthodoxy?
2. Can anyone who wishes join
a Unitarian church?
3. How does "healing
power," as employed by Unitarians, differ from the older religious ideas
of such power?
4. Are we creating an
environment which will “encourage a person of any age to find himself and
develop his talents"?
5. Is freedom of religion
endangered today? If so, from what sources?
6. What do you consider the
most important opportunities before Unitarianism today? The
most pressing?
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