Reverence as the Language

UU Ministers Association Metro NY Panel Discussion
Rev. Craig Hirshberg , Minister,
UU Congregation of Somerset Hills, NJ

I was trying to remember how I got on this panel. I was giving Reiki to a colleague with an ailing back and we were having a very brief discussion about this, I thought my colleague was in such pain that he was barely listening. In that conversation about the language of reverence, I said I think when we engage in this debate we are shooting ourselves in the foot and we should just get over it. The next thing I know, I’m on a panel.

I do believe that this debate is tantamount to shooting ourselves in the foot. First of all, it is a debate that cannot be won without alienating and/or hurting people within our congregations, and as we have seen, becoming a divisive process throughout the movement. Secondly, in circles beyond Unitarian Universalism, we appear to just be confused and confusing, to the outside world -- not exactly the message we wish to extend to the broader audience if our objective really is to grow Unitarian Universalism. The last thing we want to do is counter the hundreds of thousands of dollars we are spending to get the word out that we are a free and inclusive religious community. To then tell the world we are spending our time debating whether or not we can talk about God is totally counterproductive to the growth of Unitarian Universalism.

And third, consuming ourselves with such debate takes an enormous amount of our energy away from focusing on much greater needs and problems in our faith communities and our local communities. So I am of the opinion that maybe it is time to get over it. But how?

Back in my college days I attended a workshop on Non-violence offered by the Quakers in the town. In that workshop we were taught consensus building. To build consensus, when the group cannot agree on certain things, one can take a discussion to a higher level, to a level of less specificity, less detail, however, a level, upon which we all could agree. My interest today is not to talk about the language of reverence but to talk about reverence as a language of consensus for Unitarian Universalism. I believe the solution to this entire debate, is right before our eyes. It is in reverence itself.
Reverence is not religion. It is a virtue. It does not necessarily require a theology.

Paul Woodruff, in his book, Reverence: a Forgotten Virtue, defines reverence as “being linked to a sense that there is something larger than a human being, than self. It is accompanied by the capacity for awe, respect, what I would call humility."

Awe is that transcending quality toward someone or something, or some force greater than oneself, that encompasses respect and appreciation. It sometimes even includes great mystery. It can be applied to the power of nature or to one’s experience of God or the holy.

Respect is a genuine concern and regard for other people, or for nature, or for the natural process. It is the concern for humanity expressed through our relationships.

Humility – the understanding that we, as human beings are limited, limited in our own capacity to know and understand everything. With this humility, we are able to be open to the eternal unraveling of those cosmic mysteries, open to learning and understanding greater truth as it evolve.

This is not a new concept. The Greeks during the classical period saw reverence as an appreciation of being human – and saw reverent acts as those that worked toward greater humanity. This virtue was the capacity of all, whether superior or inferior. It ignored the differences of culture, social class, age, and gender. Reverence was about being human, being plane human, not about being Greek human or Persian human -- or in our case, being humanist human or theist human.
This brings us to our religious community, Unitarian Universalism. We are an evolutionary movement of the human spirit which has broadened our ranks from Christianity, to an all-encompassing universal acceptance of one’s search for truth in matters of religion. This evolution process brings with it, its own challenges. Each one of us probably has a different take on faith, religion, and the universe. That is, in part, what makes our coming together under the umbrella of Unitarian Universalism so special and so unique.

Of coarse, when we come from so many places, how do we find unity with each other? Especially without debate?

It is my opinion that in reverence, not the language of reverence, but reverence the virtue, we have found the common denominator for Unitarian Universalism. We have found a unifying consensual voice upon which we can agree.

Reverence transcends cultures, religions, and relative ethics. It allows the non-religious and religious alike to come together as one reverent body without debate or apology of the particular beliefs that could be used to separate us. Yet in allows all who practice it to hold on to their religious specificities with full acceptance.

Reverence can hold within its hands the acceptance and affirmation of many spiritual paths. It creates an even higher standard for religious groups than the religion itself – a standard that requires us to appreciate the sense of awe and mystery accompanying everyday life; one that demands of us to act respectfully and humanely toward all living within our interdependent web; and to act with humility, to acknowledge that we, as mere mortal human beings, cannot know or understand the great mysteries of existence, but are willing to engage with the constant evolutionary revelation of truth.
What is so beautiful about claiming reverence as our common Unitarian Universalist language is that we couldn’t find a greater need in our society today. Our current culture is becoming more polarized by religious views. Our society is becoming more separated by class and economic means. Our reverence today is for things rather than people. And we as a nation are becoming increasingly isolated in our understanding of global matters. If ever a culture needed an infusion of awe inspiring mystery, respect for humanity and a bit of humility, it is we Americans.

If we were truly in awe of the great Mystery of the universe, if we truly saw humans as works of wonder and amazement, how could we possibly polarize ourselves over religious concepts?

If we treated each individual reverently, humanely there would be no need for debate, for all would feel that their place in Unitarian Universalism would be secure.

And then there is humility. The cosmos knows we, as Americans, are not humble people. We are staunch individualists who have a right to our own independent view. However, with that independence can come arrogance. With just a little humility, with just a little acceptance and understanding that our view is often limited – limited by our culture, by the imperfection of being human, limited by the simple fact that we cannot know everything and understand everything --- With just a little humility, we might be able transcend our theological differences.

You know, we all come from the same stuff. We are made of the same stuff -- Stardust created billions of years ago – which through the natural order of time, and the awesome process of things we can’t understand, has gotten each of us to this point today. We are made of the same stuff, we come from the same stuff, and we experience some natural primordial spirit of the universe in the same way – at a precognizant place deep within.

This is a place that has no words, no definitions, and no labels. But we know that sense of awe. And when it effervesces up into the conscious home of the mind, seeking definitions and names, it is interpreted and labeled by the culture and experience -- and limitations of its vessel, the vessel known a human being. We give it a name: cosmic energy, subatomic phenomenon, Great Mystery, Gaia, Yahweh, inner voice, holy sprit, human sprit, Goddess, God, -- and then we use these labels to separate ourselves. This cognizant place is where religions find their home.

But, that sense of awe, that virtue of reverence is so much greater and more transcendent than labeled religion. It incorporates so much more, and so many more.

This is the language of reverence. It is a language that allows us to unify ourselves as Unitarian Universalists. It allows us to unify others, other peoples and other thoughts, from diverse corners of the universe.

Let’s claim it as our language. Let’s practice it, right here with each other. Let’s get really good at it, and then, take its power with us out into a hurting world.

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