It is not generally known that Newton spent much time studying the Bible and formulating theological concepts. He developed an essentially unitarian concept of God and elucidated how the Bible had received small additions to support trinitarianism. But, even more profound was the effect of his science on religion. He dispelled the concept that the … Continue reading Isaac Newton the Theologian
Our American Heritage includes our heritage from Native American Peoples. This is a much larger and more important heritage than is generally recognized, and one which has been and is being hidden. This service explores and acknowledges that heritage. The Zoom link and Order of Service will be provided at mpuuc.org/zoom.
What do Alexander the Great, Sahak the Great, Charles the Great, Alfred the Great, Tamar the Great, Albert the Great, Akbar the Great, Catherine the Great, and Mongkut the Great have in common? Answer: they all founded or promoted educational institutions and fostered cross-cultural sharing of knowledge. Anyone who genuinely wishes to make America great … Continue reading Education is Great
The Concept of Truth – not on what is true, but how we know truth, separating personal truth from objective truth, showing the importance of both, and providing examples of how Truth is essential to effective Love. The Zoom link and Order of Service will be provided at mpuuc.org/zoom.
In 1891 Alfred Russel Wallace wrote “Although we have progressed vastly beyond the savage state in intellectual achievements, we have not advanced equally in morals.” This is certainly still the case, nevertheless we have made some progress. When feeling discouraged about social progress it can be encouraging to take a long view. People, worldwide, have … Continue reading Moral Progress
In the course of life it is important to understand why specific bad things have happened. This leads to the assignment of “blame”. While blame is a useful concept, it is easily and frequently misused. One common error is to assume that if blame can be placed on one person, or one small group, that … Continue reading Blame
Though we Unitarian Universalists do not have any required or standard theology, we have our individual understandings of the divine. My understanding of divine began to develop in my youth, and has continued to grow and shift throughout my life. From studying many belief systems from many sources, I have realized that there are many … Continue reading MY GOD
Unitarian Universalist principles include “the use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large,” but the need for democracy is much deeper. Not only is it a mechanism for realizing other U-U principles, it is also basic to the survival of humanity. Worship leader Paul Davis has delivered previous messages on the … Continue reading Why Democracy?
In 1939 Albert Einstein signed a letter to President Roosevelt explaining the possibility of a nuclear bomb. In 1945, after two of them were used to obliterate Japanese cities, he regretted the letter and began campaigning for international restrictions on nuclear weaponry. Unfortunately, though many more prominent voices have been raised, little has been accomplished … Continue reading Einstein’s Dilemma
We generally feel that labeling and categorization of people is bad, but I have learned that sometimes it is valuable. In a recent sermon joshua schwartz explained that the autism label helped in self understanding, and after that service, in break-out room discussion, participants noted how accepting and receiving labels of lesbian and of dyslexic … Continue reading “Is Pluto a Planet? The Blessings and Perils of Labeling”
