Submission 396
Ostara Hollyoak
Channing Memorial Church, UU (Ellicott City, MD) 4040
What is your suggestion or idea?
What is the reason for your amendment idea?
While I embrace the idea that love is at the center of our values, I believe that reason is also foundational to Unitarian Universalism. Some have suggested that ““reason,”” rather than ““love,”” might be the center. I hold, instead, that reason underlies our values, and everything we do.
Personally, while, among other things, mysticism, is important to me, and I believe ““suspension of disbelief”” is valuable in religious exploration, I strongly believe in always keeping our reason intact.
I’ve placed ““reason”” in a circle of green ““behind”” and surrounding the figure. I chose green only because it was a color not used elsewhere in the image.
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
At a discussion session re: the proposed revision of Article II at our church (eight of us were present), it was noted that reason seemed ““demoted”” in prominence in the revision. One person stated that he was originally drawn to Unitarian Universalism because it is ““rational religion.”” There was substantial conversation around feeling that reason ought to be more prominent/centered more in the revision, and some (not everyone) even suggested that reason, rather than love, might be better placed at the center of our values.
My proposed addition to the figure, with reason underlying the whole, represents what I came to on reflecting on this conversation. Since then I presented it to just one other person in our church, who helped me decide between several possible positionings of the letters in the word, ““reason.””
