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Who are we?

Where do we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?

We have sung this round together on several occasions, and can each, perhaps identify with these perennial pondering questions. Still, few of us go ever so far as to put our identity search into concrete and time-restricted action.

But this is what the Canadian Unitarian Council has set about to do. Who are we as Canadian Unitarians? Do we have an identity that can be clearly articulated? A National Identity Initiative Task Force has begun to tease out and collect our varied responses from across the nation; the Task Force will then report back to the Annual Conference and Meeting in May. I am now serving on this task force.

On Feb 16th, nine of us gathered here at UFP to have a conversation about this and to add our contribution to the national stream. Our mighty and thoughtful little group had a deep and meaningful conversation. I found myself watching the earnest faces around the table, and once again marvelling at the passion and commitment that this faith brings out in you, in me, in us.

Here are a few paraphrases from our conversation:

  • Whatever the description, our identity must have fuzzy boundaries, because here there is always room for one more, one different, one other. This ‘fuzziness’ makes it possible for many to know they belong, but also challenges us to define what is not welcome here; that is, what behaviours or values will we not tolerate?
  • We are a living, moving tradition, where new truths are forever being revealed. Our identity is, therefore, always in motion.
  • We are drawn to this community because of its diversity of belief and its willingness to expose and dialogue with that diversity. In this, we are like-minded.
  • Within the encouragement to develop and grow our own beliefs is contained a challenge to be accountable to those beliefs by living them out.
  • We ‘worship’ what is holy, sacred, and of value to us; we are not defined by a belief in a divine being.
  • The way we respect our children and youth adds vitality and meaning to our lives; we see results in the confident and curious people they are.
  • Being a part of this community offers us refuge, rejuvenates us, and challenges us.
  • Unitarian Universalism is at the leading edge of the evolution of the human being, as we move toward more inclusivity, understanding, and peace.

If a taste of this conversation gets your juices flowing, you can join right in. The Task Force has both a blog and a Facebook page. Share your thoughts at http://cuc-national-identity.blogspot.com or http://www.facebook.com (search for “Canadian UU”). Or, you can use our chat, share_ufp@yahoogroups.com to bounce some ideas around. And, if you’d like to have another opportunity to dialogue about this face-to-face, I’d be happy to facilitate more conversation.

Rev. David Bumbaugh has suggested that “what the world needs from Liberal Religion, or at least our version of Liberal Religion, is clarity about who we are and what matters to us; clarity about what vision has called us into being and what promise we serve.” Are we people who can offer the world such clarity?
I believe we are.

Julie Stoneberg, Minister