Submission 403
Nancy Henley
Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (Durham, NC) 6632
What is your suggestion or idea?
Section C-2.3. Sources and Inspirations.
As Unitarian Universalists, we use, and are inspired by,
sacred and secular understandings that help us to live into our values.
DELETE the 2nd sentence in the proposed Inspirations.
ADD the ENTIRE current Sources ““The living tradition which we share draws from many sources”” etc. ending with “”…instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.""NEW last paragraph:These
sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times.Grateful
for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we
are
inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision.
NOTE - the limit set on the section would not allow space for the full revision, so I had to summarize.
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What is the reason for your amendment idea?
Sec 2.3 Inspirations is so vague as to be meaningless. It could be used as a statement for a non-religious organization.
As we emphasize our pluralism and diversity, we still need our foundations (Roots and Wings). For both current members and for seekers (maybe Nones""), our documents and our language need to reflect the religious foundations which inform our ““Living Tradition”” identity. The Sources in our existing Article 2 say all this well. Some could be tweaked a bit. For example, nontheist language might be added to the expand the section which mentions humanist teachings.
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
I have discussed the deletion of ““Sources”” with individual members and ministers and have participated in four member meetings to discuss proposed changes in Art 2. Members who are engaged in thinking about the proposed changes to Art 2, pretty much agree that the new Inspirations wording is vague. They do not understand why our documents should not mention our Sources. Puzzled. The people who are not puzzled are often new to UU and relate more to our congregation than to other congregations and the UUA .