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I think UUs have the most athiests of any Christians!

Some people say Christ went to India, Chem (Egypt) and who knows, so maybe it's completely TRUE CHRISTIAN to be open to many manifestations.

Personally I'm into "Krishnianity" which 2 me is BOTH the 14yr old avatar AND the 40 year old enlightened messiah

PEACE of music, Teo <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Although UU is probably one of the most open of all the religions, its still a religion. Posting here and "sharing the joy" is none the less proseltysing. Why do all these religionists think this is some kind of trap shooting range? Has anyone gone to the UU forum to bring them the joys of Atheism? Why would we?

I consider proseltysing here disrespectful and somewhat presumptuous. I am for encouraging productive discussion about Atheist issues, but kick out the "door knockers".

Sorry if I seem a bit harsh about this, but I think the posters in this forum are way to easy on visiting believers - we need to demand respect from these people or let them know they are not welcome.

I just wanted to point out (in defense of the OP) that there are plenty of atheists who are members of UU churches. For some non-believers the UU church fills a social/spiritual/community need.

As someone else said, they can vary widely from church to church in their level of theism. Some don't refer to, or use the term "god" at all, some do, though the ones that do seem to use the term as a more generic sort of concept than a christian-judeo deity.

That is a very good point - I have been atheist for over 20 years, but did not realize for the longest time that there are religions that do not require a belief in a god. This seems a bit strange to me since the definition of religion IS belief in a god. At any rate, There is definitely room for discussion here on that platform but for anyone spouting dogma I have little patience. That can go to another forum - we get enough of that in the world we live in.

I would be interested to hear from those who consider themselves Atheist, yet attend a church. New thread?

Buddhism treads a line by being described as both a philosophy AND a religion...

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Okay...I feel the need to set the record straight.

You can be ATHEIST and attend a UU Fellowship.

You can be PAGAN and attend a UU Fellowship.

You can be AGNOSTIC and attend a UU Fellowship.

You can be CHRISTIAN and attend a UU Fellowship..

You get my drift.

Unitarian Universalism is not a religion in the traditional sense of the world. I've been attending a UU "church" for more than 5 years now. Everyone is encouraged to have their own beliefs. For example, we might have a program on reincarnation and people stand up and ask questions at the end, resulting in a discussion. Programs are kind of like college lectures--info is shared and then discussed. You are NEVER EVER told what to believe.

People of all races and sexual orientation are welcomed. Transgendered too. This is why some Christians attend the UU congregation. They are more "liberal" than other Christians, etc

There are indeed a few principles we all agree on:

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

So yes, this could definitely be discussed on an atheist board. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I know a few atheists who attend the Sunday program here in Orlando!! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's more about getting together with like-minded families. It's not about indoctrination. For example, the "Sunday School" is called Religious Education and introduces children to all kinds of different beliefs and encourages them to follow their own spiritual path. There is a focus on helping others with the youth group doing service projects, etc...

I found UUism via an online religion quiz, believe it or not. It fit me PERFECTLY and I visited a real life congregation and was immediately impressed.

Hope this helps!

I have thought about that and I regard Atheism as a philosophy - and not in any way a religion.

Some legislators take this as a ticket to exclude Atheists from civil law. There are cases where Atheists have tried to play the religion card in order to gain legal standing, but this makes you no better than the Theists and harms the effort to define the meaning for society.

It would be interesting to ponder the effect of adding freedom of philiosophy to our nation's statues.

Your explanation describes an organization that is supportive of a wide range of peoples but here is why I don't fit in with UU - I am single and I don't care to be around children. This is consistent with my earlier impression of UU as a good place if you are a family oriented person and enjoy church culture - as most churches seem to be.

Here's a link to an atheist UU discussion:

http://www.uua.org/programs/forums/index...amp;amp;page=-1

This atheist About.com claims it is not a religion and explains why:

http://atheism.about.com/b/a/086909.htm

Jan, don't think my statement about door knockers applies very strongly to you. I realize you are very positive about UU, but I am advocating pushing back on those who are true zealots who come here to do nothing but proseltyze and take pokes at non-believers - even if they think they are doing good.