Have you ever read something and wondered “where has this been my whole life and why is this hidden in the depths of the internet?”. I just did.

I have long revered the mysterious workings of the universe and have tried to understand it from a scientific perspective so I can embrace and articulate a personal theology. And then I read a paper written by a former Humanist professor from Meadville Lombard and the depths at which science and theology were so intimately explained released such joy and awe inside of my heart, mind, and soul. I thought, at first, I’d just share it with the newly re-formed Humanist group, but the more I read, the more I wanted to share with all of you. In fact, I want to sit with it over tea and discuss it, pull it apart, visualize it together, and use it to cocreate a transcendent moment that we can carry forward with us as we build the Beloved Community.

Now, that being said, please note that I have some issues with the following statement, but I do realize what was happening in UU culture at the time. I just want to bring it to your attention, so as not to really get caught up in it as the most important idea in the paper: “There is a growing sense that the future belongs to those who can be comfortable with god-talk and who embrace or at least tolerate the cultural attitudes that language reflects. As a consequence, fundamental religious assumptions from the traditions of the peoples of the Book are gaining renewed currency and often an uncritical acceptance among us.”

The really theologically juicy part starts on page 3 and continues to the end. Let me know what you think and let’s plan to dig into this on October 30 for a “Tea and Theology” vespers!

https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/documents/bumbaughdavid/humanist_reverence.pdf