Defining the Essence
Rev. Diane Rollert
The Unitarian Church of Montreal, October 1, 2023
Who are we really, in essence. Are we Unitarians? Are we Universalists? Are we Unitarian Universalists? What is it that we hold in common?
OK, so I have to explain a bunch of stuff here, which sometimes feels ridiculously complicated, as complicated as our name. But I ask you to bear with me, because this is all going to make sense… eventually… at the end of this sermon.
We have a small movement here in Canada. Our national association is the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC for short.) The movement in the US is about forty times larger than we are. Its national association is the Unitarian Universalist Association, (or UUA for short).
Once upon a time we were one organization, and then we split in 2002. Because, well, you know the US, how it can dominate so much of what we experience here in Canada. The Canadians got tired of being forgotten in the “us” of the US movement. At the time of the split, the Canadians decided to hold onto the name Unitarian and drop the name Universalist.
Years later, we were still debating whether this was the right decision. That’s a big part of who we are. We’ve always been debating something. First it was whether or not to believe in the divinity of Jesus. Then it was whether or not it was necessary to find God through rituals and traditions. Why not go out into nature to find the sacred instead? Then it was whether or not we really needed to even believe in God. Our roots go back more than four centuries, and with each generation we’ve questioned something. That’s the beauty and the challenge of our faith. It’s a river that’s constantly moving and changing, even when we think we might be standing still.
I remember how intense the debate was, something that we easily forget now. Back in 2010, the late Rev. Phillip Hewett, minister emeritus of the Unitarian Church of Vancouver and the late Rev. Charles Eddis, our beloved minister emeritus here in Montreal, wrote articles for the CUC newsletter reiterating their historical case for why we were Unitarians here in Canada and not Unitarian Universalists. No, no, no. Not Unitarian Universalists. As Charles wrote at the time, not that “double-barreled word, which is like a loose anchor: holding back the ship…”
Phillip reminded us that when the two denominations came together as one in 1961, there were only three Universalist congregations in Canada representing a total of 68 people.
Charles said there never was a vote about the name Unitarian Universalist. The US-based board simply chose the name without consultation or discussion. There was a desire and struggle within both groups to retain their identity, and it just happened. The name Unitarian Universalist took over south of the border, becoming a creeping influence seeking world domination.
Charles wrote, “The Americans do what comes naturally, they think of the whole world in American terms without first trying to understand what already exists somewhere else.”
Both Charles and Phillip said they had nothing against Universalists. It’s just that they wanted to be sure that we had a clear picture of our history in Canada, so that we didn’t get swallowed up and overpowered by the US movement.
But other ministers like Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed, (who once served the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto), and the late Rev. Christine Hillman, (who was serving the Unitarian Universalist Church of Olinda at the time), argued that Canada did have a strong Universalist history. Mark pointed out that, in fact, Canadian Universalists outnumbered Unitarians six to one throughout the 19th century. More importantly, both said that the Universalist side of the equation reminds us of a universal love that excludes none from its vision.
Mark wrote: “To affirm as our seventh principle, ‘the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part’, is to be a modern-day Universalist. If anything, the Unitarianism with which liberal religion in Canada has chosen to identify is a remnant of crusty twentieth century rationalism. How typical that we’re discussing nomenclature rather than proclaiming the fundamental truth captured in the Universalist phrase ‘God is Love’ – a verity found in our hearts, awakened by looking into someone’s eyes, felt while cradling an infant, witnessed as the flaming sun sets behind wind-swept pines on Georgian Bay.”
Well, I was one of those ministers who left the US and came to Canada as a Unitarian Universalist. I came into this faith twenty years after the Unitarian and Universalist merger, even though the first congregation I joined in New Jersey called itself Unitarian. We ministers, whether we come from Canada or the US, are credentialed and ordained as Unitarian Universalists. Add to the confusion, that when the movement began here in Quebec it was decided that Universaliste was better understood in French than the word Unitarien.
“Whatever you do,” a dear friend said to me as I prepared to go through the candidating process here in 2006, “don’t say Unitarian Universalist when you get there!” Back in the States you would have had your head bitten off if you left out Universalist. It was challenging not to say it when I got here.
But a lot has changed in 18 years. Once upon a time, people found and attended churches because they were in their neighbourhood. Today, people tend to find the wider movement online. Frankly, they come across the UUA website first. Then they find UU blogs, and then they go looking for a local Unitarian Universalist congregation.
“Unitarian Universalism” has become our identity whether its in our name or not. Even on the CUC website, you’ll find that it says, “As Canadian Unitarian Universalists, we envision a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice.”
“En tant qu’universalistes unitariens canadiens, nous envisageons un monde dans lequel notre interdépendance nous appelle à l’amour et à la justice.”
In French, we still haven’t figured out the best translation. Unitariens universalists canadiens, ou Universalistes unitariens canadiens… You pick whichever one sounds better.
We can say our history is Unitarian. This is the Unitarian Church of Montreal, after all, and its founders were Unitarian. (Of course, they also originally named the congregation “The Church of the Messiah,” a name that I don’t think anyone would argue represents us today). But I believe that we have gained so much by reclaiming the Universalist side of our identity.
I love that this congregation has a strong and unique identity here in Montreal. There’s no other congregation quite like us. Our history is so beautifully unique because we are here in Quebec. There’s a lot about us that’s very different from our siblings in the rest of Canada. But still, like our siblings in the rest of Canada, we do not live in isolation from what’s going on in the US in general, or in the UU movement in particular. It’s that elephant and mouse thing all over again.
So, let’s talk about this looming thing called the UUA Article II. I really don’t want to get into the weeds here, but it’s true, we can’t escape what’s happening right now with the movement in the US. This summer, the UUA voted to begin a process to changes its by-laws to better reflect the essence of Unitarian Universalism. Unlike the CUC’s governing by-laws, the UUA’s by-laws specifically include the seven principles that many of us know so well.
When you leave today, take a look at the plaque in our foyer which was created before the CUC separated from the UUA. You’ll see the words that we often read together during our new member ceremony. These are words that have inspired and guided Unitarian Universalists since the 1980s:
…[We] covenant to affirm and promote:
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
And this past year, we in Canada, added an 8th principle, covenanting to affirm and promote:
Individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic
barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions
The UUA commission that reviewed Article II of their by-laws has proposed that the seven principles be replaced with new language, rather than adding an 8th principle. People often ask me, was this to avoid controversy? The answer is yes and no.
First of all, as Katharine Childs reminded me a while ago, the original author of the 8th principle project was a member of the commission. But I can also tell you what some of the key leadership in the US shared with me personally: they looked at the CUC with great envy when we successfully passed the 8th principle. Unfortunately, a bigger movement means bigger conflicts and divisions, and so the commission decided to look for new language that would include a more detailed look at the essence of Unitarian Universalism, and provide a blueprint for action. The member congregations of the UUA will study this proposal for the next year and then vote on it at their next General Assembly.
Of course, there has been a lot of anxiety around this proposal. In my role as UUA Ambassador to the European Unitarian Universalist fellowships, I have encountered that anxiety even overseas. Change always creates anxiety. It’s just naturally built into the human condition. But here’s the thing. The UUA is not talking about throwing out the principles. It’s just considering a change to its by-laws.
My faith has been steeped in our principles for many years, first as new congregant, then as a religious educator and ultimately as a UU minister. I find some of the language stilted and out of date, — it was written by a committee in the 1980s after all — but I still feel very emotionally attached them. The affirmation of the inherent worthiness and dignity of every person, and the sense that we a but a part of a beautiful interdependent web of existence will always be at the core of what matters to me as a UU.
And I will always be proud that we passed the 8th principle, and that we have made a commitment to realize those words through our actions. Though for me, I will always prefer the original words: “to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
But what I like about the change proposed to the UUA’s Article II, is where it begins. It places love at the centre. Honestly, that is the thread that has connected us as Unitarians and Universalists throughout our entire history.
Love at the centre.
It’s in our hymns, it’s in our covenants, it’s been there in our intentions forever.
I always go back to the story of the ancient Rabbi Hillel who, when asked if he could recite all of the Torah while standing one foot, answered, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to another. The rest is commentary.” In other words, Love thy neighbour as thyself. The rest is commentary.
I remember several years ago, when UUs in Arizona were showing up wearing yellow T-shirts that said, “Standing on the Side of Love” at rallies in support of immigrants who were being held in detention centres. Other groups at the rallies started calling them the “Love People.” Today those yellow T-shirts say “Side with Love”, and UUs in the States are out in full force fighting for people’s rights to control their own bodies.
There has been a resurgence in the US movement as conservative forces have passed anti-choice and anti-trans legislation. Congregations are growing, particularly in conservative states, because they provide a liberal oasis, especially for families with trans children.
Here in Canada, we’ve tried to detach ourselves from the US for so long, and in so many ways. But just as the internet has brought new members to our doors, it has also spread its conspiracy theories and its brand of sexism, racism, homophobia and transphobia across our borders. We are not immune here in Montreal or in Canada. We can’t be idle. It’s time for us to order our own yellow T-shirts. It’s time for us reaffirm that we side with love.
Love is at the centre of Unitarian Universalism. It is the essence of who we are. The rest is commentary.