When I think about transformation, I often think of when people say they had a “transformational experience,” or when, as religious professionals, we look for the ways in which ministry can be transformational for our congregants. And it gets me thinking: What is all this transformation about? In my experience, a lot of people really don’t like change. Even people who say they want to be “transformed” also can really not like change! Why would we seek that which we can’t actually embrace? I tend to think it is because our entire human experience is leading to an ultimate transformation which w ..read more

How do we remain open to change and transformation? JACK CLF Member, incarcerated in MA Transforming is the action of changing every day, and each and every one of us is witness to transforming experiences whether we know it or not. For those of us in prison: we meet new inmates, new staff. We are exposed to expressions of concern, love, happiness, sadness, sorrow, and even fear. Every one of our senses meets something new or different, something we had not noticed before, something we had not heard before or smelled before, and we can be open to being transformed by them. So often we think ov ..read more

Frances Koziar CLF member Our transformations are our own, paths we choose but are never forced to take. What doesn’t kill you does notmake you stronger, but— you can choose for it to, learn lessons from your suffering that help you create what you believe in. And those transformations are yours to be proud of, no one gets to take credit for the good inside of you or the skills you have worked on, especially not those who have abused you. Because you choose your self if not your path, and that has always been your strength ..read more

Kay Anderst CLF Member, incarcerated in KS When I read that April’s theme was Transformation, I decided that it was time to share my story with the world for the first time. 2024 is a big year for me, as I have begun the Male to Female (MtF) transition process. It took a lot of prayer and soul searching to get to where I am now. My journey begins in rural South Dakota. My parents are immigrants, I am a first generation American. We are of Eastern European and Jewish descent, so old Testament laws and morals were imprinted into me as I grew up. There was right and there was wrong with no shades ..read more

When my daughter was nine years old, she asked me which religion was the “right one.” The reason this was even on her mind is that my children are part of an interfaith family. Their father was raised Jewish and I was raised Muslim. When we married, we had a secular wedding and for a time chose not to raise our children in either of the traditions exclusively. We thought we could get away with raising them with no religious identity. However, this turned out not to be the case. At the time we were living in New Jersey and my children’s best friends (also siblings) attended a conservative Chris ..read more

What does it mean to be pluralistic in our beliefs? Jack CLF member, incarcerated in MA Is God an old man in flowing robes with a long beard who looks down from on high? A Lord and Lady offering blessings to those in worshiping circles? A pantheon of Gods, each representing another face of a Supreme Being? Or Gaia, Mother Earth, in which we and all were created? Is Jesus a prophet? The long awaited Messiah? A forerunner of Mohammed? An issuer of great wisdoms like the Buddha? On the son of a supreme being — but then aren’t we all sons and daughters of the Supreme Being? Is Heaven a place of pe ..read more

Chaos and Concord battle in the collective mind. Chaos whispers to every tribe, religion, and race “Fear ‘the other’ They covet your power They envy your advantage.” She sings to each group, “You’re the stronger, the higher, the better, You’re the blessed. Privilege is your right.” Concord’s small voice speaks of equity, justice and peace. “Like us, ‘the other’ has tradition, history, community, art. Like us, they are right to exist.” “No,” cries Chaos. “Only the strong, the worthy, the majority can rule. The vote is your modern weapon for keeping them at bay. If you cannot defeat them, feign ..read more

The Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco hangs this banner in support of a permanent ceasefire now. The banner is from the Interfaith coalition of Faith Communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. Photo credit: Aisha Hauser   Recently, several people have taken the time to write to us about the ways in which we talk about Israel and Gaza, especially on our weekly talk show, Voices of Unitarian Universalism (aka The VUU). I thought that our wider community would be interested in my response. It is correct to say that the CLF Lead Ministry Team has taken a clear stance on th ..read more

February 2024 “All have their worth and each contributes to the worth of the others.” —J.R.R. Tolkien Articles Our Place in the Web Rev. Dr. Michael Tino Interdependence has been a central concept to our Unitarian Universalist faith since our current principles were adopted in 1985, and yet, too often Unitarian Universalists have focused on the implications this has for our relationship with the natural world around us, without understanding that we, too, are part of that web. Read more » Interdepedence Quest for Meaning How do you relate to and honor interdependence? Read more » Sissy Mu ..read more

Interdependence has been a central concept to our Unitarian Universalist faith since our current principles were adopted in 1985, and yet, too often Unitarian Universalists have focused on the implications this has for our relationship with the natural world around us, without understanding that we, too, are part of that web. What does it mean to acknowledge our place in the web of all existence? Our Universalist ancestors taught us that we all end up in the same place when we die. Centuries ago, they meant that all souls would be in heaven, but I like to expand this theology and filter it thr ..read more