Sunday, February 16, 2014

Today, I Went To Church

And it was very new to me, but also a little refreshing.

I attended a service that, before it even started, stated that no one in the room had to believe or agree with a word that was said. There was no prayer, there was no communion, there was no scrutiny for not contributing to the collection plate, just a wonderful welcoming crowd of individuals.

The first part of the day was a small class called Intersections, where we learned about opposite strengths and how we use those to our advantage, staying in our comfort zone, eventually getting stuck, and finding a way to push out of that zone and into a new feeling of refreshment. But what does that have to do with religion or church? It means everything that it's all based off of.

Love, appreciation, and understanding: Not just of others, but of ourselves.

And that's what the service was about today also. The topic? Trust and Tolerance. And who facilitated the service? Not a priest/minister/father, etc. But a professor with his doctorate in Philosophy of Religion. A man who spent years studying literature of many different religions. A man who understands the basis of human beings.

I went to a Unitarian Universalist church. :)

But unlike many churches that I've been to, as soon as we walked in the door, we were greeted with open arms and a plethora of handshakes. We met just about everyone before the first session had even started. Everyone joked and laughed and it wasn't like other churches that I had been to, where everyone was serious and grumpy because they were up at 6am on a Sunday morning. Nope. It started at 10am instead and there was coffee and tea for everyone to enjoy while they sat in session or at service.

And, there were the traditional aspects of candle lighting, concern/joy voicing, greeting your neighbors, and there was even a cutesie little hymn at the end.

Then there was a potluck after, but we didn't stay for it, though. I gotta ease into the whole business.

Anyway, I may go again next week. Part 2 of the intersections session is next week!


Thanks for reading,
<3 Tawny

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