I had no comments on the blog to last week’s piece, but I had several private responses, plus one on the Ethical Witches list. And they all said basically the same thing (though in very different ways): don’t worry about it. Some focused on my need to go deeper into my own spiritual practice. Others focused more on the individual nature of contemporary Paganism and the resulting uselessness of worrying about what our faith at large should be. And several... Read more

I’m a semi-regular commenter on the Dallas Morning News Religion Blog, and one of the things I frequently criticize about orthodox religion is its lack of this-world relevancy. Baptists make a big deal about biblical inerrancy, Catholics make a big deal about being the one true church and none of that matters much to the average person in the pew who’s looking for something to help him or her get through a difficult week and live a better life. But... Read more

I can’t say I’ve made any great spiritual progress this week, but a leaky roof and squirrels in the attic have kept me out of bed. Sometimes focusing on putting one mundane foot in front of the other is all I can do… but sometimes it’s enough. I need to re-read my own blog entries. I’m upset because I’m not having the religious experiences I want to have and because my beliefs aren’t strong enough to answer all my internal... Read more

I said I didn’t want this blog to turn into a place for personal venting, but right now I am so frustrated I could scream, or throw something, or go back to bed. Unfortunately, I have a full calendar at work, so I’ll be choosing “none of the above.” Which just makes me that much more frustrated. I’m making what feels like zero progress toward becoming the spiritual person I want to be, I’m buried in mundane life, and I’m... Read more

Over the past few years, I’ve done a fair amount of reading on history, anthropology, and psychology – all with the goal of trying to understand how religion began. I suppose that’s the universalist in me: I do think the many varied religions of our world began through the same process, although obviously their details were very different. The exact origins of religion are lost in pre-history, but much can be deduced. For me, what’s important is that every religion... Read more

The service at Denton UU was led by Scottie McIntyre Johnson, who’s beginning her third year of seminary at Perkins at SMU. It was perfect – appropriate and reassuring. You can read her sermon here: http://www.dentonuuf.org/pdf/SingingForOurLivesSermon08032008.pdf And in Knoxville, Tennessee Valley UU held a rededication service. A local TV station broadcast it live, and archived it on their website. I couldn’t find a direct link, but if you go to the video page at http://www.wbir.com/video/default.aspx and type “TVUUC” into the... Read more

photo by Angie’s Taylor Made Memories By now most everyone is aware of the shooting at Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville. I knew Linda Kraeger, who was killed, and Joe Barnhart, who was wounded. Last night we held a special service in response to this horrible act. I was asked to be one of eight speakers – below is what I had to say. We Unitarian Universalists like to preach “deeds not creeds.” It can be comforting to immerse... Read more

I said this was going to be a religious blog and not a personal blog, but at some point, the religion has to become personal or it’s of no value. So please indulge me for a few paragraphs. I’ve been a bit frustrated lately, not making the progress with study and meditation that I’d like. And when that happens, I start hearing old voices. These old voices were telling me that I was wasting my time, that all this spiritual... Read more

I just completed a new wand as part of my Druid studies through OBOD. I’m not sure the exact species of wood – it came from a thorn tree that started growing wild on the edge of my herb bed. I let it grow for most of a year (2006, I think), then realized it was going to take over the whole bed if I didn’t cut it. When I did, I saved a section of the main shaft –... Read more

Found this story via the DMN Religion Blog, about a Presbyterian theology professor who’s been suspended because his liberal interpretation of the Bible may violate a mandatory oath not to teach anything not in agreement with the 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith. My response on the DMN blog is shown below: Does anyone expect doctors to practice according to the standards of 1646? Is our view of law the same as it was in 1646 (think: slavery, witch trials)? How... Read more