Service and Justice

Social Justice: A UU Spiritual Practice

In Unitarian Universalism, spirituality means "living the ordinary life extraordinarily well." It is awakening to the moment and being awake in the moment. It means being engaged in the world, not withdrawing from it. It means believing in life before death, not after.

Unitarian Universalists are deeply spiritual people, or at least they can be. We are spiritual because we ask ourselves what life wants from us, how we should treat each other and the world, what kind of contribution we can and should make, and what will be left after we're gone. We grow spiritually by facing those questions more honestly and deeply, and by discovering our individual answers and discerning our collective responses. From this perspective, social justice is spirituality in action.

Elements of Social Justice as a Spiritual Practice

  • Justice-making isn't a means to some end; it is the end.
  • We want to be realistic as well as idealistic in our efforts to be compassionate.
  • Our spirituality of justice is a collaborative journey not a solo adventure.
  • Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We are doing spiritual work when we make a commitment to be a welcoming congregation for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people; when we commit ourselves to study and change individual and institutional attitudes around race, class, and ethnicity; when we raise the issue of accessibility and work towards making our congregations more welcoming to people with disabilities; and when we witness for the rights of the marginalized, the oppressed, and the poor be it immigrants, refugees, farm workers, racial and religious minorities, or women, seniors, and children.

Social justice as a spiritual practice tests our ethical professions, challenges our complacency, and summons our courage. But it is not a recipe for sainthood, merely a prescription for sane, peaceful, and decent living.

Questions?

If you have questions about social justice at Cedar Lane, please contact Rev. Abhi Janamanchi at ajanamanchi@cedarlane.org. He welcomes your questions and wants to hear about what inspires you towards making positive change!

EXPLORE OUR SERVICE & JUSTICE MINISTRIES

Upcoming Events

March 18 AT 7:30 pm
March 19 AT 10:00 am
March 20 AT 7:30 pm
March 22 AT 2:00 pm