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Unitarian Universalists

How is our Religious Education conducted?

Our program of Religious Education is determined, as are all other programs, by consensus of the members of our congregation. A wide range of course material is available through the Unitarian Universalist Association. These are adapted by members as necessary. Courses appropriate for children may be offered in subjects as varied as interpersonal relations, ethical questions, the Bible, world religions, nature and ecology ; heroes and heroines of social reform, Unitarian Universalist history, and holy days around the world. The same is true of adult religious education.

Our children are welcomed valued members of our community. There are several ways that we welcome our children. We have a formal service of naming and dedication.

In most of our congregations, regular children's worship is often held during a portion of the adult service. We seek to teach our children to be responsible for their own thinking and to nurture their own impulses of reverence, morality, respect for others, and self-respect. Are all religions similar in moral principles? Not if they exclude others based on a creed. Every person has inherent worth and dignity. Above all we inspire our children to live lives based on our moral principles. Remembering the words of Rev. Donner Lohnes:

The final definition of a truly moral person is the world that a person of principle creates for our children to inherit.

For more than two centuries the philosophy of Unitarian Universalist Religious Education has been based on our Principles and Purposes, as well as on the following words:

'The great end in Religious Education is
not to stamp our minds upon the young,
but to stir up their own:
Not to make them see with our eyes,
but to look inquiringly with their own.
Not to form an outward regularity,
but to touch inward springs.
Not to bind them by prejudices
to our particular sect or peculiar notions;
but to prepare them for impartial, conscientious judging
of whatever subjects may be offered to their decision.
Not to burden the memory, but to quicken
and strengthen the power of thought;
Not to impose religion upon them in the form of arbitrary rules,
but to awaken the conscience, the moral discernment.
In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul,
to excite and cherish spiritual life.'
William Ellery Channing

William Ellery Channing believed all concepts of Deity to be aspects of the one Deity, and preached religious tolerance. Many people's moral beliefs arise from indoctrination rather than education. A faith accepted without question, a faith which permits no questions. We should seek to communicate a method of inquiry into moral truth, rather than a stone tablet of (purported) moral revelation. It is not merely the tablet, but the recipient of it, who will face the burden of new and conflicting evidence. The reason of science and medicine are never dismissed because they are in conflict with any absolute creed needed for belief.

For more about our Religious Education see our Recent Services on Religious Education
Moral Education for Children
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