Celebrate!
We have a pretty wide variety of holidays to celebrate this month, from the feast that ends the month-long fast of Ramadan to the pagan festival that honors our connection to our ancestors (and is the foundation holiday for Halloween). So rather than a single theme this month we’re going to match up bits and pieces to different holidays.
Click on any of the links below to find out more about the holiday and how you might celebrate it.
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We Honor… |
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| our ancestors as part of celebrating the pagan holiday of Samhain. Samhain (pronounced SAH-wun) marks the halfway point between fall and winter, and was believed to be the point in the year when the separation between the living and the dead was the thinnest. How that turned into roaming the streets looking for candy is another story. Instead, maybe we can think about the fact that religions, like people, have ancestors. Usually this section is a bout a Unitarian, Universalist or Unitarian/Universalist who did something special. But for Samhain, let’s take a look at someone who lived long before the idea of a Unitarian and/or Universalist religion had ever crossed anyone’s mind, but who still played a major role in setting forth ideas that were important to our religion that was to come.
Besides, it’s fun to think that the origins of UUism might come from a man named Origen.
Origen was born in Alexandria, Egypt, 185 years after the death of Jesus. He was born into a Christian family at a time when that religion was still relatively new. The Roman emperor Severus didn’t like this new religion, and persecuted the early Christians, including sending Origen’s father to prison, where he was eventually executed. A teenager, Origen wanted to show his faith and suffer as a martyr like his father, but was saved from this fate by his mother, who hid his clothes on the day he was going to run off to join his dad!
A brilliant young man, Origen had studied religion since he was very small, and at 18 he became the President of the Alexandrian School of Theology. In the course of his life as a scholar he published over six thousand works, and his commentaries influenced which books were included in the Christian Scriptures. But life was not easy for Origen. The persecution of the Christians continued, and he was tortured for refusing to say that the Roman Emperor was superior to God. But the Romans were not the only ones unhappy with Origen. Through the centuries to come, Christians from the 7th Century Bishop of Rome to the religious reformer Martin Luther in the 16th Century declared that his soul belonged in the eternal torments of hell.
What did he say that people found so shocking? Well, he said that we should look to the Bible for inspiration, but not think that everything in it is literally true. He said that Jesus did not share full equality with God, a belief which is the basis for the Unitarian part of our name. He said that we should seek knowledge and wisdom wherever we can find it, and that broad education only enriches faith, rather than taking away from it. He said that people need to turn toward their own reason in seeking the truth, rather than accepting the authority of the Bible or the Emperor. He did not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, that people are born guilty, but rather thought that we each have the ability to choose between good and evil. And he thought that religion was best displayed by the way we live our lives in caring for others and the world, not just by the religious rituals we went through.
Origen might not have been a Unitarian Universalist, but his beliefs sound pretty familiar to UUs more than 1800 years later. Definitely an ancestor to honor! |
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Nurturing Your Spirit
Last month this section talked about the spiritual discipline of fasting, which is practiced by Jews during the holiday of Yom Kippur, and by Muslims during the daylight hours for the 30 days of Ramadan. But this month brings the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the days of fasting. And what do you do at the end of a fast? Have a feast! Of course, feasting is an important way of marking all kinds of celebrations, from religious holidays like the Jewish holiday of Passover to North American celebrations of Thanksgiving to weddings and birthdays and you name it. There is something very special about sitting down to eat with the important people in your life, sharing special foods and generally reveling together. And it’s even more special when you are part of making the feast. Even if it’s just for a nice weekend dinner, cooking for your family and/or friends is a great way to show you care. And of course the eating part is pretty great too!
Ask a parent or grandparent to teach you how to make one of their favorite recipes, or click here (http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/kids/) for some kid-friendly recipes and cooking suggestions. |
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Principles in Practice
In honor of the Feast Day of St. Francis, it seems like a good time to remember our seventh principle: “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” In other words, we recognize that all of life is bound up together, and that we need to remember the importance of our relationships not only to other people, but also to the animals and plants of the world. St. Francis was known for his respect for all living creatures, whom he addressed to as “sister” and “brother.” The stories that St. Francis was able to speak with animals are probably not literally true, but having the attitude that animals have something to say, and that it is worth our while to listen, is certain part of “respect for the interdependent web of all existence.”
How do you listen to animals? Well, it’s easiest to start with one you know well and which would like to communicate with you, like a pet dog or cat. Dogs and cats not only talk with their voices, barking and meowing, they talk with their whole bodies, from the position of their ears, to the shape of their eyes or mouths to how they hold or move their tails. You probably know that a cat swishing its tail back and forth is likely to be angry, while a dog swishing its tail back and forth is probably happy. Watching animals carefully and keeping an open mind are key parts of understanding what an animal has to say. Sometimes, for instance, if you hug a dog it will lean in and say “I love you too.” But just as often their ears or tail might say “Excuse me! I’m getting squished here!” Birds, lizards, crabs, bugs and pretty much any animal you can think of will also have its ways of communicating. Just remember that most animals –- especially those who aren’t pets -- want to communicate with other animals of their kind, not with you. So stand back and watch and listen and see if you can catch a glimpse of what is being said. |
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Act!
Usually this section of KidTalk has some suggestion about what you might want to do to make the world a better place. But this month we want to highlight a special group of kids who decided on their own that they wanted to make a difference. Mom Tami writes:
Our family are members of the CLF. I would like to tell you what my children did this summer... I'm very proud. My 3 oldest children (Jordan 12, Chandler 11, and Katy 9) rode their bikes (along with me) over 300 miles to raise money for hearing impaired kids. They thought this up on their own... worked hard at raising the funds...and completed the trip in 7days.... The money was turned over to the H.I.K.E foundation September 8th with the total reaching $1023.
When I asked to hear about what inspired this impressive journey, and about how Jordan, Chandler and Katy felt about their experience, this is what they had to say:
Jordan: My brother said "I bet you can't ride all the way to the Soo."
Chandler: It was just a sarcastic comment...I knew boys aren't really better then girls...I thought they'd back down.
Jordan: So I took him up on it. Then we heard all about how crazy we were. I needed something to ride for...something that made me feel like I wasn't crazy. That's when a friend of the family suggested we ride for HIKE. I'm a member of Job's Daughters (a Masonic youth organization) and so is our friend. HIKE is the international philanthropy.
Katy: When I found out we were going to ride for HIKE that's when I wanted to get in on the ride. We have very little and cannot give money to others, but I can ride a bike. Finally I can give something!
Jordan: So when "Mom" Holman gave us the idea to ride for HIKE I set out to raise the money. Masonic bodies seemed the best place to start. From there it kind of went "BOOM!"! My dad was so proud of our choice he contacted newspapers along our route. They took pictures and did interviews and even that brought in money. Sometimes just $5 being handed to us in the parking lots while we took water breaks! Another big chunk of money came from the Caro Rotary Club. I was so scared to go in front of so many people. I told them what we were doing—they gave me a standing-o and passed the hat!
Chandler and Katy: We were too afraid to ask people for donations. We didn't think anyone would care what or why we were doing it. We were wrong.
Chandler: The bike ride was really hard! Sometimes I wanted to quit, but I knew there were people depending on me to get to the end! I did get to see really cool things that normally if we were zooming be in a car you'd never see.
Katy: I thought the ride was easy and I had so much fun. I loved it when we got to see the lake...It was like God watching us and us watching God! All I know is I'm just a kid and I helped kids!
Jordan: I was very tired after the first few days. But over all I felt so awesome about what I was accomplishing! Chandler is right, it was very hard and there were times I didn't think I could do it. Then a car would pass by, beep and wave. We wouldn't know them but they knew who we were and what we were riding for and that was the encouragement I needed. I don't know who will gets the hearing aids from the money we raised, but it's someone who needs them and that's all that matters.
Tami and Charlie: Our youngest son Charlie, 7, did not ride this year but wants to next year. He worked on Pit Crew and this is what he had to say about the whole thing: "I liked being pit crew—it was real fun helping. My big job was refilling the water bottles...I helped my family help other families."
Too cool! If any other CLF kids are doing great things like this to help others, I’d love to hear about it (lungar@clfuu.org) so we can share it in this space as well. And if you’re needing a little encouragement to try your own project, you heard it here!
Just a few more words in closing from Tami:
I thought the church would like to know that despite the fact there is no physical church for us...my children are learning their UU principles very well.
If anyone is interested, there is a website that was set up for Jordan during the trip. http://bike4hike.tripod.com |
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