The Religious Life of an Atheist
This morning’s sermon at the UU Church of Muncie was entitled “It Matters What/That/How We Believe,” by the Rev. Barbara Coeyman. As a liberal faith, UUism is often perceived of as lacking the foundation that underpins other religions, embraced by people who don’t believe in anything and who attend church merely for fellowship—in other words, that UU church is essentially a social club.
But for many, if not all, UUs, our church is not simply a place to socialize. The services matter. And while it’s true that there’s no theological doctrine that UUs must ascribe to as a prerequisite to membership in the church, still, broadly speaking, most of us do share the same faith.
Our faith is encapsulated by the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism. For me, the Seventh Principle—“Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are all a part“—sums up the other six, and it forms the foundation of my spirituality, my faith.
For UUs, neither faith nor spirituality requires belief in a deity. Religion involves shared principles that we consider larger than ourselves, and that we use to guide our thoughts and behaviors—our interactions with and within the world. UU’s Seven Principles qualify. As in all religions, some adherents understand, emphasize, or follow some of the principles more, or more closely, than others.
The Seventh Principle encompasses a number of religious concepts that I believe in. First, that the well-being of the planet and the various species it supports is more important than my own. Second, that the well-being of other individuals is as important as mine, and that the quality of their experiences matters as much as mine does. Third, that the well-being of members of all ethnic/cultural groups across the country and across the globe is equally important. Fourth, that I am intimately bound, in ways I’m not even aware of, to every other being on the planet. Fifth, that suffering is the defining quality of evil, and that it should be alleviated to the greatest extent possible. Sixth, that I have an obligation to live in accordance with these beliefs, that they should guide my thoughts and behaviors, and that where and when I fall short of honoring them, I must try to better embody them. When I don’t, I experience the same disquiet that some religions describe as an awareness of one’s “sins”—that I know I should do better, and that in not doing better, I deeply disappoint myself. I don’t believe in any divine being that will punish me for those sins, but my own remorse is punishment enough, and it usually spurs an effort to better conform to whatever principle I am failing to live up to.
I once heard UUs described as a group that “licks the sugar off the pill” of theistic religion. Not so. Living out my faith requires as much self-discipline as is required of anyone by faith in any deity. It is rife with the same “spirit of conviction” that Christians point to as the result of offending the Holy Spirit. I honor a holy spirit too, but it isn’t the manifestation of a divine being; it is, rather, my understanding of what it means to live an ethical life—to promote universal well-being and to oppose any threat to it.
I am not a perfect actor. I fall short in the practice of my faith. But, like any religious practice, my efforts to live up to my beliefs foster not just a clearer conscience for myself, but better relationships with others (including non-human others). As I strive to more closely align my behavior with my own holy spirit, I am following the same process that any conscientious adherent to any theistic religion does. In both cases, the process and its results are just as flawed and just as sacred.
Some UUs are theists; some are not. But UUism insists that belief in a god isn’t required to live a fully spiritual, religious life.
That’s precisely why I’m a UU.