Author: Doug Slagle

(c) Rev. Doug Slagle, Minister to the Gathering at Northern Hills, All Rights Reserved

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        Three atheists die – and together approach the Pearly Gates of Heaven.  St. Peter is surprised to have atheists seek entrance to the heavenly realm but, being in a good mood he decides to give them a chance.

“I’ll allow you entry into heaven if you can explain to me the meaning of Easter,” he tells them.

The first atheist hems and haws as the wheels figuratively spin in his mind.  “Oh, oh, I know,” the atheist finally says.  “It’s about an old man with a grey beard, dressed all in red.  He has eight reindeer and he spends his time giving presents to people who are good.”

“Wrong,” says Peter as he pushes a big red button that causes this atheist to fall into eternal damnation.

Seeing that, the second atheist is visibly shaken.  She timidly says, “I think Easter is about a bunny that hops from house to house giving away painted eggs.”

“Nope,” says Peter.  This atheist then screams as Peter pushes the red button and a hole in the cloud opens up and she falls away.

The third atheist smugly approaches Peter.  With a confident voice he says, “I know all about Easter.  I took a comparative religion class.  Jesus is arrested after being betrayed by Judas – one of his apostles.  He’s dragged before Pontius Pilate who condemns him to death.  Jesus is nailed to a cross and, after dying, he’s buried in a tomb that is sealed with a large rock.”

St. Peter smiles and is very pleased.  Finally, there is an atheist who knows what it means to be a Christian.  But just as Peter is about to push a green button to open up the pearly gates, the third atheist continues…

“And after three days in the tomb, Jesus pushes aside the rock and emerges to see if he can see his shadow.  If he does, there will be six more weeks of winterrrrrrrrrr….,” as he screams and falls into the fiery pit.

I love Unitarian Universalist and atheist jokes.  It may seem weird but I appreciate how UU’s and atheists are mostly unique in their ability to laugh at themselves.  For a denomination that can often seem earnest and very serious, UU jokes show our playful and fun side.

There’s the story about two churches and a synagogue that were built side by side.  One of them catches fire and soon all three are up in flames.  The Christian congregation rushes into their building to save the one thing that is important to them – the cross over the altar.  The Jewish members rush into their synagogue and save the cherished Torah scrolls.  The Unitarian Universalists  rush into their burning church to save what is most meaningful to them.  They emerge from the burning building carrying their meeting room conference table…

On an airplane that is about to crash, some passengers begin to cry, some assume a protective crash position, and many others pray.  But a Unitarian Universalist minister stands up and tries to form a committee to discuss air safety…

A young woman walks into a fabric stores and asks to buy fifteen yards of see-through lace material.  “What are you going to make?” the clerk asks. “I’m getting married and I want to make a negligee to wear for my new husband.”  “That’s nice,” says the clerk.  “But fifteen yards is way too much material for a negligee.”  The woman replies, “I know, but my fiancé is a Unitarian Universalist and they would rather seek than find.”

And finally, what is the Unitarian Universalist definition of sin?  A discussion group in which everyone agrees with each other.

I decided to begin my message with a few jokes to hopefully create a more lighthearted atmosphere.  I enjoy laughter and fun as much as anyone but my default is to be serious.  That is likely reflected in many of my messages where I focus on weighty subjects that might be food for thought – but are hardly food for fun.

And so my message series for this month will ask the question, “Are we having fun yet?”  That question is, itself, funny with its sarcastic and playful query.  If one is truly having fun, he or she doesn’t have to ask if they’re having it.  A person just feels it.

My former wife and I enjoyed asking “Are we having fun yet” to each other on a family trip to Disney World many years ago.  Standing in the hot sun, in the middle of a long lines to get on rides that last two minutes, we frequently turned to each other to ask that question.  As two serious adults, we finally agreed we were indeed having fun after seeing our daughters’ excitement and delight  – which was infectious precisely because they weren’t being serious.  They had abandoned themselves to the make believe and the fun.  That’s something I usually fail to do – but I shouldn’t.

In an ironic way, though, having fun is serious stuff.  Virtually all animals engage in what can only be called play.  Dogs, chimps, bears, penguins, whales and horses spend a lot of time engaging in playful activities that have nothing to do with survival activities – like seeking food, finding a mate, or raising offspring.  Scientists therefore believe that having fun is not wasted time and energy, but is instead a very serious way to diminish stress, recharge the brain, and build relationships.

Every animal and person experiences stress from the challenges of living.  We feel stressed and anxious because our brains, in the middle of a challenge, cause the release of the hormone cortisol which raises our blood pressure, heart rates and metabolism – all so one can deal with stressful challenges.  But the longterm effects of stress and cortisol cause permanent damage to the body.

Dopamine is the antidote to too much stress and cortisol.  It is the feel good hormone released with eating and sex – but also during any playful or fun activity.  Dopamine lowers blood pressure and heart rates and produces a feeling of happiness and even euphoria.  Our brains have thus been hardwired to help us deal with stress by causing pleasure from various activities – and many of those activities are to play, laugh and have fun.  In other words, having fun is an ironically serious activity necessary for long term survival – because doing so reduces feelings of stress and the toll it takes on our bodies.

Unfortunately, adulthood and our American culture often encourage us to do the opposite of having fun.  People are told they should always be busy doing something productive and work related.  America is the only industrialized country that does not legally require any paid vacation time for its workers.  Every country in the European Union, however, requires paid time off.  Even Germany, with its often serious work ethic, requires three weeks of paid time off for all workers.  

Beliefs against fun and play in our nation come from, I believe, our stern, Puritan heritage.  The American Judeo-Christian religious tradition has historically said that most forms play are immoral because they encourage indulgence and sensuality.  The religious adage that, “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings” reinforces this notion that fun is somehow evil.  Many American religions today – especially fundamentalist ones – believe dancing, upbeat music, drinking alcohol, eating a good meal, and of course sex should all be severely limited.  They believe in a theology of original sin and in the evil nature of our flesh.  Anything that makes our bodies and minds feel pleasure is bad.  Only our spiritual selves are good and so we must deny our flesh and encourage our spirits.    

Perhaps worst of all, modern culture often imposes this puritanical attitude on youth.  Many schools have shortened or eliminated recess time in order to prioritize academics.  Many of today’s children have after school schedules that emphasize structured activities and minimize free play.  While some adults believe structured activities are forms of play, experts disagree.  True play, they say, should be random, creative, and most of all unstructured.  Any form of recreation that is organized and regulated by adults is not the kind of free play experts believe children need.

I may be an old guy who talks about the so-called good old days, but I remember when I was growing up that hordes of kids in my neighborhood engaged in totally free play after school and on weekends.  We played tag, rode our bikes, built forts and treehouses, and organized our own games with our own rules.  We may not have learned a specific activity skill, but we gained what experts say is the kind of creativity, independence and free thought that children need.  Such play allows any person – particularly children – to learn how to interact with others on their own terms, and without the guidance of adult rules that can limit growth.    

Today, when I drive through many neighborhoods in the late afternoon and on weekends, I don’t see many kids out playing.  And that is not just due to indoor video games and smartphones.      

The National Institute of Play – a name that sounds way too serious – says that our culture defines too many activities as play when they are not.  They are, instead, forms of structured work that don’t allow for make believe or relaxation.  That results in what the institute believes is an American fun deficit that has created a health crisis in the form of increased rates of adult and childhood depression, anxiety and irritability.  What people need more of, they believe, is time to just goof off. 

Surprisingly, I think some Unitarian Universalists have bought into the mindset of busy-ness and the seeming evils of unstructured play.   UU’s can often be too serious with their services, committees, and religious education.   And Ministers like me can often encourage such seriousness.  Congregations exist for important reasons, but it’s too often forgotten that the most important reason UU churches exist is to foster the well-being of their members and the wider community.  And having fun has been proven, as I discussed earlier, to be in our self-interest.

Once again, however, irony enters the picture.  Unitarian Universalistism, perhaps more than any other spiritual endeavor, ought to recognize the importance and the morality of fun and play.  UU’s, unlike members of other religions, are not constrained by creeds that focus on supposed sin.  With principles that emphasize human well-being, Unitarian Universalists philosophically support the good in any activity that does no harm and that is freely engaged in by the participants.  

In that regard, the universal ethic of the Golden Rule applies – all pleasurable activities are permissible if they affect others in ways that a person wants for oneself.  As long as any activity is not forced or contrary to what we want for ourselves, then it is good and completely moral.  And Unitarian Universalists should therefore practice what they believe by being a bit less serious and more fun loving in all they do.

I can’t tell you, however, how to have fun.  Fun is a highly subjective feeling.  Most experts suggest that something is fun if doing it is pleasurable, amusing, lively or playful.  They point to activities like laughter, singing, dancing, time spent in nature, communal meals, kissing and intimacy, movies, theatrical plays, reading good books, travel, picnics, games played with others, and mild exercise as ones that are fun for most people.

And to have regular fun, experts say we should compile a list of 20 activities that give us pleasure – and then we should resolve to engage in at least one of them every day.  That may seem like another daily chore we are supposed to do – and experts say we may feel that way at first.  But the way our brains are wired, as I described earlier, means that the fun we have will make us feel good.  Our dopamine levels will increase and that in turn will make us feel less stress, more happy, and WANT to repeat playful activities.

Of course, balance is everything.  As the proverb says, “All work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy……..But all play and no work, makes Jack a mere toy.”

Most importantly, having regular fun enhances our ability to achieve what I believe is the human purpose for living.  We exist to improve the world by how we act, speak, and serve.  But we are unable to do that unless we first meet our own needs – and as I hope I’ve indicated, one of our human needs is to reduce life stress through play.   

Are we having fun yet?  For our own well-being, and for our ability to make a positive difference in the world, let’s resolve to say an emphatic yes to that question as often as possible!  

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The famed mountaineer George Mallory might be the first man to have successfully climbed Mt. Everest – 30 years before we know for sure it happened.  Mallory and his climbing partner were last seen on June 8, 1924 only 800 feet below the summit.  They were never seen or heard from again.  For decades, their disappearance remained a mystery.

In 1999, an expedition to find Mallory’s body was successful.  George Mallory was remarkably well preserved.  His head was pointed up toward the summit.  He was face down with his fingers dug into the rocky soil.  His feet were likewise dug into the soil.  It’s surmised that he and his partner lost their footing in loose rocks on their way down from the mountain top.  He had begun the climb with a picture of his wife and daughter in his pocket – which he intended to leave on the summit.  There was no such picture found on his body which leads many to think he successfully climbed the mountain. 

Two years before, Mallory was asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest.  He answered with his famous line, “Because it’s there” and then he elaborated.   “Nothing will come of it,” he said.  “We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver…We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops to raise food…So, if you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself – upward and forever upward – then you won’t see why we go.”

For George Mallory, his life meaning was to meet challenges head-on and then hopefully conquer them.  It’s symbolic that his body was found with his fingers and feet dug into the mountain side, he died not giving up hope and still looking forever upward toward the challenge, and meaning, of his life.

My intent this month has been to look at three of the seven Unitarian Universalist Principles to find additional inspiration from them.  I’ll look at another three in November.  Today, I’ll consider the fourth Principle, “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”

In Victor Frankl’s well known book Man’s Search for Meaning, which he wrote after surviving the Holocaust, he asked, “What is the one thing that gives life value?”  Frankl then answered his question.  It is not pleasure, power, fame or money that gives life value.  It is meaning.  

George Mallory clearly had meaning for his life – and he died in its pursuit.  But for Frankl, the meaning of life was bigger.  Life meaning for him was hope expressed through love.  He witnessed during four years in concentration camps that physically strong persons were not those who survived.  They often felt defeated by hardship – and then died.   Frankl said that those who survived did so because they found hope in living for a higher purpose – which was love for others.  For Frankl, he held on to the hope he had to see his beloved wife again – as well as his concern and service to fellow prisoners.

Both Mallory and Frankl believed that without having meaning, there is no point to go on living.  And while some find life meaning in the pursuit of pleasure, which Sigmund Freud said is the primary motivator for people, Frankl and Mallory emphatically said no.  A worthy life meaning is not in serving our desires, but in serving a higher purpose – to face life challenges with courage and to selflessly serve the needs of others.

I believe the UU Fourth Principle endorses what George Mallory and particularly Victor Frankl said about life meaning.  Reading the fourth principle we see that the free and responsible search for truth and meaning is exactly what they advocated.  And for me, the two key words in the Fourth Principle are “responsible search.”

For any person, a search for what is true and meaningful is a fundamental obligation.  Ultimately, I believe a search for truth is a search for what might be called god.  As I’ve said here before, capital ’T’ Truth, for me, is god.  It is what the ancient Romans called axis mundi.  Translated literally, axis mundi is the cosmic – but figurative – axis or pole around which all else is centered.   Everything in the universe functions and operates based on it.  For religious people, the axis mundi is God, Yahweh, Allah or Brahmin – the supernatural creative being that made and controls everything.       

Unfortunately, however, religions don’t allow for an ongoing search for Truth.  For them, it’s already been found – God is the axis mundi so there is no need to look further.  All existence can be explained by her.

World religions further believe there is no need to search for meaning either.  For them, meaning is found in obeying, honoring and worshipping God.  There is no greater purpose in life, for Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims, than to love and obey the one great, all-powerful, and all-knowing deity.

For most other people, and particularly for us as Unitarian Universalists, we are not satisfied with such an absolute answer to the question, “What is Truth?”  It could be God, or it could be some other unifying force that explains everything.  As UU’s, we admit we don’t know the answer and so, as stated in the Fourth Principle, we affirm and promote the responsible search for an answer to the question “What is Truth?” or “What is God?”

Beyond that search, we also undertake a search for meaning.  Since nobody knows for sure if there is a God or not, we do not find meaning in worshipping her.  So we search for a life meaning that is responsibly provable and good.  To seek knowledge of new things, to seek a better world through loving and serving others, to seek betterment of one’s attitudes, speech and actions – these are clearly beneficial and responsible searches.  I believe we undertake all of those searches in here. 

Indeed, one of the definitions of the word “responsible” from the Merriam Webster dictionary is that anything is “responsible” if it is trustworthy and the total opposite of evil or wrong.

Unitarian Universalists, therefore, do not affirm and promote poorly considered searches for Truth and meaning, or ones that do not promote well-being.  In our search for Truth and meaning, the the fourth principle asks to to be prudent, reasonable, and attuned to what is ethical and right.  In other words, responsible.   In that sense, Truth and meaning won’t be  found in a Freudian pursuit of selfish pleasure.  That isn’t beneficial for anyone other than one individual.  

Wherever ultimate Truth and meaning are found, and whatever they may prove to be, we intuitively know that they will be good, beautiful and beneficial to all creatures and to all existence.  As I have said, that’s my definition of God even though I have yet to discover capital ’T’ Truth.  And so I search and so do all of you.

Our search is one that began with the dawn of humanity.  While some found security by believing they’ve found Truth in a religion, others like the philosophers Plato, Aristotle, Rene Descartes and John Locke found greater security in searching – just as the fourth Principle affirms.  Truth, for these philosophers, is an objective reality found through reason and observation. It is not by faith that Truth is discovered, but by our responsible minds.

There are thus two competing answers to the question of, “What is Truth?”  People of religious belief say that, for them, ultimate Truth is known by faith.  Since we will never be able to see God on this side of death, they say, we can know her – or Truth – only by sincere faith.  But equally good and sincere people believe that such faith is unprovable and thus unsatisfying.

Fredrich Nietzsche, the philosopher who is famously known for declaring “God is dead”, proposed we look for Truth and meaning in whether anything is life enhancing or life diminishing.   Without knowing it, he was a Unitarian Universalist!  For something to be life enhancing is to be responsible and trustworthy.  His suggestion to serve for Truth by what is life enhancing is exactly what we affirm.  We study, we read, we ponder, we listen, and we keep open minds to everything that is loving and beneficial.  

I don’t know about you, but that’s why I try – not always successfully – to be more loving, humble, kind, non-judgmental, and equality minded.  Whatever any of us think about the usefulness of attending a community like ours, I believe it’s invaluable.  There are not many places in the world where people are encouraged and celebrated for responsibly seeking Truth and meaning, and also gently reminded when they fall short.

I was recently reminded, in this community, of how I had fallen short in a responsible search for Truth.  That was both embarrassing and good.  I not only realized my mistake, but also my need to work all the harder to be better.  And I don’t think I would have realized that without good people in this community telling me so.  They didn’t do so to attack me, but to help me – and thereby help others – because I hopefully won’t make the same mistake again.  

For all those who say spiritual communities like GNH are of little use, I strongly disagree.  Not only can we point to the many ways we help enhance lives in Cincinnati, we can point to the often unknown but nevertheless vital ways we enhance life for our members and staff.  We mutually encourage in one another goodness, kindness, and a search for all that is true.  That’s a very big deal.  Whenever any of us doubt this place, the work we do, or whether GNH has value, please remember: This congregation makes the world a better place.   That is precisely because we seek life-enhancing Truth about ourselves and the universe.

The search for Truth, dear friends, is not a destination but a journey.  It is a life long journey to listen, learn and understand.  It is a journey to love and be kind.  It is a journey to heal the self and heal the world.  Let us explore, let us question, let us believe, and let us doubt but, I pray, may we never take for granted or cease a responsible search for Truth and meaning.

I wish you all peace and joy. 

(c) Doug Slagle, Minister to the Gathering at Northern Hills, All Rights Reserved

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It is an amazing fact that the biological similarity between animals and humans is very high.  Almost all animals, including us – since we too are animals – have the same organs and organ systems.  In every animal, these systems perform identical functions.  

In veterinary science, over 90% of all drugs used to treat animals are the same as those used to treat humans.  Humans and many animals also  share a lot of the same DNA.  A mouse, for instance, shares 99% of its genes and DNA with us.

My father, who was a plastic surgeon, regularly used pig cadavers to practice surgeries he would later perform on people – especially for burn and traumatic injury repairs.  Pig skin and tissue are virtually the same in us. 

Beyond biological sameness, anthropologists say many animals share the basic emotions we have – those of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.  In animals like dogs, cats, horses and primates, they even exhibit complex human emotions of jealousy, sympathy, guilt and shame.  And, as all pet owners will agree, those animals share with us the complex emotion of love – between themselves… and between they and us.

More fundamentally, animals have implicit worth because they are animate andconscious beings.  The 2012 Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness, which emerged from a conference of scientists including physicist Steven Hawking, said that most animals have conscious experience – meaning they are aware of themselves as separate beings and of their individual place within nature.  Consciousness has been proven even in animals that lack a frontal brain cortex that allows for high level reasoning.  Octopuses, as an example, are highly intelligent and have conscious awareness – even though they lack a frontal cortex.

This was and is important because it places animals on the same level of sacredness as humans.  They have value and spiritual essence the same as we do – and they deserve rights of ethical treatment and decency as well.  It echoes what virtually all world religions believe.  There is oneness and interdependence between all of life – and all life therefore has specialness and value.

This month I’m examining in my three messages some of the seven Unitarian Universalist Principles.  Today, one on which we celebrate and bless our pets, it’s a perfect opportunity to look at the Seventh UU Principle which says that, “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.”

For me, interdependence means connection with other things based on mutual reliance.  As humans, we rely on every part of the universe in order to survive.  And other things that exist rely on us to protect them, live in balance with them, and allow them to thrive.  When we damage mutual connections with other forms of life, or other parts of the universe, we threaten not only their well-being, but our own survival too.

We thus share an implicit oneness with everything.   I compare our  oneness with everything in nature to the cells in our bodies.  Each cell has a unique function – but no single cell can survive and thrive without all of the other cells working in harmony and collaboration.  And when some cells begin to function independently from other cells, as in cancer cells for instance, the entire body is put in jeopardy.  And it is an ironic truth that by harming the whole, those independent cells eventually harm themselves.  When a person dies from cancer, the cancer cells die too.

Using that analogy, we as humans cannot act as cancer cells within the one human family, or within nature and the universe.  It’s our duty, for the well-being of all things – and of ourselves – to act inter-dependently.  Following up on my message last Sunday, spiritually minded people should collaborate and work together.  We should feel the oneness between our sister humans, between us and animals, between us and the air, water, and dirt, and then outward between us and the cosmos.

Interestingly, psychologists say studies show that people who deeply believe in a oneness between all things are far more compassionate, empathetic and generous people.  The humility of mind that it takes to be unselfish within nature, to see ourselves as very minor parts of the cosmos, is the same attitude that it takes to act and speak with kindness and humility to one another.

Most of us are that way – or we sincerely try to be.  People who love animals are that way.  My partner Keith is one such person.  I’m always amazed when he and I walk down a street and encounter someone walking a dog.  The pet is immediately drawn to Keith as a friend.  Keith deeply loves animals – and they intuitively know that.  But that same kindness and gentleness of spirit is one he shows people too.  And, as I said, I know that is true in many other people.  To be someone who serves and loves animals is usually to be someone who serves and loves people.

For me, it’s a spiritual battle to act true to the oneness I believe I have with all people, creatures and things.  Albert Einstein commented on the selfishness he often saw in humans by saying, “We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest.”  In other words, Einstein said we can sometimes wrongly act not as one with the other people, animals or things, but as superior or dominant to them. 

I too often forget that the food I eat and the air and water I consume should all be treated ethically and compassionately.   If they are like the cells in my body, how is it that I can look the other way at cruel treatment of fellow animals, or disregard polluting the air, water and land by me, my car, my home?  Even more, I often fail to love my fellow humans with the collaboration I desire for myself.  I can too often not act interdependently – and instead act like a cancer cell.

But sometimes failure in me is why I’m here – not just to be a minister, but for all of us to be ministers to each other and to the outside world.  Perhaps that’s why the Principle imploring us to respect the interdependence of all things is the seventh and last one – it’s the highest and most important spiritual ethic we should practice.  How we love and treat our sister creatures is a window into how we treat one another.  Today, we have not just asked for a blessing on animals and pets.   We  have humbly acknowledged how animals bless us far more than the reverse.

There are literally thousands of stories of how animals have loved and blessed humans.

One such story you can find on YouTube is of Linda Koebner who courageously rescued two chimpanzees from an abusive laboratory.  She then formed a bond of affection with the chimpanzees Doll and Swing as she healed them from their traumas.  Afterwards, she placed the chimps in a Florida refuge for abused primates.

Eighteen years later, Linda returned to the refuge to reunite with them.  But would they remember her?  Her reunion was documented on video.  As she approached them, the chimps immediately recognized Linda.  They embraced her, smiled broadly, and smothered her with hugs and kisses.  They were overjoyed.  This was not a human and chimp encounter.  It was a reunion of friends who loved one another.

In just a moment, you’ll watch today’s mindful media video about another rescue – this one between a dog and a man.  As you’ll see, who rescues who?  It’s a story not just for a man and his pet, but one for ALL relationships.  Can humans be drawn together by the high ethic of mutuality and love, or will our species and all of nature be destroyed by our selfish minded divisions and false beliefs that we alone are right and others are wrong?  Let us find in the love between us and our pets the blessing of universal oneness between all existence.  Let us be interdependent people.

(c) Doug Slagle, Minister to the Gathering at Northern Hills, All Rights Reserved

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Before the U.S. Constitution was written in September 1787, almost exactly 232 years ago, many of the most basic freedoms we now enjoy were surprisingly limited.  Freedom of religion and conscience, enshrined in the Constitution’s First Amendment, was an ideal advocated during the American Independence but often not practiced.  

The British Anglican church controlled religious expression throughout the colonies.  In Virginia, often referred* to as the cradle of American Democracy, the Anglican church was the official state church well into the 1780’s.  That was likewise the case in many colonies.  

Ministers were an exclusive group and a man could only become one if he was both ordained by the Anglican church and licensed by the colonial government.  Anglican Ministers were then employed and paid by the colonies.  They often became government officials and public school teachers and exercised wide control over both spiritual and civic life.

Pastors to other religions were regularly imprisoned for preaching without a license – one that could be obtained only if one was ordained by the Anglicans and hired by a colonial government.  

Fortunately, many of the founders perceived that government sanctioned religion was counter to the principles that compelled American independence.  The most outspoken advocate for freedom of conscience was James Madison who believed that one’s conscience is “the most sacred of all property”.  The right of conscience is, he said, intrinsic to being human.  The right to form, believe, and express opinions about morality and issues that touch on it are foundational to both liberty and the practice of democracy.  For Madison, people cannot be free to vote if they are not free to follow their conscience. 
After the freedom of religion clause was included in the Constitution, Madison wrote Thomas Jefferson this, “I flatter myself we have in this country extinguished forever the ambitious hope of making laws for the human mind.”  His wish has sadly proven untrue – especially for the present times.  Our minds, souls, and right to believe as we wish should not be subject to control by anyone – except by ourselves.  This right of conscience is a bedrock American value – even as many try to dictate how others should think and believe.

One year prior to the 1961 merging of Unitarianism and Universalism, wise leaders from both groups wrote the UU seven principles.  Much later, in 1984, the Principles were rewritten with the same meaning while revising  sexist language – replacing words like “mankind” with “humanity” for instance.  Even with those minor changes, the Principles have stood the test of time.

Reviewing, analyzing and understanding the seven Principles will be the theme for my messages in September – and then again in November.  Today, I look at the Fifth Principle which says that we as  UU’s affirm and promote “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”

Experts with the Georgetown University Center for Religion and World Affairs recently weighed in on defining the human conscience.  Arriving at a satisfactory definition for it is not easy.  Most of the experts define the human conscience as comprising one’s judgement about truth and falsehood, right and wrong, good and evil.  The conscience is therefore ethically based and not simply one’s personal whims about what one wants to do, or wants to believe.  In other words, the conscience is defined as our way of thinking that seeks goodness. 

Constitutional and legal experts say that to have freedom of conscience is to hold opinions and beliefs as one thinks best – so long as one’s opinions do not unduly burden others.  As an example, there is no burden on others to believe wearing a yarmulke is a way to honor God.  It does burden others, however, if one’s conscience believes contraception is morally wrong and then promotes or enforces laws forbidding it. 

That standard for the right if conscience is a fundamental part of Unitarian Universalism.  Within UU ranks, there are Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Humanists and Atheists.  All are freely welcome to share their deeply held beliefs within UU congregations.  Very importantly, however, nobody is free to expect others believe as they do.

That is particularly essential for UU Ministers.  All UU Ministers are granted freedom of the pulpit – to freely speak their mind in a message.  But a minister should not tell you that you must believe what he or she believes.  The freedom also implies we are each deserving of having our ethically based opinions respectfully heard and considered.

It’s that point which I believe causes the most problems.  How does a nation, a denomination, a congregation, or two individuals who resolve differences between ethically based beliefs and opinions?  As the founders stipulated for the United States, and as the writers of the UU principles believed, we rely on the democratic process to make the difficult decisions between competing opinions of conscience.   In other words, a majority with similar opinions prevails.

Of course, that does not mean the majority is right.  It simply means that democracy is the fairest way to make a decision.  As Winston Churchill drily noted, “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others.”

Democracy is messy.  It often leads to disingenuous ways of influencing people’s opinions or forbidding them altogether.   Democracy takes time and effort to hear all sides of an issue.  Passions and emotions often prevail and people are often left feeling frustrated and separated from the whole.  Frequently, the winner in a debate is 50% of a group plus one – meaning that nearly half of the group loses.

Those less than ideal outcomes lead us full circle back to what the UU Fifth Principle begins with – the right of conscience.  If we believe in that freedom, then it is logical that even in losing a debate we should gracefully respect the result.  Winners should not be harassed or disrespected for prevailing, and most importantly the loser must be free from a tyranny of the majority.  They must be able to continue to share their opinions and be respectfully heard.  Both winners and losers must proceed from the idea that having differing beliefs and opinions does not mean they are enemies, or somehow not still part of the larger group or community.

To rise above the inclination toward resentment of those who disagree, the Fifth UU Principle implicitly says that everyone  should agree to accept democracy’s results.  That means that people should move from resentment of those who disagree, to instead feel gratitude for the opportunity to have learned about differing ideas.  It also means being grateful the free competition of ideas and the privilege of being heard.  And it finally means there are no lingering animosities.  A respectful debate is held, the democratic process is followed, and then all should move on from their differences to reunite and work for the good of the whole.    

In any fair, open and democratic debate, experts on conflict resolution recommend all parties enter into the debate with the attitude they are wrong.  That requires humility and a willingness to genuinely consider what others say and believe.  It also requires believing that whatever the outcome, it will be the best one for the entire group.  In other words, the good of the whole is seen as more important than whether the opinion of an individual or a sub-group wins.   

Those are extremely difficult attitudes to adopt, especially when one believes something to the depths of their conscience.  Even so, attitudes of humility, grace, and kindness – toward opponents – are the hallmark of people who understand and believe in the right of conscience and the practice of democracy. 

A beautiful example of that ethic is found in President George H.W. Bush’s letter to incoming President Bill Clinton.   He shared the awe and privilege he had felt as President and that he knew Clinton would feel the same.  He offered encouragement and understanding for the challenging times ahead – particularly when Clinton might be criticized.  He concluded his letter by wishing Clinton great happiness as President and wrote, “Your success is now our country’s success.  I am rooting hard for you.”

Whatever one may think of Bush’s politics, he was a man of great kindness.  In defeat, he saw the country’s well-being as more important than his own.  Bush embodied the best of American democracy. 

Psychologists say there are five ways people resolve conflicts of opinion.  The first is to avoid a conflict by not engaging in a debate or discussion.  The second is to compete in a conflict resolved that one side must win and the other side must lose.  The third is to accommodate.  One side just gives up – often for the sake of keeping the peace.  The fourth is to compromise or partially accommodate.  Both sides partially give up such that nobody wins.  The fifth and final conflict resolution strategy is to collaborate where both sides work together, find common ground, and reach a decision everybody supports.  This last form of conflict resolution is what I often call a win-win.  

As you may know, I am a strong believer in collaboration.  It’s why I prefer to call volunteer groups in this congregation “teams” and not committees.  Each person on a team collaborates with others for the good of the entire team.  There are no leaders or prima donnas, egos are checked at the door, and all try to find common ground solutions.  Every singer Board of Trustees I’ve worked with in this congregation has acted in that manner.  There have many decisions made by our Boards with every one of them being unanimously agreed to.

Collaboration, though, is perhaps the most difficult form of conflict resolution.  It asks that nobody makes their desired perfect outcome the enemy of a good enough outcome.  Collaboration thus requires creative thinking on everyone’s part to move beyond their own conscience based  opinions to find a solution to which all sides agree.  You win.  I win.  We all win.

Implicitly, collaboration expects participants refuse the figurative assertion of “my way or the highway.”  I must win or else I quit.  Agreeing to be part of a democracy like the United States or a UU congregation assumes humility in debate, grace in losing, magnanimous kindness in winning, and a total commitment to remain united and together.  For me, that is exactly what the Fifth UU Principle expects – not only am I free to believe what seems right to me, more importantly so are you – and I will respect and honor the democratic process in resolving our differences or, even better, I’ll collaborate so any vote is unanimous.

I think all of us relate to the challenges of living in a democracy and of embracing the right of conscience.  On paper, the two ideals seem virtuous and obvious.   Despite that, most of us have felt extreme upset and even anger at past election results, or of debate outcomes in our nation, families and this congregation.  The virtuous rights of conscience and democracy often run up against our deeply held opinions on what is right and wrong.  

And that is both the reality and the challenge of the right of conscience and the practice of democracy.  How is it possible to respect opinions and outcomes that do not fit with our sincere individual consciences?

That is precisely where humility must do its work in our minds, hearts, and attitudes.  While recognizing nobody’s conscience is formed haphazardly, humility asks that we understand our consciences are not infallible.   My conscience is very fallible and I must continuously readjust it  to help me be a better person.  To do that, my conscience asks me to look for what is true, good and ethical in someone else’s conscience.  That’s what Unitarian Universalism is all about and what uniquely and ethically sets it apart from any other religion or belief system.  Unitarian Universalism IS inherently humble.  So long as one is respectful, whatever she or he believes is welcome here.  And we will not try to change someone’s beliefs but celebrate them as possible answers to our group  questions.

This ideal is true for spirituality, politics, church affairs, and any other matter.  Nobody’s beliefs or opinions are perfect and right, but they are  nevertheless still worthy, beautiful, and good – if they are ethically based.   

Since all of us believe that to be true, then it behooves us to continually remember, and use the Fifth Principle for all we say and do.  When the next debate of opinions happens in our families, or in this congregation, let us remember the high ideal of right of conscience and democracy.  Let us remember the implicit meaning of those rights – that we respect other opinions, that we see democracy as an imperfect but still good tool to encourage collaboration, and that we remain loving and kind people who stay united no matter the outcome.

Ultimately, I believe the Fifth Unitarian Universalist Principle is about selflessness, sacrifice and above all, love when love is hard to show to an opponent.  Our love for opponents is not an impossible task, but as with many actions in life, it asks us to heed the better nature of our angels.  Let us look to the Fifth Unitarian Universalist Principle whenever we disagree and whenever our passions tempt us to follow negative paths.  Let us be, in the spirit of the Fifth Principle, truly humble, all loving, and full of grace.     

I wish you all peace and joy.

(c) Doug Slagle, Minister to the Gathering at Northern Hills, All Rights Reserved

Please listen to the message here or see below to read it.

Over ten days at the end of July, I traveled with my partner Keith to the Rocky Mountains.  We spent several days hiking and camping with my daughters.  We also spent time with my sister and her husband as we spread my dad’s ashes in a fishing stream he had loved and regularly visited.

For me, time spent in nature is invigorating.  I particularly love the American west with its mountains, lakes, forests, and spectacular scenery.  To tromp along a trail, or sit and look at an amazing view, is transcendent for me.  I often leave behind the concerns of normal life to instead feel happier and more alive.  

The late singer John Denver said it best with the lyrics to his song “Rocky Mountain High.”  He opened the song by singing,  “Going into the mountains is to leave yesterday behind and be born again.”  And then he continued, “When he first came to the mountains, his life was far away…but the Colorado Rocky Mountain high, I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky…he climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below, he saw everything as far as you can see.” 

I relate to John Denver’s mountain highs.  I found several of them over those ten days – time spent with Keith, time laughing with and enjoying my daughters, time amidst jagged peaks, time alone with my thoughts beside an alpine lake.

I also felt some valley lows during the trip.  The biggest one was standing with my sister beside the Gallatin River in southwestern Montana as we poured my dad’s final remains into the rushing water. 

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  That was what my dad’s life seemed to have come to.  And I pondered that a lot during my trip.  My dad had his own lifetime collection of figurative mountain highs – as well as valley lows.  Did those highs and lows end in that stream?  

To end in such a place could certainly be considered a high point.  But, it also bothered me and seemed also a valley low.  We live for a time and then we don’t.  We collect our share of happy moments punctuated by challenges and heartaches.  But is the sum of our lives defined by the peaks and valley’s we experience?

Like many people, I seek mountain peak moments – through travel, quality time with family, doing my best at work, and finding modest entertainment in good food, an interesting book, or a meaningful movie.  In other words, I pursue moments of pleasure – times when I feel happy, at peace, and, most importantly, loved.  

I don’t seek, but nevertheless still experience, many lows.  Friendships that don’t last, dear ones who get sick and pass away, job frustrations, and everyday boredoms of same old / same old living patterns.  And one day I’ll walk through the ultimate valley – the one darkened with shadows of my death.  A few people may express sadness at my demise.  My daughters will conjure memories of my times with them, they’ll bury or scatter my remains – and that will be it. 

And as I thought about all of that during my vacation, I couldn’t escape a sadness that fought against the peak times I also experienced.

You’ve heard me say in many Sunday messages that the pursuit of pleasure, or so called mountain highs, is NOT all there is to life.  Each life has purpose and meaning – and the definition of any life does not come from a collection of selfish pleasures.  Life is instead about consistently loving, serving, and making a difference.

I truly believe that, but I’ve also realized those words can be ministerial “blah, blah, blah” – forgettable Hallmark card cliches.  What, ultimately, does a life consist of?

In some ways, I feel I must apologize for pushing spiritual cliches from this pulpit.  Indeed, my own pursuit of life pleasures – what could be called mountain highs – may well be the opposite of what I often encourage here to serve others more than oneself.  Many of my messages may therefore smack of hypocrisy – a big sin for any minister.

Even if that is so, I can’t forsake what I believe.  To live a meaningful life is to create legacies of kindness, service, and love.  Nobody impacts the world for good because of vacations they’ve taken, the material treasures they acquired, or the pleasures they pursued.  Those do not last into the distant future.

The mountain peak experiences we do seek, however, need not be all about satisfying selfish needs.  What I felt with my girls, with Keith, and in the midst of forests and mountains, was hopefully not selfish pleasures of the flesh.  

I love my daughters more than anything.  To be around them, to recall past times together, to laugh at inside family jokes, and to see them as accomplished young women – is my way to give and receive love.   So too is my time spent with Keith.  I often think in amazement how giving he is – to put up with me, my family, and all that I like to do.  Enjoying family and the dearest of friends in good times is, however, not something to feel guilty about.  Such moments are the glue that binds people and generations to one another – all so that humanity will continue to survive and prosper.  It’s not selfish, therefore, to find mountain highs in the love we share.   

Tromping through a forest, or climbing a trail to an alpine lake was also not a mere pleasure to feed my selfish desires.  Time spent in nature is often a sublime experience for me – one where I feel most at one with creation and the creator.  I’m humbled when I’m outdoors.  I sense nature’s greatness and my own insignificance.       

The famed naturalist John Muir said that in mountains he found a practical sort of immortality.  He understood the interdependence of all things and humanity’s primal link to the universe.  At times, Muir said that felt he was completely at one with nature – someone who had simply melted into the surroundings.  And mountains were for him extra special.  They are, he said, fountains where the transcendent spews out of the earth.

To venture into forests, Muir also said, is to escape one’s thoughts and find, instead, one’s soul.  Holiness and divinity is within nature, he believed.  If someone wants to find whatever it is that God is, she or he should step into the woods.

As odd as it may sound, that’s what I sometimes felt during my vacation when I was in the midst of the mountains.  Even though Keith and I experienced what might be called valley lows as we were assaulted by hordes of biting flies on several hikes, we still were awestruck seeing peaks towering upward to the sky much like church spires – or the pointed roofline of this sanctuary.  It’s as if mountains are nature’s temples in which plants, animals and humans all worship together.  It seemed as they called out to me to climb their heights and bask in their glory – all the better to drive away any valley lows I felt.   

It was also very cold on the nights we camped.  Our bodies were unwashed and smelled of campfire smoke. But the implicit satisfaction of cooking, eating, sleeping, and even using the restroom in the wilderness surpassed any hardship.  So too was campfire camaraderie a high point.  Gathering around flickering flames in the dark of night is something we’ve all likely experienced.  Perhaps it subconsciously brings us back to times when fire and hearth meant communal safety, warmth, and togetherness against a frightening world.  Campfires were the same to me.   I was with my girls and Keith, in the mountains,  and deep in a forest.  The concerns and stresses of life seemed far away in those moments.  I was huddled around light in the middle of total darkness – and yet I felt content and at peace.

In many ways, my recent vacation mirrors my overall life.  Mountain highs were mixed with some valley lows.  Like some people, that mixture troubled me.  I don’t believe in pursuing self-focused mountain highs, but I also don’t believe in avoiding valley lows.  And yet, I too often do the opposite of what I believe.  I seek pleasure and I avoid pain.

Part of my trip was planned with my sister so we could spend quality time together and more importantly spread my dad’s ashes in a place he loved.  We did so and it was a poignant and emotional moment for us.  For me, as much as my beliefs about how our bodies continue onward in another natural form, spreading my dad’s ashes was a valley low for me – and one that continues even now.

As I said earlier, I’ve thought even more about the meaning of life and I’ve pondered the stark finality of my dad’s remains scattered into unfeeling water.  I felt his life journey ending at that moment as I watched his ashes drift away.  That feeling comes despite that is what he wanted – to rest forever in a place he loved.  Nevertheless, I’ve asked myself, “How can I feel so low about what I believe should be a joyous event?”

I can’t fully answer that question but I know it has a lot to do about sensing my own mortality.  I turn 60 in six weeks.  I faced a cancer scare two years ago.  As I contemplate my future demise, I wonder how I’ll fill my remaining years.  Will I pursue self-focused pursuit of meaningLESS mountain highs, or will they be mostly filled with an others focused pursuit of meaningFUL mountain highs?  I believe in the latter as much as my flesh calls me to selfishly pursue the former.  That war within me bothers me, and causes me added sadness.

And so my message today, as relatively short and less researched than normal, is not intended to offer answers.  I don’t know them myself.  Instead, my recent journey ended, but it continues on in my mind.  What role will mountain highs and valley lows play in my life?  Can I pursue high moments that have lasting and good impact on others and the world?  And, can I better understand the times when I’m in a valley low, in a so-called funk or sad time, so that I cognitively change my thoughts and thereby see the useful purpose behind them?

It’s a fact we can plainly observe: a mountain cannot exist without a valley.  Otherwise, we have only flat, level ground that’s safe but quite boring.  And the same is true of life…and of vacations.

In that regard, I needed my vacation – as much to rest and enjoy as to also reflect and feel some sadness.  The high of being in the mountains and spending good times with my daughters and Keith felt extra special because they came with the lows I’ve described.

And so those valley lows were equally necessary for me – and perhaps an important part of being able to enjoy my vacation and to now remember it fondly.  As I indicated earlier, I don’t believe there is anything in life – even the worst of valley lows – that we cannot learn and grow from.

As you’ve listened to my reflections this morning, perhaps you’ll initiate your own.  On water communion Sunday when we add to years and years of the so-called holy water that we save, I wish you each many mountain highs, but I also wish for you some valley lows – all the better to reflect and answer your own questions about life and how to purposefully live it.  As many people say, a vacation is never about the destination.  It’s about the journey.  And the same is true for life.  I hope for us all life journeys of meaning, purpose, challenges to learn from, peace, and meaningful joy.

(c) Doug Slagle, Minister to the Gathering at Northern Hills, All Rights Reserved

Click here to listen to the message. Please see below to read it.

In the 1976 International Special Olympics held in Spokane, Washington, eight racers lined up for the final 100 yard dash – the race that would determine the gold medal winner.  Shortly after the starting gun went off, one youth stumbled, fell to the ground, and was clearly hurt.

Two of the other racers, hearing one of their competitors fall and cry out, slowed down and turned to see what had happened.   Both of them, without prompting from the other, then ran the other way – back to the fallen racer.  They helped that racer stand up and the three began to walk to the finish line, arm in arm.

Five of the racers had already finished the race, with one of them winning the gold medal.  But when the other three racers crossed the finish line, the crowd in the stadium stood and wildly cheered for several minutes.  Three young people, each with different physical or mental abilities, and each from different backgrounds and cultures, showed what unity and compassion mean.  They exemplified the sixth Unitarian Universalist principle: the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

For me, those three runners also lived out the truth that when any person stumbles or is held back – for any reason – all of humanity has equally been held back.  In other words, we each are part of the One Human Family.  We collectively fall or rise together. 

I love that this principle is a Unitarian Universalist ethic.  It’s one we boldly state and one we pledge to help achieve.  But that does not mean that I, or anyone else, is perfect at practicing it.  

I can too often be like the five runners who continued onward in that race – sympathetic to the one who fell, but not necessarily willing to sacrifice for a stranger in distress.  The challenge for me is to act as if every person, every group of people, no matter how different, is a member of my family deserving of concern and sacrifice.  That, for me, represents the high ideal of living within and serving the world community.

Despite concerns that our nation and world is becoming more divided, however, demographic experts paint a different picture.  The driving force behind the continuing trend toward a world community of peace, liberty and justice is coming from youth and young adults.

In 1990, back when I and many of us here were young adults, 73% of Americans between 15 and 35 were white.  Today, the percentage is much lower – only 55% of persons is in that age range are white.  And the trend is projected to steadily fall until in less than ten years, youth in our nation will be majority non-white.  That’s because even today the average person of color in our nation is much younger than the average white person.  The average age for all US citizens of color is 19.  The average age for white citizens is 43.  These numbers speak for themselves.  Demographics point to a future America with a majority-minority population.

Even more than numbers, though, attitudes about diversity and world community in today’s youth are dramatically different from their elders.  A majority of millennials value diversity far above individual merit in their job searches and in their relationships.  While including different races is an important goal, today’s youth seek overall diversity – one they call “cognitive diversity”.  They value being surrounded by people who think differently because they are from different backgrounds, lifestyles, and ethnicities – more women, more people of color, more other abled persons, more LGBTQ persons, more immigrants, more people with different spiritual beliefs, more people from economically challenged beginnings.

That view comes both from their beliefs, and because they have already lived a multi-cultural life.  Today’s teens and young adults are the most diverse generation in history.  They see the ideal of world community not only as a coming reality, but as one that will determine the future well-being of humanity.

Using the running story I opened with, two of the runners believed what today’s youth believe – that it was important for all of them to finish.  Better that everyone succeed instead of just some.  Experts say this is a new and unique attitude for any generation.  They believe in the “All for one, and one for all” ethos – which is the foundation of a world community. 

This has already transformed workplaces in the US and around the world.  Open work spaces, a focus on teamwork, and a strong push for employee diversity are the hallmarks of today’s employment – ones driven by millennial demands.  In a recent poll, 71% of millennials say teamwork and team success should be the organizing principle in government and in business.  That represents a profound difference from the idea that individualism should be the hallmark and strength of America.  The poll validates what demographic numbers predict – today’s youth are a pivot-point generation that will help usher in a world community attitude.

Studies also show that millennials value their differences and hold onto them far more than did their parents.  In the past, US success was believed to result from being a melting pot – one where different people come together and then blend into a single American culture.  Youth mostly reject that model.

Instead, young adults value being and staying different.  Their view of America has been labeled a “salad bowl.”  Many different ingredients don’t change or combine to become a bland mixture.  Instead, many ingredients retain their identity such that the whole achieves a variety of flavors –  a sweet tomato here, some earthy arugula lettuce there, a spicy crouton elsewhere.  A “salad bowl” seems a simplistic analogy, but it is exactly how youth today want their lives and their workplaces to be – a true representation of one human family with many unique cultures and backgrounds all retaining their different identities while collaborating to achieve goals for everyone.

For many of us who are baby boomers, the idea of world community is one we helped originate.  Sadly, however, it seems my generation lost its way by pursuing individual instead of communal goals.  

This coming Friday is the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock music festival.  It stands as a defining moment for the baby boomer generation – one that came of age with high ideals for no war, communal lifestyles, and full equality.  But with all of the free love, advocacy of peace, no greed and no religion too, also came self-indulgence.  Woodstock despoiled a huge area of pristine New York meadowland.  Mountains of trash, sewage, and ruined fields were the result – perhaps foreshadowing the greed oriented 1980’s and today’s climate change crisis.

Every generation begins with high minded ideals only to often lose some of them in the reality of middle age.  And that could be the future outcome for today’s youth.  One of the gifts older generations can give today’s youth, however, is to encourage and celebrate their innovative diversity ideals.

Baby boomers say they want world community, but its ability to make that happen is rapidly fading.  Today’s youth, however, are poised to actually make world community a reality.

The video we earlier saw asked us to be the change we want to see.  Remarkably, youth today already ARE that change.   And so as older world citizens, many of us can acknowledge the unique power and possibility today’s youth generation represents in the history of humanity.  Technology, social media, globalization, and much higher rates of interracial marriage and child bearing have all helped create the most diverse youth generation ever.  That trend will continue.  And so elders must not fight against that fact as some do, or begrudgingly accept it as others do.  Instead, I believe baby boomers should champion it and promote it.  I don’t say that lightly.  We must allow the most diverse generation ever to begin to take hold of all reigns of power and influence.

Some respondents to our recent congregation survey said that since these Coffeehouse services are not attracting hordes of young attenders, we should stop doing them.  To them I say a very respectful and very empathetic, “I hear you, but…I disagree.”  

I cannot be committed to the future of all children without doing something tangible for that.  One service a month that hopefully relates to all members – but especially to youth – is something I’ll do as long as I’m here.  Our Unison Affirmation states that the future of youth is a major concern, so I encourage that it be one important strategic focus in all we do – in our volunteering, giving, Sunday services, and responsiveness to the world.  The question all our teams can ask is, “how are we helping to enhance the well-being of youth?”  Doing so will, as I’ve said, thereby promote world community.  Today’s youth generations will be the ones to make it happen.  

        As a gray haired, almost 60 year old white man, I want to do what I can to help youth achieve what older generations have not – the goal of one human family, a world community with peace, liberty and justice for all – and do that in here and outside our walls too.  I hope many others will join me in this effort.  

I wish you much peace and joy.

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