Why "bad" things happen from the Unitarian Universalist Path
click for more discussions fromThe Unitarian Universalist View thru the eyes of Rev. Charles Davis
Overcoming the bad things that happen
On the file cabinet next to my desk I have a quotation “ I always believed in humanity and the holiness of the universe, including the catastrophes.” This was said to me by Ada Kozier when we were planning her funeral. She was 94 and her life had its catastrophes. Born Jewish in Germany she escaped as Hitler rose to power. She moved to Spain where Francisco Franco imposed fascism. She emigrated to New York. She moved south to care for her ill sister then ended up needing care for terminal cancer.
She told me that her sister and father spent their lives angry at God. She said she had it easier because she stopped believing in God. Seldom is the loss of faith perceived as a positive benefit. Yet, for her, it was. She did not spend her time worrying about what sin God was punishing her for or worrying why God punishes innocent people. Free from these worries she focused on helping humanity. She worked as a social worker and advocate for civil rights.
Loss of faith creates a vacuum that will be filled. Unitarian Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “a person will worship something –have no doubt about that….That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our lives and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we worship we are becoming.” Ada replaced her faith in God with a faith in humanity. I remind the humanists in my congregation that faith in humanity may take more imagination than faith in God. After all, Hitler and Franco were Human.
If Emerson was right that we become what we worship, then those who honor humanity become more humane. It is not always pretty. Human frailties often lead to catastrophes. Yet in the midst of catastrophe rises the spark of human kindness. From the midst of a concentration camp rose Victor Frankl a psychologist who found life had meaning even in the most brutal and absurd circumstances. From the midst of British imperialism rose Gandhi and his message of nonviolent resistance. From a jail cell in Birmingham Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.”
Bad things happening to good people seems like the height of injustice but it is part of life. We can either complain and blame or we can seek a solution. How do we respond humanely? For theists in a Unitarian Universalist Church the response is to more accurately reflect the image of god found in all humanity. UU Atheists search for whatever is good in themselves and others and pursue it. A particular belief is less important than an attitude that it is possible to overcome adversity. In the midst of catastrophe look for holiness. Seek the good you and you may find it. Even if you never find it, living in hope is superior to a living in despair.
On the file cabinet next to my desk I have a quotation “ I always believed in humanity and the holiness of the universe, including the catastrophes.” This was said to me by Ada Kozier when we were planning her funeral. She was 94 and her life had its catastrophes. Born Jewish in Germany she escaped as Hitler rose to power. She moved to Spain where Francisco Franco imposed fascism. She emigrated to New York. She moved south to care for her ill sister then ended up needing care for terminal cancer.
She told me that her sister and father spent their lives angry at God. She said she had it easier because she stopped believing in God. Seldom is the loss of faith perceived as a positive benefit. Yet, for her, it was. She did not spend her time worrying about what sin God was punishing her for or worrying why God punishes innocent people. Free from these worries she focused on helping humanity. She worked as a social worker and advocate for civil rights.
Loss of faith creates a vacuum that will be filled. Unitarian Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “a person will worship something –have no doubt about that….That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our lives and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we worship we are becoming.” Ada replaced her faith in God with a faith in humanity. I remind the humanists in my congregation that faith in humanity may take more imagination than faith in God. After all, Hitler and Franco were Human.
If Emerson was right that we become what we worship, then those who honor humanity become more humane. It is not always pretty. Human frailties often lead to catastrophes. Yet in the midst of catastrophe rises the spark of human kindness. From the midst of a concentration camp rose Victor Frankl a psychologist who found life had meaning even in the most brutal and absurd circumstances. From the midst of British imperialism rose Gandhi and his message of nonviolent resistance. From a jail cell in Birmingham Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.”
Bad things happening to good people seems like the height of injustice but it is part of life. We can either complain and blame or we can seek a solution. How do we respond humanely? For theists in a Unitarian Universalist Church the response is to more accurately reflect the image of god found in all humanity. UU Atheists search for whatever is good in themselves and others and pursue it. A particular belief is less important than an attitude that it is possible to overcome adversity. In the midst of catastrophe look for holiness. Seek the good you and you may find it. Even if you never find it, living in hope is superior to a living in despair.
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