Top products from r/UUreddit
We found 21 product mentions on r/UUreddit. We ranked the 44 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
1. A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 2
3. The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
4. Drawstring Backpack, Black
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Hemmed top with drawstring closureBottom corner grommets for reinforcementCan be carried or worn as a backpack
6. Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
8. Sitting Still Like a Frog: Mindfulness Exercises for Kids (and Their Parents)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Sitting Still Like a Frog
9. Stories of the Prophets in the Holy Qu'ran
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Light Inc
10. The Emptying God: A Buddhist-Jewish-Christian Conversation
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
ISBN13: 9781597524216Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
11. Our Day to End Poverty: 24 Ways You Can Make a Difference
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
ISBN13: 9781576754467Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
12. Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism: Channing, Emerson, Parker
Sentiment score: 0
Number of reviews: 1
Used Book in Good Condition
13. Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
14. Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
15. Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong: A Guide for Young Thinkers (Maybe Guides)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
16. Maybe Yes, Maybe No: A Guide for Young Skeptics (Maybe Guides)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
17. Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go)
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
18. The Phoenix Affirmations: A New Vision for the Future of Christianity
Sentiment score: 1
Number of reviews: 1
Yeah, it sounds to me like you are a Unitarian Universalist. Pretty much anybody and everybody who doesn't fit into the limitations of dogmatic Christianity loves Unitarian Universalism.
Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith which means that you don't have to adhere to any dogma in order to be a part of a UU community. I won't go through them all but we have seven principles and six sources the most relevant here are: "Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;"
"A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;" from the sources, "Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life," and "Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature." ( Read more here if you'd like: UUA: Our UU Principles )
Your interest in yoga, Buddhism, Christianity and pantheism makes it seem like you would fit in really well and love a UU community. Generally, most UU communities will have Buddhists, Christians, atheists, agnostics, pagans and/or pantheists, mystics and more (plus people who consider themselves more than one of those categories) as happy members.
A great book to check out to give you a nice short, concise and interesting introduction is John Buehrens' A Chosen Faith
If you have any other questions let me know.
I don't know if you are in the youth or young adult groups, but they have a lot of separate activities that are great for community building. I suggest trying to attend those (if you are in that demographic). If you have a group that you are with, meet once a day to check in with each other, but do not become clickish. Go out and "press the flesh"! Meet new people!
I recommend journaling every night before bed. It is a great way to settle all the things that have just been put into your head and will give you some concrete things to take back to your congregation. Just take 15 minutes after you brush your teeth.
Bring extra cash. There are a lot of UU knick-knacks you will want, and bring your Standing On The Side of Love t-shirt (if you don't have one, you may want to buy one there for $20 or just bring a yellow shirt)
That's all I got. I'm sure others have better advice for ya!
> If I weren’t out here every day battling the white man, I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity—because you can hardly mention anything I’m not curious about. -Malcolm X
Most Helpful For Me:
-The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Fiction)
Uplifting Inspiration:
-Life Lines: Holding On (and Letting Go) (Beacon Press)
-The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine ($0.99 ebook)
-The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth ($0.99 ebook; Beacon Press)
-A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power by former Pres. Jimmy Carter
-How Should We Live?: Great Ideas from the Past for Everyday Life
-The Art of InterGroup Peace (Free PDF ebook.)
-Place, Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America (Speaks of the pitfalls of college affirmative action, yet, the lessons apply beyond that as well; Beacon Press.)
Philanthropy/Social Enterprises:
-The Moral Measure of the Economy
-To Uphold the World: A Call for a New Global Ethic from Ancient India (Buddhist-inspired governing/economics; Beacon Press)
-A Force for Good: The Dalai Lama's Vision for Our World
-Our Day to End Poverty: 24 Ways You Can Make a Difference
-The Power of Partnership: Seven Relationships that Will Change Your Life
-Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help and How to Reverse It
-Charity Detox: What Charity Would Look Like If We Cared About Results by the author of Toxic Charity
-Inspired Philanthropy: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy
Self-Care:
-Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
-This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live
-Everyday Spiritual Practice: Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life (Skinner House Books)
Children:
-Critical Lessons: What our Schools Should Teach
-Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs
-Three Key Years: Talk - Read - Play - Sing To Support & Help Every Child in America (Free PDF ebook.)
Nature/Wildlife:
-The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love by Jane Goodall & Marc Bekoff
-The Souls of Animals by UU Rev. Gary Kowalski
-Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature
I don't know of any UU-specific books, but in the spirit of UU, maybe it's better to offer a variety of perspectives?
If you're looking for support, UUism is a good place for it (in general, anyway). The 4th Principle that UUs affirm is the free and responsible search for truth; everyone has the right, and perhaps the obligation, to figure things out for themselves, no matter what others say. If you're looking for the truth, let traditions inform and illuminate your looking, not bind it and constrain you to the conventional.
I have a couple of books to recommend to you that might help as well. One is The Emptying God: A Buddhist-Jewish-Christian Conversation. It literally is a look into how Christianity and Buddhism can come into dialogue with each other and benefit. You might also look into The Phoenix Affirmations to see what a more open, pluralist, and liberal Christianity might look like. It's a set of statements (and discussions) that were proposed and adopted by a meeting of Christians from all the mainline Protestant denominations. They outline a new, emergent form of Christianity that still seeks to love God, Neighbor, and Self, but does so in a way that is free and affirming rather than condemnatory. The pluralism/universalism of the First Affirmation you might find particularly interesting.
Best wishes, and I'm sorry for your loss.
If anyone is interested in serious critiques of anti-racism work, Rev. Thandeka's essay from 1999 is eerily prophetic and has been relegated away from discussion. It remains eerily prescient.
She is an extremely accomplished theologian.
http://revthandeka.org/about-thandeka
Here is her essay:
https://www.meadville.edu/files/resources/thandeka-why-anti-racism-will-fail-447.pdf
It appears we have been having this conversation for 20 years and gotten nowhere. It seems we want to center the voices of POC, just not ones that disagree with the dominant narrative.
"So why have white UU's accepted a doctrine of race theory that is economically
naïve, sociologically counterfactual, and racially damning? The answer is that by
and large we haven't.
In so far as we have, it's because the talk of privilege
inflates some egos.
As we know, Unitarian Universalists are, collectively, the second wealthiest
religious group in this country. Our members are also the most highly educated.
This means that 49.9 per cent of us are college graduates and that our median
annual household income is $34,800.
In other words, members of our association tend to have a big brain and a small
purse. UU's also tend to be politically active, environmentally conscious, natureoriented,
and live in the suburbs. This is not the profile of the power elite. It's the
profile of civil servants, school teachers, small business persons, and middle
managers. In effect, middle America - the group of professionals who keep
America running by training its children, maintaining government, and paying
taxes.
..
Today, most Unitarian Universalists are not
affluent. Yet we seem fond of describing ourselves in this manner.
...
The simple truth is that most middle-class white persons, including UU's, are not
part of the economic ruling elite in this country. They have not amassed structural
power and control. Our UU anti-racist rhetoric, however, claims that they have.
Such a claim seems to produce three kinds or categories of ego responses in
white UU's.
First category. For some, it is an ego boost. Bereft of real power and prestige in
the eyes of America's ruling elite, what a tweak of the ego to have a so-called
person of color tell you that you are all-powerful. Who could resist? Loads.
Thus the second category. Some egos are deflated. The egos of whites who are
not racists, but have sometimes acted in racists ways in order to retain
membership in their own social groups [out of survival].
...
The third category affected by anti-racist rhetoric I will call the silent majority.
These Unitarian Universalists know that the anti-racist rhetoric that pervades our
religious association runs counter to the economic realities of this country and
their own lives. I believe that these persons simply dismiss the rhetoric as
insulting to their intelligence and walk away. This doesn't help us build a strong,
vibrant religious community. Quite the contrary. This is the way in which our
community is broken. One withdrawal at a time.
"
The third is happening more and more and more and will continue to happen. It also turns countless people away who come as visitors and leave because they see this and nope out. This is how our tradition dies and is reborn as a secular, yet orthodox, activist organization.
Edit: there is also a book I haven't read that was apparently published 9 years ago by a former editor of the UU World as a thinly-veiled allegory of the current state of things. I plan to give it a read, but from the gist of it, seemed to predict the events of 2 years ago.
https://www.amazon.com/Antiracism-Trainings-David-Reich/dp/193540279X
P.s. have you heard of this book? It's been very helpful as I deprogram. Understanding the cognitive biases that make us susceptible to manipulation not only helps me to process what I've been through, but will hopefully guard against future manipulation. Highly recommend it.
Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/1489595937/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_jY00DbE2X2MNF
For offering a variety of perspectives The Mountains of Tibet is a wonderful story.
It follows the life of a woodcutter.When he dies he is given a choice. He can become part of ``the endless universe some call heaven'' or be reincarnated. He chooses reincarnation and is shown many possibilities for his next life before choosing one.
I was raised UU and Humanist and these books from my childhood are what I remember really affecting me positively with UU & Humanist values:
Just Pretend: A Freethought Book for Children https://www.amazon.com/dp/1877733059/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awd_x_64s0xbYRMGMFG
Maybe Yes, Maybe No https://www.amazon.com/dp/0879756071/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_E6s0xb8KD232H
Maybe Right, Maybe Wrong https://www.amazon.com/dp/0879757310/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_d7s0xbT98RY8K
(Sorry about formatting, I'm on mobile)
A good book on the subject: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Prophets-Religious-Liberalism-Channing/dp/1558962867
A couple of key points are that UU is non-dogmatic. There are some core concepts, but absolutely nothing is required except tolerance of other people's belief and willingness to engage.
So there are UUs who identify as Christian just as there are some who are atheist, Jewish, and anything else you can think of.
Unitarians of the past were not trinitarians, basically meaning that they didn't believe in the godhead of three beings who are one. Meaning that Jesus isn't necessarily divine, even if he's a prophet, meaning not Christian. Some theologians take this to its next logical point by saying that if Jesus hadn't fulfilled the Christ mythos, another man would have, so divinity there isn't particularly important.
I'm probably explaining it badly so I recommend reading the book.