Sunday Sermonette: People Who Need People
If you ask me what my religious beliefs are, I will tell you I am an atheist. I do not believe in the existence of god(s), nor of the supernatural. This is not a positive belief that there are no gods or phenomena that might be called supernatural, this is the lack of belief. In the thousands of years of human civilization, no one has offered compelling evidence to support supernatural claims. In the scant hundreds of years of the Enlightenment, we have found nothing that admits of a supernatural explanation. There’s nothing of which we can say, “We used to believe this had a rational, material explanation, but now we think it’s magic. I simply see no reason to believe, but I’m perfectly willing to entertain any facts you might have.
If, on the other hand, you asked me where I go to church, I’d tell you I’m a member of First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist. Why on earth would an atheist join a church?
The fabled criminal Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” Church is where the people are. I don’t believe in gods, but I do believe in people.
A little over two years ago, I sold my dwelling of twenty years and bought a condo 100 miles away. Shortly thereafter, I retired. In those two moves, I lost virtually my entire social network. Having good friends and neighbors is one of the key ingredients for a long and happy life.
There are many ways to meet people, but some of them are harder than others. There’s the local pub, for example. Americans don’t have the pub culture of Ireland or England, but convivial places can be found. Trouble is, pubs are usually where established friends hang out, not where you go to meet new friends. There are affinity groups - you could meet people around a common interest, like yoga or stargazing. provided of course that you like twisting yourself into a pretzel or own a telescope.
A couple friends recommended the Unitarian Universalists as a good group of people, so I checked them out. I found some very nice people who I wanted to get to know better: liberal, intellectual, tolerant, welcoming. Some of them were atheists, some neo-pagan, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and so on. And they have great music.
I’m very fond of choral singing. I’ve sung in chorales and choirs most of my life. The difference with this choir is that the music was so eclectic - from classical to Broadway to the Village People. The choir director is a delightful and talented musician, and there are about two dozen singers - eight in the bass and tenor sections alone, which is remarkable.
The thing that makes choir different from more professional vocal groups is that it is made up of people who like to sing, not just the highly talented or professionals. Not everyone necessarily reads music (though it’s a big help), and not everyone has a perfect voice. There’s an alchemy of group singing where the whole of blended voices is greater than the sum of its parts.
There’s a lot more going on at First Parish, but the choir is enough for me, at least now. I’ve met a lot of wonderful folks. People who, like me, believe in people.
“I believe we’re all one family and need each other in times of grief and gladness. And I believe in the power of human ingenuity and people of goodwill to make a difference in the world. This is my credo as a Unitarian Universalist. It’s what Superman and I have in common.”
- Christopher Reeve
If, on the other hand, you asked me where I go to church, I’d tell you I’m a member of First Parish Brewster Unitarian Universalist. Why on earth would an atheist join a church?
The fabled criminal Willie Sutton, when asked why he robbed banks, replied, “Because that’s where the money is.” Church is where the people are. I don’t believe in gods, but I do believe in people.
A little over two years ago, I sold my dwelling of twenty years and bought a condo 100 miles away. Shortly thereafter, I retired. In those two moves, I lost virtually my entire social network. Having good friends and neighbors is one of the key ingredients for a long and happy life.
There are many ways to meet people, but some of them are harder than others. There’s the local pub, for example. Americans don’t have the pub culture of Ireland or England, but convivial places can be found. Trouble is, pubs are usually where established friends hang out, not where you go to meet new friends. There are affinity groups - you could meet people around a common interest, like yoga or stargazing. provided of course that you like twisting yourself into a pretzel or own a telescope.
A couple friends recommended the Unitarian Universalists as a good group of people, so I checked them out. I found some very nice people who I wanted to get to know better: liberal, intellectual, tolerant, welcoming. Some of them were atheists, some neo-pagan, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and so on. And they have great music.
I’m very fond of choral singing. I’ve sung in chorales and choirs most of my life. The difference with this choir is that the music was so eclectic - from classical to Broadway to the Village People. The choir director is a delightful and talented musician, and there are about two dozen singers - eight in the bass and tenor sections alone, which is remarkable.
The thing that makes choir different from more professional vocal groups is that it is made up of people who like to sing, not just the highly talented or professionals. Not everyone necessarily reads music (though it’s a big help), and not everyone has a perfect voice. There’s an alchemy of group singing where the whole of blended voices is greater than the sum of its parts.
There’s a lot more going on at First Parish, but the choir is enough for me, at least now. I’ve met a lot of wonderful folks. People who, like me, believe in people.
“I believe we’re all one family and need each other in times of grief and gladness. And I believe in the power of human ingenuity and people of goodwill to make a difference in the world. This is my credo as a Unitarian Universalist. It’s what Superman and I have in common.”
- Christopher Reeve