Work on Thanksgiving? Gaah! You have my sympathies. I've sometimes forgotten something I need for dinner and have been "forced" to drive out to the local supermarket. I'm always ambivalent about being able to do this. It's nice to get what I need, but I'd rather that everything was closed so that no one would have to work. (I know there are people who want or need to work on Thanksgiving day, but it's far from everyone who's actually at work.)

Posted by RSA on November 24, 2005 02:05 PM Link to comment

thanks for the sympathy... I'm one of those for whom it can at least be said that it was really needed for someone to be working the desk on the Holiday. Our company recognizes 5 holidays, and employees rotate so each person works no more than two of them in a given year. At least in theory. I got a double dose by switching rotations mid-year. They do at least have the courtesy to pay us a nominal extra for the day, and let us work an 8 instead of 10 hour shift.

Posted by smijer on November 24, 2005 02:27 PM Link to comment

so i'm really very curious as to why you've chosen to attend a UU.

the last 3 or so months i've attended a UU here in CC, TX and i like it but i still find myself battling theology and ethics etc.

i'm curious on your thoughts.

Posted by gringo on November 25, 2005 10:44 PM Link to comment

The story of how I came to visit the UU church is pretty dumb, so I won't share it... Let's just say, I showed up there one Sunday Morning thinking that I was going to find a lot of Star Trek in their theology and that the minister was probably going to ask me about my astrological sign. I didn't have high expectations, based on my one (long ago) previous visit, or their reputation.

My wildest hopes were that it would be a community of down-to-earth people, with a vision for service and the requisite organization to do good work in the larger community, and who would not preach at me.

I'll be the first to admit that the UU church isn't perfect. There are some strongly opinionated people there (present company included), some with a chip on their shoulder (my own chip has diminished in size since I started going there). Often as not, the minister's message is peppered with platitudes. Our vision and organization for working to make the Chattanooga community, the country we live in, and the world we share more healthy, strong and just.... well, we haven't "arrived". We do some good things in the community, but we don't have the size, money, or shared vision - yet - to do enough to satisfy me.

Nevertheless, the UU church hits a lot closer to my wildest hopes than it does to the expectations I carried in that first visit.

I'm not sure if you are aware of it, but I don't believe in God... but I do think there is a reason why people in every culture have some kind of church - and I don't think that the reasons all have to do with irrational fear and groupthink.

I think it is important for us to get together in groups and give each other care and support. I don't think anyone is an island. One of the few things I admire about my families' fundamentalist churches is the way they take care of each other. When a member falls ill, or becomes elderly and shut in, or has any kind of crisis, there are members of the church and the minister there to give them care and support... They visit the "shut-ins". They perform funerals. They provide transportation or groceries, or whatever is needed when a member can't take care of themselves. I think communities who do that are stronger, and their members lead fuller lives.

I also think it's important to come together as a community and celebrate. I think we have a real need to get together and sing... and even to "worship" (defined in my church as recognizing that which has worth). A little bit of time where the mind is taken off of onesself and quietly recognizing the worth in other - whatever form it takes (in my case, certainly not the supernatural) keeps us from drying up and becoming miserly... I speak from personal experience here, by the way.

It's difficult to put your heart into a community where the main focus is a theology that has no room for your own views. At the UU church, I don't have that problem. It's "BYOT" - bring your own theology. It doesn't matter so much that the person next to you believes differently than you - because it doesn't matter to them that you believe differently than they do. The minister share's his own vision and does his best to represent the visions of others responsibly, but there's no shame in thinking he's full of crap on any particular Sunday morning. He doesn't pretend to have any special relationship with the truth that we can't all share. Even if he is sharing things that are fundamental to the Unitarian ideal, and that he believes very deeply, he won't pretend that his words are binding on your conscience. He puts them out there and gives you credit for being able to accept or reject the message or its particulars by your own judgment. He encourages this. That's very nice.

I think the UU at least what I've seen of it, is in a great position to grow into a force for good in our society. There are thousands of people in every town - even here in the Bible Belt - who are unchurched... just because they cannot find a place that makes them feel welcome, answers their needs, expands their horizons, and gives them the opportunity to carry out a meaningful role in the community. I think that if they just knew enough about the church to give it a chance, it could make a great difference in their lives, and a great difference in our communities. The church is flexible and does a pretty good job (at least mine does, here in Chattanooga) of letting good ideas bubble up from the ranks, rather than strictly enforcing the agendas that come down from the leadership. My experience is that the church leaders listen and respond to the members. They trust us, and empower us - within the limits of wisdom.

Atheists don't have church... Atheism isn't an organization, or a philosophy. You can't base your life around what you don't believe in. You have to base it on what you do believe in. And, when people come together and do that - when they organize around shared values, commitments and beliefs, good things happen. It's far from perfect, but it's a darn sight better than sitting in a hermit cave and being cynical because everybody around you seems to be so caught up in such silly-seeming things.

Posted by smijer on November 26, 2005 10:33 AM Link to comment

good thoughts, i appreciate the response.

Posted by gringo on November 26, 2005 11:13 PM Link to comment

Hope yours was a great holiday.
BTW, a real fan - going back to the Larry Sanders show days - would know that it's "Jon" Stewart. :)

http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_daily_show/index.jhtml

I just hope that he sticks with the "entertainment" and "Comedy" aspect of the show when the Dems get bak in power (and I predict that they will, soon) and don't make the show "your source for left-of-center and let's-root-for-the-Democrats-central" show that happens to dabble in comedy. I think he's hilarious and I really don't care what his politics are - he's funny. Funny is funny. Tina Fey has almost ruined Saturday Night Live and I sincerely hope that Stewart doesn't (a) get as jaded as she has (b) hire some of the SNL writers.

It'd really suck if he left Comedy Central, as well, and went with a network gig. Those things are always a disaster.

Posted by RW on November 27, 2005 08:31 PM Link to comment

Well,... I used to know how to spell his damn name...

Everything else... I do agree. 99.9%

Judging by how he treated the Democratic celebrations of Corzine and Kaine... and the guys themselves, I think there's hope that he'll still be funny when the other group of bad guys is in charge.

Posted by smijer on November 27, 2005 10:50 PM Link to comment