#unitarian

would love to find a community of pals

(Part of the problem, a fuckton of UUs have literally no idea about this change)

Like, to the extent that I might start "formally" identifying as a Universalist instead of as Unitarian Universalist, or something, as a sufficiently permanent fucking protest against the unbelievably fucking racist replacement of the principles literally A SINGLE YEAR after Black UUs and UUs of color FINALLY got anti-racism added to the fucking principles

There are LITERALLY ONLY SEVEN FORMAL TENETS OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, PERIOD, AND THE SECOND AN ANTI-RACIST PRINCIPLE WAS ADDED, THEY THREW OUT THE SYSTEM OF THE PRINCIPLES ENTIRELY, SOMETHING THAT AFAIK WAS LITERALLY NEVER PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED

Formally this is called "the article 2 changes" or something along those lines, rather than "that time we threw out and replaced the literal defining* principles of our religion literally one year after we got an anti-racism principle, because oh the number eight is too awkward and our principles are too wordy to make easy Sunday school lessons"

*Edited to clarify that these were not actually the founding principles of Unitarian Universalism (I spoke a bit too soon) which was formally founded in 1960 from a merger of the Unitarian and Universalist churches. Instead, the seven principles are from but the first (and until 2024, ONLY) revision of them, from 1984. Those were the defining principles of UUism for the part 40 years, in a religion that has only been around for 15 years longer than that. And we just tossed them out entirely, and the whole framework of the principles with them, because god forbid we say "racism bad" in the foundation of a religion focused on humanist principles, equity, and social justice

Here's a thought, maybe teaching the entirety of the core/founding principles of your religion to seven year olds doesn't fucking need to be easy. Maybe it shouldn't be, even!!!

Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't structure and word the core principles of our literal fucking religion around what makes a catchy fucking acronym.

(Context: the new system is known/abbreviated as JETPIG, which, I do not believe anyone who says you can get an acronym like that without some fucking trying.)

Anyway, these changes went through about a year ago, in summer 2024, and way too many UUs don't even know about it, much less talk about that, contrary to the party line on the explanation, that was absolutely super fucking racist

Previously my position has been "those assholes DO NOT GET to take the name of my faith away from me" but seeing the near-complete lack of serious criticism, debate, or even knowledge of the change in the year-plus since it happened has honestly been super disheartening

And UUs wonder why Unitarian Universalists are 88% white (per Pew Research, 2024)

So at the end of this general assembly the UUA will be releasing a virtual hymnal WHICH IT BEING VIRTUAL I HATEEEE

Opening phones to sing is church? Evil. I don’t want to. Give me my book.

Classist. Not everyone has a phone, or some people don’t have one that does much more then calls (flip phones)

Actively excludes children, the act of reading from the book with the children is so so so important!

AND IT GETS WORSE

So our other two hymnals are singing the living tradition and singing the living journey

THIS ONE IS CALLED SING OUT LOVE AND I HATE IT, IT DOESNT MATCH

Happy belated day of Saint Mary Magdalene. July 22.

I got this necklace years ago (I really like the look of it and it says: a loyal and courageous heart) which is when I discovered Mary Magdalene. She is one of my favorite saints, one close to my heart. She can be controversial as a saint since many frown upon her and her actions, but what always stuck to me was her loving heart, her loyalty (July 22 is also the start of Leo season which I see correlate). She was forgiven because of the love in her heart.

So I remind myself to be gentle with myself when I am in despair, a pit of guilt. Things I have done or regret now, when I feel like the enemy or just useless; I have love in my heart and everyone deserves to be tender with that, with themselves. You are not your past. You are not your mistakes. You are what you make of them and how you look upon them, and you let those chains go. You're forgiven because at the heart and soul of you, you're a good and loving creature among everyone else you forgive too.

Mary Magdalene loved with a relentless, unmoving love. Jesus said: "Many sins are forgiven her, because she has loved very much." In Luke 7:47, it is said "But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love."