Like you never seen the hand of God before!

OMG, that was hilarious.

The UU has been under 200,000 my entire life. I was a cradle UU.

this is what Wikipedia says:

They were posted in religion and a search would probably bring them up.

This is what the Unitarians say about themselves.

http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/183612.shtml

Anywhere on the website of that statistical organization.

Here is the UUs again on their own membership. Their peak membership was in the late '60s, and as one commentator put it, the population of the US has doubled in this time, while the church membership has remained essentially flat.

https://www.uua.org/directory/data/demographics/281427.shtml

Last edited Sun Mar 31, 2013, 08:07 PM - Edit history (1)

At my congregation, there are as many members as 'friends' - those who attend regularly, but don't want to commit to membership. They could be attending for years, and still not want to become an official member. They aren't in the head count.

Do they pledge, or tithe?

I think that would be the difference between a member and a "friend".

long term friends definitely - but what I was referring to is the discrepancy between one article stating its growing, and the UUA's position that it's not. Membership vs attendance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Morales only referred to membership. Perhaps therein lies the difference.

I'm not really up to date with what's happening with UUs in the US, as I'm in Canada.

this reminds me of a SF Chronicle column from a few years back purporting to be the manifesto of «Unitarian Jihad.» Links are difficult on the Kindle, but you can find it readily by Googling «We are Unitarian Jihad!» The Google will also pull up the Unitarian Jihad Name Generator--mine is Sister Main Gauche of Quiet Mindfulness--should you care to have one.

Do not attempt to ingest liquids while reading this. You'll spray your computer when you laugh.l

been taken down.

Greatly disappointed!

There is only God, unless there is more than one God. The vote of our God subcommittee is 10-8 in favor of one God, with two abstentions. Brother Flaming Sword of Moderation noted the possibility of there being no God at all, and his objection was noted with love by the secretary.

I'm basically a leftist libertarian--every time I take that political compass test thingie I get further and further down into the bottom left corner. (In fact, I think I'm currently one square away from falling off it altogether.) Most of the groups I've worked with have been of the same mind and some outright anarchist--no votes at all, just talk to consensus if it takes 48 hours straight. Always accompanied by lots of and ending with . That''s pretty much the NA way, too.

I love process, parliamentary procedure, rather rigid guidelines for meetings where decisions have to be made. Talking and talking and talking to try to get to a conclusion makes me irritable.

I would do very poorly at an Occupy meeting, I think.

But it takes all kinds.

Should it be our business? I believe it is illegal in all of the US, and in many but not all countries.

I really don't know much about it. I think a lot of people would say it is wrong, but I'm not sure why. Is it not "natural" for humans, or is it more a cultural issue?

On the one hand, I think adult individuals who wish to engage in relationships involving more that two people should probably have the right to do so, as long as all are consenting.

On the other hand, the concept has been used to exploit girls and women in the past, and there still exist communities and cultures in which "consent" may be meaningless.

And, if I had a third hand, I don't think they generally work out all the well - at least not in my experience. The drama factor goes way up as soon as you begin to triangulate.

What do you think?

and that's about all I have to say about it.

it poses more problems in advanced societies than it solves. We're naturally randy sorts but some control may be worthwhile.

I'm aware of at least one South American tribe that allows all men access to all willing women so that every male member can share the responsibilities of paternity-- nobody knows who the father is, so every man acts as the father. However, people do pair off and there's that jealousy thing that pops up every so often.

In a more advanced society, however, there are property and inheritance questions that pop up, the jealousy thing is always there, and the society becomes larger and more difficult to track who is doing who and how to spread out those paternal responsibilities so things have to be regulated. Modern experiments in communes and such have rarely worked out well.

What has worked out as a reasonable substitute is that in maybe half the married couples at least one screws around with perhaps a steady boyfriend or girlfriend. Not exactly polyamory, but accomplishes close to the same thing.

It was fascinating.

But I agree with pretty much everything you say about who most modern societies and have never seen a situation in which it worked.

What I think works is the freedom to form deep, personal, but non-sexual, relationships with others that can be allowed because a couple has a deep commitment to monogamy. It's seems more liberating that being able to have multiple sexual relationships ever would be.

But that's just me.

My friend Lois and I are usually included in group events. We often arrive together and leave together. Sometimes it's a simple - pinto, is Lois coming too? or more specific - invitation to pinto and Lois.

Finally someone asked my sister. "I thought your brother's gay? Do he and Lois have a relationship?" She said, "Yeah they do. They've known each other forever and are best friends." LOL.

And it's been that way all through her marriage, her divorce and her relationships afterward. Not quite the same thing, yet a deep, personal, but non-sexual, relationship.

I found out early on that I could engage in really intimate relationships without the complications that sexual attraction can bring, and it has meant a great deal to me.

Like you, I was "coupled" with several of these men at various points in my life. I lost my very best friend to AIDS in the late 80's. I miss him terribly still.

I hope to get to meet Lois someday. Anyone who loves you as much as she does is someone I would like to know.