Yeah anyone who views UU as brainless, pointless, etc obviously has very little experience with it. I was raised UU and like with any religion, some churches are better than others. I would agree though that it's kind of like a social club for agnostics that provides the structure of a church for families without necessarily pushing the God aspect.

But again, that really depends on the church itself. I used to attend a UU church in Vermont that was much more Unitarian than it was Universalist. And I've heard that the ones in Europe are still strictly Unitarian.

There's even a movement in the US to bring Unitarian churches back to their roots and away from some of the weird crap some UU churches do. http://www.americanunitarian.org/

Quote :

"the day i went they had a "blessing of the pets" people brought their dogs, cats, golfish, iguanas, etc. to be blessed"

Correct me if I'm wrong but don't Catholic churches do this as well for St. Francis Day or whatever? I vaguely remember my great-grandmother's Catholic church doing something like this.

8/2/2008 1:21:25 AM

uh, well you see... now you're using bizarre catholic rituals to validate your own church's bizarre rituals.

look i hate to go and bust on someone's religion -- oops, no, scratch that. i actually enjoy it.

but my point is, and ive said it before: I appreciate the historical foundation of the Unitarians, with the whole american literary thing. but that UU church on Wade avenue was just a big bowl of Froot Loops.

I went 3 or 4 different times. I really tried to get into it, becaues as an agnostic, openminded, liberal (someone who was already totally in line with their philosophy) ... I really felt like if there were ever a church that I could go to and be comfortable with their teachings, this one should be it.

but every time i went it was all i could do to keep from rolling my eyes and walking out.

so i finally gave up.

i haven't been, but i have no desire to try the "University Unitarian Universalists" here in Seattle, either. im sure you'll understand





[Edited on August 2, 2008 at 2:19 AM. Reason : hmm... actually thats a very interesting link. their criticism of Universalism is spot on w/my exp]

8/2/2008 2:10:50 AM

^ Your using experience at one church out of thousands around the world to label an entire religion. That's like saying Westboro respresents ALL Baptists because that's the only Baptist church you have experience with

8/2/2008 10:15:28 AM

Sorry. you can't use that analogy. WBC is in not affiliated with either the American Baptist Convention or the Southern Baptist Convention, or any other convention for that matter. they're their own little inbred outlier of retarded nepotism.

the UU church on Wade Avenue, on the other hand, is part of the Unitarian Universalist Convention and is therefore considered a "mainstream" UU church. my wife who has also been to the UU church in Durham said it's even worse. It's likewise affiliated with the UUC and is a "mainstream" church.

8/2/2008 12:50:31 PM

The convention doesn't really tell its churches what to do though. It's very open ended therefore you can find a broad spectrum that tends to vary greatly by region.

Using two churches out of thousands to label an entire religion is short sighted.

8/3/2008 11:17:53 PM

Quote :

"The convention doesn't really tell its churches what to do though"

which one doesn't, the UUC? that may be true, i dont know.

but the SBC *definitely* tells its member churches "what to do" at least in the theological realm. the ABC might be a bit looser... but the point is, for the Baptist conventions, Methodist synods, etc., churches don't/won't associate with a convention unless their pastoral philosophy and biblical theology comfortably mesh with the "party platform" as it were.... because to belong to the convention means they have to give a portion of their offerings to them.

so perhaps the UUC is totally "like, hey dude, whatever, y'know!" with their churches .... "just keep sending those membership dues!"

This would explain why the common complaint with UU churches is that they're so "all over the map" that they cant commit to anything, and they don't ever say anything of meaning -- because everyone there is just paralyzed with fear of causing a disagreement or hurting someones feelings. So what winds up happening is the the most whacked fringe elements wind up taking over the joint and try to out-fruitcake each other, because no one has the intellectual balls to stand up and say "Enough with the bullshit already!"

maybe ive only experienced 2 different UU churches, but from this experience and my readings, such is the very problem with UU churches. And you either learn to ignore it and accept it as part of your Sunday garden community, or you roll your eyes and toss up your hands and don't go back.

Quote :

"Using two churches out of thousands to label an entire religion is short sighted an ingenious bit of intuitive analysis"

I tell you what: I'll go to the University UU church here in Seattle (it's just up the street a bit from me) and report back to you what I find there. How much you want to bet me that it's another bowl of Froot Loops, just like the one on Wade Ave?





[Edited on August 4, 2008 at 12:34 AM. Reason : ]

8/4/2008 12:13:42 AM

Well, if you had bothered to check out the link I sent you at all, you would see that what you are looking for is the American Unitarian Church, not the Unitarian Universalist Church. The word universalist is in there for a reason.

You can email them contact@americanunitarian.org and see if they have any congregations in your area.

8/4/2008 2:47:47 AM

Quote :

"because to belong to the convention means they have to give a portion of their offerings to them"

This is not the case with every church affiliation. I know it's true for the biggest ones, but they're not all like this. In the case of at least a few groups the affiliation means that the founding pastor agrees with a short list of "distinctives" which amounts to little more than very basic theology.

I can't speak for the UU fellowships, or the AU for that matter, but by all means take a couple hours out of your week to try other places if its something you're genuinely looking for... If there is one thing the horrendous suburban sprawl of North Carolina isn't short on, it's places to worship with and fellowship with other people.

8/4/2008 8:14:32 AM

^^ i saw that and noted it.

ive not been criticising the newly-formed AUC churches -- ive never been to one. or seen one, for that matter.

my point has been regarding UUC churches.. the "Unitarian Universalists"... the ones that were the focus of this nutjob's rage, and the one that 99.9% of the people of the world think of when you say "unitarian"

as for the AUC, i like what they describe they are attempting to do, but at this point they are just a splinter protest group. we'll have to see if it inspires the more rational people to leave their established UU churches and go sit in some strip mall or school gymnasium.

8/4/2008 11:54:25 AM

FTR, moron apologized in a PM concerning the OP. I tried to get him to be as public with his apology as he was with the post at issue, but he obviously declined.

FWIW, I did overreact to the post at issue. I regret this.

I do think, however, that it's one thing to call someone a version of a big dummyhead and quite another thing to compare someone--who is not a violent person unless provoked--to a deranged killer while the bodies are still warm. I suggest we all absorb the difference.

I can be quite civil--try me--if one actually wants civility, that it. I disagree with a number of users here all the time and we never trade anything other than good-natured jabs--as it should be.

8/6/2008 6:10:02 PM

uh... we havent been talking about the hooksaw-penis-meltdown episode for an exceedingly long time by TWW standards .... yet now you feel compelled to publicly air the substance of a private conversation, even against the other party's will?

you couldn't just accept his apology and move on -- like everyone else here has?

think about it for a minute, man.... what are you trying to accomplish here? if your answer is "more lame drama," then you've succeeded.

i dont care what you say about "the internets" ... when you go and violate the privacy of a personal PM, you've just alienated yourself that much more.

8/6/2008 6:36:55 PM

^ I honestly don't care that hooksaw posted that.

And I DID apologize to him via PM, I will acknowledge that, and stand by it wether he accepts it or not. This will probably slightly irritate hooksaw to note this, but I think you all would be highly amused at his response (but I won't post it).

8/6/2008 6:40:02 PM

^^ I have been sick--very sick. That's why I'm just getting around to this. And I didn't post his PM, I simply mentioned it--did you happen to catch this part of the post at issue, schmoe?

Quote :

"FWIW, I did overreact to the post at issue. I regret this."

hooksaw

^ FWIW, I do accept your apology--it is appreciated. And in turn, I offer my regret for overreacting to the OP.

Let's us go forth unto the field of more civil debate--but I will still call you a "moonbat" from time to time. And I'll wager you wouldn't have it any other way.

8/6/2008 6:55:33 PM

This is a monumental day in the history of The Soap Box.

I feel we have come full circle back to your very first post: http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=410658&page=1#9012804

And it almost seems like boonedock's flippant use of the word "retarded" is what set hooksaw on the course to being what we know him as today

[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 7:10 PM. Reason : ]

8/6/2008 7:08:13 PM

holy shit

padowack

i wonder what his alias is now.



[Edited on August 6, 2008 at 8:00 PM. Reason : ]

8/6/2008 7:58:00 PM