'What the heck is UUism?' essay

[triadruid]

Food for thought: http://dr-rieux.livejournal.com/8376.html
(okay, it's a long, rambling, multi-course meal from an atheist who doesn't believe UUism is religious by nature, but it has some interesting flavors).

My first thoughts are, in no particular order:

• Persecution is an ugly thing. But so is a persecution complex. I'm not sure if it's "atheists" that have it the worst, as he claims elsewhere, or if polltakers just haven't even figured out how to ask the right questions.
  
• I've definitely seen some anti-atheist rhetoric in UU circles. But I'm not sure it's as institutionalized as he claims, and I've definitely seen the anti-theist rhetoric as well (anecdotally in larger numbers, but I'd be predisposed to that, wouldn't I?).
  
• I'm not buying the "but religion doesn't mean what UUs try to define it as!" line, though. That's seceding the definitional ground to the 'other side', which already caused vast amounts of harm with the Culture War, Liberal Christianity, and Same-Sex Marriage. Of course Mother Culture has defined "religion" as requiring belief in the supernatural/divine, but...ummm, Buddhism?

Comments

[celticwhistlin.livejournal.com]

Buddhism

...is a philosophy, right? That's how there are Christian Buddhists.

I would think it's all in how you chose to interpret it. By whose definition? Defining any religion is trying to put human thoughts and feelings into black and white where, in my view of this, black and white make gray. How do you define something intangible? YMMV

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

I guess I never thought of there being a difference between a spiritual philosophy and a religion, personally. :)

I agree that it's definitional, I just think both sides are a little silly for going "no, look, I'm a religion!" "no, look, you're not!' ad nauseum... but I suppose we get the same thing in the microcosm of neopaganism.

[matchgirl42.livejournal.com]

I've always thought of religion as something institutionalized, and spirituality as something personalized.

That's likely just my personal viewpoint lens, though.