Open and affirming churches/religions of all types

[stephfromMIT]

Amanda and I moved from Catholicism to UU during HS. We love our current church. It will host our wedding.

[princessbelle]

Hey out there to the spiritual people on BFP!!!!

Anyone who believes in any entity, I am asking anyone and everyone to please pray for our Country, The United States, tonight.

We NEED prayers. We NEED President Obama to win for ALL of us, no matter what continent you are on.

Please!!!!!

Peace, love and light to ya'll!!!!!

[aishah]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

Hey out there to the spiritual people on BFP!!!!

Anyone who believes in any entity, I am asking anyone and everyone to please pray for our Country, The United States, tonight.

We NEED prayers. We NEED President Obama to win for ALL of us, no matter what continent you are on.

Please!!!!!

Peace, love and light to ya'll!!!!!

you know i'm praying!!

i think the reason i'm not as anxious as last time is that...i'm trying to trust in god. or something. whatever happens will happen.

i believe god is here even in the middle of all this partisan hateful bullshit and horrific storms and possible impending austerity measures and human rights violations and drone strikes.

i'd completely lose my mind if i didn't believe that.

i also want to look forward, past the next four years, and hold on to a future vision for our world that's bigger than one president or one country. when i think of the big picture, it makes it easier to breathe.

praying!!

[sharkchomp]

I've been so blessed to find my church in Knoxville, TN The Pastor is a lesbian and the church is open to all GLBT and S too! LOL

check out their link and if anyone is interested in attending I'll be happy to take you in and introduce you (be warned they're the huggingest people I've ever met! lol)

http://www.godsremnantministries.org

~~~shark~~~~~~~

[Sun]

Originally Posted by stephfromMIT

Amanda and I moved from Catholicism to UU during HS. We love our current church. It will host our wedding.

stephfromMIT, if you are in Cambridge than you must be attend Rev Fred Smalls congregation. Wow. He is amazing.

Greetings everyone,

Just found this thread. Thank you all for posting. With the holidays approaching and some people possibly seeking a safe welcoming place, I thought that I would share my experiences. Like Steph and Amanda, I am also a Unitarian Universalist and have been for 17 years. The congregations are welcoming and affirming.

We have the largest number of queer ministers of any denomination. There is a curriculum called The Welcoming Congregation, for those congregations who want to be certified as "welcoming", meaning they are really willing to do the work and train. The curriculum covers the intersections of homophobia, gender identity and religion.

Everyone is welcome. There is no doctrine or creed, this is what we believe:

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;

The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.


Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:

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 which create and uphold life;

Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;

Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;

Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;

Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;

Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.
_______________________________

It is my hope that those of you who are looking for community will seek out your local UU Congregation. More information is available on the

UUA Website

[iamkeri1]

UU has been supportive of the queer community for a long time. They provide the cradle which allows many MCC and UCC churches to develop. I attended UU for some time while I lived in Michigan, and would attend here except for the distance. I, too would encourage folk to try them out.
Smooches,
Keri

[Sun]

Hi Keri,

I forgot to mention that there is an online church for people who do not have a UU congregation nearby and it is lead by a lesbian Minister Rev Meg Riley who is wonderful:

The Church of the Larger Fellowship

[JAGG]

Unity Church of Christianity is where I go . Everyone is welcome and embraced, just the way they are, for who they are. As it should be in life. It's very spiritual , doesn't feel like organized religon to me.

[Sun]

A UU friend posted this on Facebook today and I thought it would be nice to share





Today for Transgender Day of Remembrance, a special offering to Kwan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion, who was born in India as Avalokiteshvara, assigned a male sex, and transitioned to female gender when she traveled to China (which is how she is known in Korea and Japan as well). May 'she who hears the cries of the world' keep all who do not fit into prescribed norms safe and loved today and every day.

[fever]

Sun, this is not only a beautiful picture, it is informative as well. Thanks for posting it.

Originally Posted by Sun

A UU friend posted this on Facebook today and I thought it would be nice to share





Today for Transgender Day of Remembrance, a special offering to Kwan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion, who was born in India as Avalokiteshvara, assigned a male sex, and transitioned to female gender when she traveled to China (which is how she is known in Korea and Japan as well). May 'she who hears the cries of the world' keep all who do not fit into prescribed norms safe and loved today and every day.