ministry

Apatheism

/ uurevjeff / 1 Comment

Browsing the latest issue of the Humanist Network News, I found myself browsing an article by Warren Allen Smith. His online encyclopedia of freethinkers, Philosopedia, defines apatheism (a portmanteau of atheism and apathy), as a subset of atheism, when atheism is defined as lack of belief in deities, rather than specific disbelief in deities. “An apatheist (AP-uh-thee-ist) is someone who is not interested in accepting or denying any claims that God, or any other supernatural being, exists or does not exist. In other words, an apatheist is someone who considers the question of the existence of God as neither meaningful nor relevant to human affairs.”

I came to atheism after years of reflection and by what seems to me, appropriately, to be a quite evolutionary process. I certainly would say that I possess a lack of belief in deities. I suppose I have yet to consider whether I also possess a specific disbelief in deities. But, just because I do not believe deities exist, nor that any proof of their existence could be offered, I think it would be slightly presumptuous of me to profess a disbelief in deities.

So, the question now is whether or not I consider the existence of God as a meaningful notion or as relevant to human affairs. Let me start simply. The existence of God has no meaning to me. And, I certainly believe that peoples’ belief in the existence of God has led to some of the greatest miseries of humanity in the millennia since the inception of civilized society. On the other hand, belief in the existence of God has also created great beauty and motivate some people to incredible acts of generosity, kindness, and courage.

Therefore, I think the more relevant question is, should the existence of God continue to be a meaningful notion? I would answer that question categorically in the affirmative. I believe that humanity has outgrown its continued belief in the existence of God, just as children outgrow their need to believe in many myths and fairy tales to assuage their guilt or ease their fears of the unknown. I believe that a continued belief in the existence of God will eventually lead to more “just” wars with unjust underlying motives professed by preaching hypocrites with sacred texts in one hand and clubs and stock portfolios in the other hand.

Given that no one can wave a magic wand and excise the notion of God from human memory, one must surely admit that the existence of God has been, is today, and will likely continue to be relevant to human affairs. So the question of whether or not it should be relevant is, in my opinion, moot. The answer, therefore, lies in religious education and in the provision of effective affective worship experiences that do not require a believe in God. I have spent many years committed to the education of our youth in the ways of critical thinking and assessment of moral issues based on Unitarian Universalist principles. And, as a developing minister, I am now committing myself to the creation of worship experiences that are effective and that produce in participants an affect that is as powerful, if not more powerful, than that produced by the purveyors of the God myth.

So, am I an apatheist. Not yet and perhaps never. As a minister, I must care about the impact that peoples’ belief in the existence of God has on society, and I must respond by offering religious people an atheistic option to pursue their spiritual paths and to share worshipful experiences with others.

Pilgrimage to New Orleans

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The weekend has finally arrived for our trip to New Orleans! A group of 30 Unitarian Universalists from Pittsburgh is flying down on Saturday to work for a week with an organization called Hands On New Orleans doing Katrina-related work. We have been planning this trip for almost six months and I can’t wait.

The site where we will be staying apparently has a small computer lab, so I will try to post daily site reports with a smattering of my own editorial comments as the week progresses. I am anxious to do my small share to help rebuild the lives and the city of New Orleans. I also welcome the experience of working side by side with my fellow Unitarian Universalists in the frontline of social justice activism.

We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who helped fund this trip from the churches in the Pittsburgh cluster. I want to thank everyone who attended our Brunch on the Bayou event in August and the Jim Scott benefit concert in September. I also want to thank everyone who donated directly to this fund raising effort. And, a special thanks goes to Michael Miller from the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills for his magnificent and tireless administration of this trip.

Stay tuned!

Affiliate Status in the UUA

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uuworld.org reports this week about the ongoing changes in the process of approving organizations for affiliate status in the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The article cites folks who have had difficulty with this process and those in the upper echelons of decision making who appear satisfied with these efforts.

As a long-time and active member of one of the many groups now denied affiliate status, I can only report on my perception of this process and its impacts. From my point of view, communication of this process was virtually non-existent. There appeared to be little to no concern for the questions and issues of groups formerly affiliated who would be losing valuable (and perhaps essential) benefits. I worry that this effort, while perhaps guided by totally logical guidelines and solid long-term intentions, will be viewed by many very-committed Unitarian Universalists as uncaring, illogical, and heavy-handed.

Many of the groups losing affiliated status are substantial entities with long histories in our denomination. My little group, Unitarian Universalist Curriculum and Resource Developers (UUCARDS), has a few dozen members and a history dating back only a dozen years or so. And yet, this new process, which provides no replacement for the recognition we received previously, may cripple our little group. At the very least, these changes place enormous additional challenges on the efforts of incredible people whose dedication and contributions to this denomination are huge.

As a future minister, I read the explanations for the changes and can understand, to some degree, the logic for their implementation. At the same time, I hear the voiced pain of those who feel betrayed by a bureaucratic effort into which they had essentially no input and over which any objections were seemingly ignored.

What I take from this unfortunate situation is a renewed appreciation for the impact that even what may seem to be small administrative actions can have, both in an operational sense and an emotional sense, on those invested in a system. I will strive to remember this lesson when I serve my church and participate in management decisions impacting my congregants.

Universalist Weekend

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I spent this past weekend as a guest of the Pennsylvania Universalist Convention at the Smithton Unitarian Universalist Church. As I learned when they first contacted me a few months ago, a number of the Universalist state conventions did not dissolve at the time of the merger in 1961, and have continued to operate since that time. At this point, the Pennsylvania Convention includes seven churches covering every corner of the state.

It was a wonderful time and I met some very interesting (and colorful!) folks. It is definitely a small world. One long time participant just finished a term on the Meadville Lombard Theological School Board of Trustees, so we had much to talk about. A few folks were familiar from General Assembly. And, the pianist for the Saturday evening concert and Sunday morning service was someone who used to be friends with my next door neighbor 35 years ago.

Networking is something I’ve always had to work at. I envy those folks for whom it comes naturally. But, the returns can be very rewarding. Especially in a religious organization, the development of social networks can lead to so many opportunities and inspirations that might not otherwise occur. And, of course, as someone who considers himself a somewhat old school Unitarian atheist humanist, it gave me a great chance to brush up on our Universalist heritage, which is alive and well in Pennsylvania!

Ministers and Film Directors

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Watching a documentary on film maker George Romero last night, the thought came to me that, in many ways, movie directors can be a lot like ministers. All of the cast and crew of Romero’s production companies praise him: his willingness to listen to any and all ideas from anyone; the way he empowers actors to interpret their roles; and especially his creation of a family atmosphere on the set.

I particularly identify with Romero as an artist. For most of his films, Romero has overseen the creative process from start to finish. He writes the scripts, directs the filming, and then personally edits the final cuts. He even takes part in distribution negotiations, where oftentimes changes can be imposed on a film. I respect Romero’s commitment to creating an artistic vision and then fighting passionately for its unspoiled completion.

For instance, distributors wanted to cut a lot of footage from Dawn of the Dead that Romero saw as crucial to the film. So, he and his partners rented a New York theatre for a night and ran their own screening of the film. With a single one-inch ad in the New York Times, the movie showed to a packed house. A distributor who came to see the movie signed a deal on the spot to distribute the film without changes.

I see my ministry much like Romero directs movies. I work to create a vision of ministry and work from start to finish to see that vision realized. But, it’s not just my vision. A successful ministry empowers all congregants to contribute and own their religious community. Together, they can resist outside forces to compromise their beliefs or limit their actions.

Lastly, Romero makes horror movies and he definitely wants to scare you. But, every one of his movies also has a very up front socio-political message. Dawn of the Dead, for instance, is a commentary on the corruption of commercialization and how we can become trapped in the pursuit of “things” to the detriment of what really matters in life. My ministry will seek to inspire and motivate. But, underneath that will always lie a core of relevance to social justice and equality, and imperative to bring our religious convictions to action.

Homework

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Returning home from the gym last night, I made myself some dinner and sat down to do my homework. I watched George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Really. Actually, this is the second time I watched the movie this week, since I listened to the DVD audio commentary the other night.

Now, you may ask, how in the world is this homework? I am taking a class in Religious Humanism at Meadville Lombard Theological School this coming January. My final project is about Religious Humanist Themes in the Films of George A. Romero. I love being in seminary!

It’s actually not all that far-fetched. Romero’s films (both the living dead series and his other horror films) are filled with socio-political content and observations on humanity that reflect a humanist perspective. For instance, Romero deconstructs every “monster,” removing all supernaturalism. His zombies, vampires, witches, etc. are all products of our modern scientific world. Second, his films frequently deal with morality and the impact of circumstances on people’s moral decisions. But, most important, his films always address the importance of community, communication, and altruism in the successful survival of humanity. When the monster wins in a Romero movie, it isn’t because the monster is more powerful – it’s because the people couldn’t stop fighting amongst themselves long enough to battle a common enemy.

So, I am watching each movie twice, once to listen to the audio commentary (they are actually fairly boring) and the second time to glean good material to cite in my paper. Of course, I have already seen all of his movies (some many times). It is great, though, to have an excuse to indulge once more in this guilty pleasure. I am doing my homework…honest!

Labels

/ uurevjeff

I find it difficult explaining who I am in 25 words or less, particularly about religion. As a minister, however, I know that I must develop good “elevator speeches” to answer those small questions like, “What do Unitarian Universalists believe?” That said, what are my labels?

Atheist – For many years, I resisted calling myself an atheist because of the stigma American society places on the word. I hemmed and hawed with agnostic and even nontheist. But, emboldened by other groups who have reclaimed pejorative words, I think it is time that we atheists embrace our moniker. Ironically, I fully embraced the term after a phone conversation. The person was explaining to me how he would structure an experiment to prove the existence of God. After hanging up, I thought for a long time about what proof I would be willing to accept of God — burning bush, eclipse, parting seas, voice from the skies. I found that I could imagine nothing that would convince me that the cause was exclusively due to the presence of God. At that moment, I knew that I had ceased to be an agnostic.

Humanist – This poor word has so many meanings, that its use demands explanation. My first exposure to humanism was the Humanist Manifesto II, written in 1973.
(http://www.americanhumanist.org/about/manifesto2.html)
Although a third version has since been written, my preference is for the second for a number of reasons. It is more explicit about nontheism. In fact, it is more explicit about most of the key points of humanism. And, there is less naturalistic humanism, a point of view I have some difficulty embracing. I find the distinction between secular and religious humanism divisive and unimportant since I do not see support of religious institutions as problematic. In fact, I embrace a term coined by Professor David Bumbaugh from the Meadville Lombard Theological School of “high church humanist.”

Now the big one.

Minister – Honestly, I consider myself a minister already. I have yet to complete the Master’s of Divinity coursework or the field education requirements. I have yet to go before the Ministerial Fellowship Committee or become ordained. But, I believe that “minister” is truly a way of living and not merely an occupation. Those requirements are the gates through which one must pass to work as a minister. I think that living one’s life as ministry is all that is required to be a minister. My call to live my life as ministry has been growing for nearly 15 years, as a religious educator and as a youth advisor. Now, as I preach and counsel, officiate at rites of passage, and am just generally present, I consider myself a minister.

Are you doing ministry right now? Maybe you have for years, but just hesitated to use the term. I think that one knows if they are a minister or not. Earning the professional credential is worthy if one has the financial resources and the time. Becoming fellowshipped is something I look forward to. But, I do not view it as defining of who I am.

So, why a blog? (reason #3)

/ uurevjeff

My ministry for many years served Unitarian Universalist youth. When FUUSE.com was created (a web community of UU youth and young adults) I joined. I even began a journal, which was the first time I ever attempted such a record in my life. My primary motivation was to share with youth and young adults my progress into the formal ministry, in part to give back to the community that had given me so much over the years.

Even though I had been a committed youth advisor for many years, however, I always felt like a bit of a lurker on the site. Once I got more involved in student activities at Meadville Lombard Theological School, my journal entries declined and I drifted away from FUUSE.

With a blog, though, I see the importance of that original purpose returning. I know that there are people out there who think, from time to time, about what it is like to be a minister. As public figures, I believe that ministers owe it to congregants and any interested parties to share their personal spiritual journeys and help people chart their own paths through life.

My decision to pursue fellowship with Unitarian Universalist ministers was not an easy one and I have paid a price for that decision. But, I don’t regret my decision for one second. If the notion of being a UU minister has crossed your mind, perhaps my thoughts can be of some help as you reflect on your decision.

So, why a blog? (reason #2)

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In the past year, I have performed about a dozen weddings and unions. Surprising me have been the number of couples who met online. With the maturation of the internet as a communication device and the advent of MySpace and similar sites, bulletin boards, and blogs, the web is clearly a prevalent form of human interaction in our society today. To ignore it would be as foolish as ignoring the telephone.

I have had a personal computer since the Commodore Vic-20 and have tried to keep pace with the insane pace of technological advances in the past few decades. I will admit to being a little slow on certain things, but I think I do a fairly good job at least at keeping literate. I have participated in email discussion groups and the odd board or two, but now I think it is time to enter the blogosphere.

In part, I see this blog as an extension of reason #1. As I develop my ministry more fully, I not only need to reflect, but also interact with others. I want to share my reflections and listen to what others have to say, whether it is part of their shared voyage, or their observations and critiques. A blog is an especially important tool for someone like me, who tends to be somewhat intimidating in conversation. I do try to be courteous, but sometimes, I can be somewhat strident in expressing myself. So, a blog is an equalizer, forcing me to articulate my thoughts clearly and enabling others to respond on a level playing field.

Welcome to the conversation.