Philocrites makes a great point. In the Christian tradition, a person’s identification as a Christian is traditionally marked by a baptism. It is a public and symbolic ritual celebrated with a gathered community.
Which is to say it is not a private or legal ritual, even when it is required for formal, legal membership in a congregation. Before it is anything else, it is and initiation ritual commanded by God.
Persons who are already baptized can then celebrate communion, a ritual hearkening back to Christ’s death. Among other things, it symbolizes continuing identification as a Christian.
And other religious traditions have their own rituals that hold similar symbolic importance.
As Philocrites points out, as a movement we have only the merest hint of a initiation ritual—signing the membership book.
To widen and deepen UU identity, we need both a movement-wide initiation ritual, rituals marking congregational membership, and rituals marking and deepening continuing identification with Unitarian Universalism.
Chutney, your post seems to suddenly cut off. Might want to check on it.
Ack. Thanks for the heads up.
I like the initiation ritual idea very much. Now there is the Naming Ceremony, but I take it that this isn’t universal, (and not done for adults). Sort of a child’s initiation, I guess.
Movement-wide rituals? Good luck with that idea. It flies in the face of Congregational Polity and sounds like the first steps towards a Unitarian Universalist dogma. Personally, I find it somewhat disturbing.
Lance, do you find chalice lighting disturbing?
Nope. I like the Chalice Lighting. I’m not opposed to rituals in UU services. Goddess knows I’m a Pagan, so I’m all about the rituals. I think I was reacting to the implied idea that UU congregations should all pick up the same membership rituals, and that raised my hackles a bit.