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Excerpts from 'We Are One'
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A question often asked of Unitarian Universalist is: "If you don't all believe in the same God, what are you worshiping?" The word "worship," though, comes from "worth-ship." In our congregations, worship is not about bowing down to a deity, but instead, considering what is of worth. Worship, then,
is our opportunity to contemplate what is most worthy in our lives, to discover anew what we value most deeply, to recognize how to align our true values with our actions—indeed, to find what is sacred to us in our lives and to consider how we wish to relate to what we find sacred. Unitarian Universalism is an inclusive, diverse faith that draws from all the world’s religions, as well as humanism, philosophy, and science. The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Miguel is a lay-led fellowship located in a celebrated artist colony and World Heritage site in the heart of Central Mexico, just a few hours north of Mexico City. We meet every Sunday at 10:30am in the Atrium Sala of La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 (directly across from the Instituto Allende). Everyone is welcome. |
As a religious people who affirm human compassion, advocate for human rights, and seek justice, we must never make the mistake of confusing a legal right with a moralright. The forced removal of Native Americans from their land and onto reservations was legal. The importation and sale of African slaves was legal. South African apartheid was legal. The confiscation of the property of Jews at the beginning of the Nazi regime was legal. The Spanish Inquisition was legal. Crucifying Jesus was legal. Burning Michael Servetus at the stake for his unitarian theology was legal. The fact that something is legal does not cut much ethical ice. The powerful have always used the legal system to oppress the powerless.
It is true that as citizens we should respect the rule of law. More importantly, though, our duty is to create laws founded on our highest sense of justice, equity, and compassion. Loud voices urge us to choose fear, denial, reactionary nationalism, and racism. We must resist and choose the better way urged by every major religious tradition. We must choose the path of compassion and hope. We must choose a path that is founded on the recognition that we are connected, that we are all in this together. I do not have all the policy answers on immigration or the related issues of public education, health care, and the economy. I do know this: Breaking up poor working families who have lived among us for years does not feel like justice, equity, and compassion in action. There must be a better way, and you and I must help build it. Barbed wire is not the answer. More border guards and more deportations are not the answer. Paranoia and panic will solve nothing. Let us embrace the possibilities before us. Let us be guided by love and hope and together with all our brothers and sisters, build a new way. |