In his last book “Letters from the Earth,” Mark Twain brings his genius and humor to bear on religion. You may find his comments a bit irreverent and often bordering on the vulgar, but that’s to be expected from a master of serious humor. Ernie earned a B.A. in Philosophy from UNC-Asheville, a Master of […]
We “matriculate” into what becomes our “Alma mater,” and that is a “matter” of fact. What is common to all the “m” words in this sentence is that they derive from the Latin mater (mother). We will explore a different kind of Mother on this Mother’s Day. Not particular mothers, but the Universal Great Mothers who are symbolic […]
Susan Langer says the “driving force of the human mind is fear, which begets an imperious demand for security in the world’s confusion…”. Fear can be a good thing. It can keep us safe, secure, and can even save our lives. It is wise to be afraid of a mother bear robbed of her cubs. But what about the fear of […]
“Christ” was not Jesus’ last name. At least in terms of family name. “Christ” is a Greek translation of the Hebrew word for “the anointed one.” Which brings us to the subject of oil because oil was the substance used to anoint Kings in ancient times. But for our distant ancestors, oil was not just […]
As Unitarian Universalists we are invited, encouraged, and challenged to build or rebuild our lives based on our First Principle, “the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” We covenant to affirm and promote this principle, yet its real effectiveness has to begin with each of us. This principle represents a radical turn from the dogma of the […]
Our Fourth UU principle reads, “We covenant to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” We may not know how radical and revolutionary this principle is, yet it is a guiding principle that is deeply rooted in both the Universalist and Unitarian traditions. We will explore this tradition and how […]