Politics - Fuel for transformation

This year has been hard for us. Our diverse communities are quite naturally filled with very diverse views. This includes political views. Though we may all be religiously liberal, indiviudal political views fill a very broad spectrum. It gets hard when attention is kept focused on one area for a very long time, such as with the war with Iraq and terrorism. What was once a vibrant diverse community can over time start to feel polarized and not very welcoming.

Are our congregations places where political views should be shared? God yes! You know the religious right is making it their mission -- perhaps even a mission charged by God -- that they lobby for their moral and political positions. Given this, I think we must. I also think that we can't be truly religious and spiritual beings without fully living our faith and that includes how our faith sheds light on our political views.

What role should congregations play? Ours differ so much that it is hard to say. Should all churches wage peace campaigns? Maybe not. Should they all have forums where people can explore how their beliefs and religious views inform their politics? Yes.

Should this happen is small groups? Having watched our groups respond to needs after the 9/11 terrorist attack, I think it is safe to say that politics and world events will always come up in groups. The question is not whether or not we should allow politics to come up in groups, but how do we handle political issues.

I think we can use politics to help people integrate their spirituality, religious beliefs and opinions. When politcal issues come up, try and move away from debate. Ask questions that relate to peoples spiritual and religious life and identity. I like to always keep some cards with the UU principles and purposes handy. Do your political opinion, your gut or emotional response, your view of the world, and the principles all agree? I always try and weave in threads of Unitarian Universalist theology, identity, history and members individual experiences, beliefs and spiritual practices into discussions.

The key is to bring it back to the person. When we do this political issues turn into fuel for personal transformation.

Ideas for dealing with politics in church?