Not religion light

Despite rumors to the contrary, Unitarian Universalism is not a "religion light," but a profound and deeply spiritual way of being religious.

Just one example: there is tradition among Unitarian Universalists that every person can have religious insight based on reflection on their personal experience.  Our liberal religious tradition teaches us that we can share our experiences.  It teaches us that by sharing in community we become a religious community.  Our tradition asserts that congregations are always in the process of becoming such covenanted, intentional religious communities.  To become a "congregation" is for us not so much a sociological achievement as a religious attainment.  A congregation is more that a gathering of people united by self-interest and mutual admiration.  A congregation is a community whose purpose is spiritual growth and transformation.

Some of the ways we can share our experiences include reflection, study, discussion and deep listening to one another.  In the process of sharing we gain new perspectives on our own insights and understanding.  In congregation we grow by the process of sharing insights.

In order for this to happen, we need to hold the insights that we've gained by personal experience and community exchange without being dogmatic. We need to remember that they are the result of our very human processes of testing and judgment. They may appear true to us, but that does not mean that another person's truth isn't true to them.  Thus we need to be open to the insights of others.  Just because we find a particular belief held by another person or another religion difficult to accept does not mean that it is not true by other standards.

It's always possible that people who believe in things that we can't grasp have had experiences that have led them to that belief.  Experiences we haven't had.  And it is also true that our own beliefs are shaped by our own personal experiences.  Another person may not understand our beliefs because they haven't had our experiences.  For example, my personal religious experiences have informed and shaped my understandings of what I call "God,"  and the transformative power of this "God" that I leads to what I call wholeness (salvation).  I can not assume that everyone has had similar experiences, nor drawn similar conclusions.  Our way of being religious teaches me to share my insights, with humility and appreciation for others insights as well.

In summary:  Our liberal way of being religious is a process; not a set of dogmas.  This process allows us to become more and more open to our own experience, at the same time to become more and more appreciative of the limits of our own experience, and more understanding of others people's experience even when it isn't our own.

That is a lofty spiritual goal, and it isn't easy.  It sure isn't "religion light."