Topic: Religious Exploration

Blind People and an Elephant

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Blind People and an Elephant
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There’s a story about varying views of the Divine illustrated by blind people describing an elephant.  They each describe a piece of the elephant, each sharing their personal truth and together they witness to a universal truth.  The parallel being that we each hold personal religious truths which, when combined with others, speaks to a … Continue reading Blind People and an Elephant

Our Namesake, Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Our Namesake, Thomas Paine
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Thomas Paine is one of “100 Unitarians and Universalists who made a difference” on the poster in our lobby. In 2020, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron “updated” and renamed the poster. In the process,Thomas Paine and 38 others were removed. Paine was kept on a list of 22 “adjacent” UUs whose “works and points … Continue reading Our Namesake, Thomas Paine

Love is a Four-Letter Word

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Love is a Four-Letter Word
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The rhyme “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” isn’t entirely true. Words can – and do – hurt very much. There is power in language and the words we use. A man I knew once said that the term “love” was useless and harmful. What are other words … Continue reading Love is a Four-Letter Word

Resistance on Easter

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Resistance on Easter
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Easter is a celebration of resistance – the resistance of one man against an empire and the resistance of life against death.  Come honor this holiday through songs, stories, music, activities and more.  It’s sure to be a fun day filled with joyful resistance. Note: This will be an intergenerational service.

Finding Our Individual Center

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Finding Our Individual Center
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Culturally the beginning of the year is a time to look at ourselves and focus on parts we don’t like, in order to make resolutions focused on change.  What if our resolution was instead to accept ourselves for who we were instead of trying to change ourselves?  Come and explore the possibilities through story, activity, … Continue reading Finding Our Individual Center

Keeping the Faith in Liberal Religion

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Keeping the Faith in Liberal Religion
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Unitarian Universalism has a tradition of being a liberal church. But like many “liberal” institutions, it is facing many challenges. One can ask, “Where we might have gone wrong? Is there too much identitarianism, political polarization? What can we do better? How can we avoid ‘information bubbles?’ How can we learn to speak across differences?” … Continue reading Keeping the Faith in Liberal Religion

Shanah Tovah

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Shanah Tovah
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Have a good year! Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish High Holy Day celebrating the new year, begins tonight at sundown. Tradition holds that during the ten days following Rosh Hashanah the world hangs in a balance between good and bad. The balance period ends on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. This is a time when … Continue reading Shanah Tovah

Next Level Spirituality

Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Thomas Paine UU Fellowship
Next Level Spirituality
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Since 2016, churches, synagogues, and mosques in the United States, have been losing members at a rate of 1% every year. The idea of a supernatural God outside ourselves that can be petitioned is becoming increasingly problematic in our modern world. With both the Bible and Ralph Waldo Emerson as our guides, we might find … Continue reading Next Level Spirituality