Church

In yesterday's post about goals, one of my goals was to try going to church.  If you know me, you're probably beside yourself. Yes, that says church. My good friend, who is an atheist, goes to a Unitarian Universalist church (who knew atheists go to church!?).  Yesterday she was talking about the Halloween activities the church has planned for the kids this weekend.  My kids are missing out on that, and so much more, because we don't go to church.

I recently determined, thanks to my friend mentioned above, that if I had to put any sort of religious label on myself, it would be agnostic.  I was raised Lutheran.  I was baptized, confirmed, and went to Sunday School my entire childhood.  It was fine when I was a kid, but as I grew older I did not enjoy it.  My parents still made me go.  Looking back on it, I don't know why I disliked it so much.  My current views about religion are fairly new.  I guess as I grew older, deep down I just knew something wasn't right.

I do not want to stir the pot, so I won't get into the specifics of my religious beliefs.  It took me a long time to find the label that best describes my religious views.  I was not comfortable with the term "atheist".  It's a bit too extreme for me.  The simplest way to describe my beliefs is that I don't believe in the bible, but I don't disbelieve that there is some entity out there that is greater than us.  Maybe that entity is God, maybe not.

That being said, let's get back to the idea of me going to church.  I don't want to shelter my children from religion.  I want them to make their own informed decisions.  They are still too young to do so, but when someone mentions Jesus or prays in front of them, I don't want them to be clueless.  I want them to have an understanding of the beliefs and practices of those around them.  And really, church is more than just religion.  It is a supportive community.  It is an excuse to get out of the house.  It's a social experience.  It's is an opportunity to broaden your horizons.

My friend has been a member of the Unitarian Universalist church for as long as I've known her, and she's talked about it on a number of occasions.  Based on what she's told me, if there is any church for us to attend, it is this one.  From the Unitarian Universalism Association website: Unitarian Universalism welcomes people with diverse beliefs. Our Unitarian Universalist faith has evolved through a long history, with theological origins in European Christian traditions. Today Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith which allows individual Unitarian Universalists the freedom to search for truth on many paths. While our congregations uphold shared principles, individual Unitarian Universalists may discern their own beliefs about spiritual, ethical, and theological issues.  

With D-day on the horizon, I think now is as good a time as ever for the kids and I to give it a shot.