greasemonkey Posted March 12, 2006 Share Posted March 12, 2006 I'm trying to figure out a way to make this a short story... My oldest brother and one of our friends drove up from Waco & took my wife & I to breakfast, then we went to the First Unitarian Church of Dallas for the first time. I had been to a Unitarian Church in Denton (about a half hour north of Dallas) a few times 15 years or so ago; it was fun, but I lost interest fairly quickly. They were extremely informal (shorts & t-shirts crowd), they didn't do "sermons" persay; more like a lecture. The one here in Dallas was a little more formal, although not too bad. They did "hymns" of a sort, and for the most part wasn't a huge deal different than many of the church services I grew up with except for content. For those of you unfamiliar with UU, they don't believe in hell, and that all religions are just a path for spiritual growth, not a requirement. My bro had a little bit of fun with the greeter at the front (he's very active in his UU church in Waco), when he asked her if we would be prompted for when to geniculate; she kind of dryly told him "we don't do that here," then he had to push it a little past the limit when he asked "so when do you bring out the goat!?" I think that was probably the point she figured out when he was kidding. After we got seated, my brother and I got a pretty huge laugh when I asked him when we got to "start smoking & pretending to have church." Back in the earlier 70's we went by the same church with our (southern baptist minister) dad, and when my brother asked him what a "Unitarian" church was, my dad said it was "a bunch of heathens who smoked & pretended to have church." We had a good laugh about it although we got some strange looks from some folks sitting around us. Now here's the irony; I'm presently disabled. I have really strange dizzy spells that started around 2001, and I have a lot of doctors confounded by it. Sometimes my "spells" last for a few hours, sometimes they last for weeks or months; although not "arbitrary," they are still pretty unpredictable. I went to the Mayo Clinic last year, and they had a newer test that showed that excessive sound is somewhat related to the condition, but the only known cause for the results found, I tested negative for. Large echo-ey spaces can be hard on me; Wal-Mart or Home Depot runs tend to have to be pretty short. Since our social life has suffered a great deal from my condition, we are looking for some activities to get me out of the house a little more often. Although we had thoroughly mentioned the fact that the sanctuary was built by Frank Lloyd Wright (as an art student from my college days, I was frothing at the mouth to see it), it never really occurred to any of us how it might effect my condition; I've been having a really good past few weeks, so it never occured to me to bring my cane along. After the choir started in, I figured out I was in trouble; when the organ kicked in, I was pretty well trashed. The acoustics of the place really weren't that swift, but I made it through the service. I just couldn't walk out when it was over with. The sermon was one of seven on a series of the "seven deadly sins" and was actually pretty good (it was on avarice, Enron was a big theme)! When it was over, my wife got one arm, and my brother the other, and we made it out to our cars. When they were helping me out, the greeter woman asked my brother if I was all right, and he told her yes, he thought it was the goat that did it... I didn't get to see her reaction, but my wife was snickering about it for a while... All in all, we had a good time. My two (atheist/agnostic) brothers are my best friends in the world, and they make me feel more comfortable in almost any setting. I think I pretty much stopped being embarrassed by my "condition" some time back, but can't see myself going back there anytime soon (if at all); we want to find another one a little less formalized. The place was built in 1898 I believe, thats a long time for "rituals" to develop, and I don't see it (UU of Dallas) being "us." Maybe next time we'll try a different one. My bro wants to try the one in Ft. Worth next time (he really wants us to do the one in Austin, but I'm skeptical about how the drive will treat me), so I guess we'll see what happens. Does anyone know any organizations for freethinkers or atheists that provide some sort of social "support" system? Anyway... such is my Sunday story. I thought I would share it and see if anyone had any feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futurekid Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Does anyone know any organizations for freethinkers or atheists that provide some sort of social "support" system? Would this fit the bill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Does anyone know any organizations for freethinkers or atheists that provide some sort of social "support" system? Would this fit the bill? Thanks FK! That fits the bill almost perfectly! (all the locations for activities are just hop & a skip away from us!) thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I wish they had such a church in my area. That's one I wouldn't actually mind going to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 I wish they had such a church in my area. That's one I wouldn't actually mind going to. I kinda wish they had services a little more often, but it looks like they have at least a fair supply of things to do throughout the month. It definately seems more my speed, but my wife might be a different story; she doesn't care much for politics & relates more to goddess-orientented deism and Gaia theory. I guess we'll find out next month ...she's game to try about anything. The UU church wasn't bad, but the hymns and the general format of the service brought back a few memories I could have done without. The one I briefly attended in Denton didn't have any of that kind of thing. I think the last Baptist service I attended was in 1992 after a family reunion in California (I went out of respect for my grandmother); my dad did the sermon, and since he had seen me reading the Analects of Confucius, he took the opportunity in his sermon to bang on Confucius' teachings for the mere reason that they weren't in the bible. "Pissed" couldn't begin to describe how I felt ...I think that was the point I figured out that going to church out of any feelings of respect for my elders was a dead end street and told myself "never again." I think Confucius should have modified his views on ancestral reverence to the effect that the ancestors needed to be worthy of respect... yup, I guess I still have a few unresolved anger issues.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Ah. I go to church with my family on Christmas because not doing so would start a huge argument that I'd rather not get into, but that's it for me. This year I'm going to a local sci-fi convention that's always on Easter weekend, so I have a reason not to travel anywhere for Easter. I'm considering making that convention an annual event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Does anyone know any organizations for freethinkers or atheists that provide some sort of social "support" system? Would this fit the bill? Wow. I hope this idea catches on. Looks like it's EXACTLY what our society needs to replace Christianity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasemonkey Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 Ah. I go to church with my family on Christmas because not doing so would start a huge argument that I'd rather not get into, but that's it for me. I even put the skids on the Christmas thing after the reunion "experience." It's never been a big deal really; they ask every year, I say no every year. We've never let it get in the way of get-togethers at our homes, so I've never really given it two thoughts. Hell, I'm nearly 40 years old; what are they going to do ...ground me?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts