April 2017

Keep the Resilience

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Daniel Braga-Lawlor

I write this four days after the March for Science, and three days after Yameen Rasheed, a human rights focused secular blogger in the Maldives, was murdered.

What to make of all this.

I happily participated in the March for Science with my local Sunday Assembly community, and was heartened to see several, well worn, yellow "Standing on the Side of Love" t-shirts throughout the crowd. The East Bay Atheists, the Kol Hadash Humanistic Jewish Community, the Center for Inquiry, and the Bay Area Humanists were also proud and present, as was a big contingent from San Francisco's Grace Cathedral - with big "Grace for All" signs.

While "listening" to speakers before the March (Can you ever really hear them?), one of our Sunday Assembly members recounted a story from the novel Catch 22- a bit macabre - involving the mix up of a catheter and an IV. "It's crazy!" he recounted, "and when I see what's going on, I just want to shout "This is crazy!" Read more about Keep the Resilience »

The Unitarian Universalist Association Becomes a March for Science Partner

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Maria Greene

The UU Humanist Association is very proud that the Unitarian Universalist Association has signed on as a March for Science partner, and is also mobilizing UUs to participate in the People's Climate March which will be held a week later, on April 29. The March for Science is a international movement, planning the main march in Washington DC, for Earth Day, April 22, 2017, as well as over 300 satellite marches around the world. As the March for Science website states,

The March for Science demonstrates our passion for science and sounds a call to support and safeguard the scientific community.

It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.

One of the six sources for Unitarian Universalism is, "Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science," and the UUA has never wavered in its support. Read more about The Unitarian Universalist Association Becomes a March for Science Partner »

Dedication of “Ribbons Not Walls” display at Brevard UU Church, April 2, 2017

Posted on April 3, 2017 by Roger Brewin

“Ribbons” consists of twenty four fabric art panels from over 40 artists around the country. Some are based on themes or cover art from books by Hispanic authors; others directly represent aspects of the immigrant experience. “Ribbons” was displayed at the UUA General Assemblies in Louisville, KY (2013), Providence, RI (2014), Portland, OR (2015) and Columbus, OH (2016). In between, panels have traveled to over 60 venues (UU congregations, Humanist meetings, art galleries, etc), and have been viewed by over 14,000 people. More than 200 individuals (mostly UUs and humanists) have been involved in the fabrication, curation, display and financial sponsorship of the exhibit.

Following four years on the road, and the wear and tear of being repeatedly set up and taken down, “Ribbons” is transitioning to permanent sites around the country. These four panels are now on display at the Brevard UU Church, 2185 Meadowlane Ave, West Melbourne, FL 32904:

Unitarian Universalist Humanists And The Interdependent Web of All Existence

Posted on April 3, 2017 by awgonnerman

[Editor's note: this post was originally published on Adam Gonnerman's Tumblr.]

“We all have a thirst for wonder. It’s a deeply human quality. Science and religion are both bound up with it. What I’m saying is, you don’t have to make stories up, you don’t have to exaggerate. There’s wonder and awe enough in the real world. Nature’s a lot better at inventing wonders than we are.” - Carl Sagan Read more about Unitarian Universalist Humanists And The Interdependent Web of All Existence »