"Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces that create and uphold life."
– UUA Bylaws
Reading: Part I, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 3-38)
1. What did you find most interesting in Part I of A Chosen Faith?
By yourself: Make an entry in your notebook of anything that particularly interested you about your reading in Part I.
With a group: Share comments on a voluntary basis.
2. In Chapter 1, Forrest Church describes his experience with the Jefferson Bible. Has there been a comparable experience in your life when you "saw the light" in a new way? Would you call this a religious experience?
By yourself: Use your notebook to describe an experience of "awakening" that you remember. If "religious experience" is a term you use, make a note of what constitutes such an experience for you.
With a group: Take turns saying what you mean by "religious experience," if that is a term with meaning for you. Share any such experiences or times of "awakening" with one another. If yours is a large group, you may choose to break into smaller groups so that everyone has a chance to share.
3. In Chapter 2, John Buehrens comments that people sometimes say, "I'm not religious," when they really mean they are not religious in the conventional sense. Even though we may not be religious in other people's terms, each of us grows a personal religion out of our own life experience. What experiences have shaped your personal religion? Does Jesus play a part in your personal religion? Do you consider yourself a Christian?
By yourself: Imagine that a religious fundamentalist has asked you one or both of the last two questions in Step 3 above. Write in your notebook what you would say in response, calling upon the experiences which have shaped your answer.
With a group: After a show of hands on the last two questions in step 3 above, find someone whose answers are different from your own. Sit down together and share the experiences which have shaped your answers.
4. John Buehrens writes about the experiences that shaped the beliefs of Margaret Fuller, William Ellery Channing, and John and Judith Sargent Murray. Each has made a contribution to the UU faith we share today. Can you find in their experiences the seeds of some of the seven principles discussed in the last session?
By yourself: Choose one of the people above and conduct your own interview, dialogue-style, in your notebook.
With a group: Participants might enjoy role-playing one or more of these famous people as others in the group interview them about their religious experiences of "awakening."
5. Turn to the questions raised in the last paragraph of Chapter 1 (p. 17):
Choose one question and respond to it out of your personal religious experience. Write your response in your notebook.
By yourself: You may be interested in writing responses to all the questions over a period of time.
With a group: Close the session by reading your responses aloud. Remember that it's always okay to pass.
6. For the next session, read Part II, Chapters 3 and 4 (pp. 41-77). If you're leading a group, remind participants of the reading.
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