Mind and Spirit: Emerson UU Church Young Adult Worship 4/20/03 (J Newland)

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
--Albert Einstein

Chalice Lighting by Ray Nasemann:

We gather around this flame that symbolizes:
     the truth we know
         and the truth we seek,
     the community we share
         and the community we aspire to,
     the learning that enables us
         and the mystery that encompasses.
Here we speak the languages
     of memory and hope.
Here we are welcomed,
     our journeys embraced and shared.

Reading from Freeman Dyson (From Infinite In All Directions):

"I believe we are here to some purpose, that the purpose has something to do with the future, and that it transcends altogether the limits of our present knowledge and understanding... If you like, you can call the transcendent purpose God. If it is God, it is a Socinian god, inherent in the universe and growing in power and knowledge as the universe unfolds. Our minds are not only expressions of its purpose but are also contributions to its growth."

Unitarians Universalists share a common bond: we desire both reason and spirit. What we mean by spirit does indeed vary greatly, but we all to be together in the search. I was thinking how much the deepest questions in life are like a black hole. Why are we here? Is there a god? Is there an afterlife? Why do humans do such wonderful things for each other and yet do such horrible things to one another? The nature of a black hole isn't fully understood. It attracts other things to it with great force. It is among the most powerful things in all the universe. It may well be true that humans will never really know what is inside a black hole, but that doesn't mean we won't keep trying to figure it out.

No one, especially in our religion, can claim to answer fully all of the questions. UU's require us to believe little in fact. So we often hint at answers or explanations. But the lack of certainty describes the current state of human affairs. There is, after all, much that we yet do not understand and much that we yet seen. So to UU's the "center" or most important questions, are shrouded from our sight. The Reverend Kathy Fuson Hurt says that this "center of silence" in our tradition reminds her of a phrase in the Hindu scriptures, "that from which words turn back, not having attained". We just haven't gotten to the point in humanity where we can answer those questions. We need a holistic approach. We need the mind and the spirit. The universe that is a whole that is indeed greater than the sum of all of its parts. Much like the parable of the blind men and the elephant

A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir, would you say concerning them?"

The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.

"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'

"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.

"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.

"Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.

"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus.

From pps 168 - 169 "A Chosen Faith":

We only know two things for certian: "I am," and "I will die." Religion is our response. Whether it is spoken or unspoken, concious or unconcious, inherited or chosen, we all have a religion of some sort or another, for religion is not merely a matter of belief or affiliation. It is a matter of how we choose to live.

We Laugh We Cry (verses 1 & 4) - #354 "Singing the Living Tradition":

Verse 1

We laugh, we cry, we live, we die; we dance, we sing our song.
We need to feel there's something here to which we can belong.
We need to feel the freedom just to have some time alone.
But most of all we need close friends we can call our very own.
And we believe in life, and in the strength of love; and we have found a need to be together.
We have our hearts to give, we have our thoughts to receive;
And we believe that sharing is an answer.

Verse 4

We seek elusive answers to the questions of this life.
We seek to put an end to all the waste of human strife.
We search for truth, equality, and blessed peace of mind.
And then, we come together here, to make sense of what we find.
And we believe in life, and in the strength of love; and we have found a joy being together.
And in our search for peace, maybe we'll finally see;
Even to question, truly is an answer.

Activity from "A Chosen Faith: A Study Guide"

As you consider recent scientific breakthroughs, does it seem to you that science and religion are growing closer together in an understanding of life and the universe? It has been said that science and religion are two ways of knowing or understanding the same truth. Would you agree? Are there recent discoveries or hypotheses in the world of science which affect your personal religious beliefs? Share what you understand to be the scientific grounding of one article of your personal faith, or a scientific parallel to one of your religious beliefs.

Closing Words  -  Michael A. Schuler

Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the servant of truth.
Question your convictions, for beliefs too tightly held strangle the mind and its natural wisdom.
Suspect all certitudes, for the world whirls on -- nothing abides.
Yet in our inner rooms full of doubt, inquiry and suspicion, let a corner be reserved for trust.
For without trust there is no space for communities to gather or for friendships to be forged.
Indeed, this is the small corner where we connect -- and reconnect -- with each other.