Evening worship service – Dan Harper

Below is an excerpt from an evening worship service led by Dan Harper at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, in Kensington, California. As usual, the text below is a reading text. The actual worship service contained ad libs, interjections, and other improvisation. The dialogue below is copyright (c) 2003 Daniel Harper.

“Four Voices”

Dan:

How do politics and liberal religion relate to each other? Do religious liberals speak only in one political voice? Hear these voices speaking words that might be spoken by religious liberals.

One:

I am a religious liberal. I believe in the use of reason. I support the democratic process. I believe that it doesn’t matter whether or not my neighbor believes in God. I believe that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, and that I can work to make this world a better place.

And I believe that large corporations represent a threat to democracy. There is too much power concentrated in their hands, and as they push towards globalization, the voice of the individual gets lost. I believe we must fight globalization.

Two:

And I believe that a strong economy makes for a strong democracy. If people can’t eat, they won’t take the time to vote. Corporations serve as necessary and important sources of capital to keep the economy strong, to provide jobs, to continue economic development. Global corporations bring economic development to Third World countries, thus helping the spread of democracy.

Three:

And like Henry Thoreau, who was raised a Unitarian, I believe “that government governs best which governs least.” Government should stay out of the lives of individuals, and should not, for example, legislate against homosexual marriages. Our government should not get involved in wars or military actions overseas, and should resist a military build-up that requires raising taxes. Government should not limit the free market by restricting corporations.

Four:

I might be a political conservative. I might be a political liberal. Politically, I might be a libertarian, a radical leftist, a moderate. But I will always be a rleigious liberal, committed to free and open discussion of all issues.

Dan:

We Unitarian Universalists have never had a creed — we have never believed that any one person, or any group of people, can ever have the complete and final answer to any question. Because of this, we have historically believed that we must talk openly and honestly with people with whom we may disagree. And this should be as true for us in the political realm as it is in the religious realm.

Once we lose our openness, once we become defensive, once we stop talking with and listening to those with whom we disagree — then we begin to slide into the position of creedalism. And then democracy is in danger. It’s hard work to listen carefully, and to talk openly. In this presidential election season, may we remember that one of our deepest religious ideals is free and open discussion, even with those who hold opposite political views from us.

Meditation

Let us enter into a time of meditation and prayer, first with music, then with spoken word, and finally a time of silence.

“If it is language that makes us human, one half of language is to listen.
“Silence can exist without speech, but speech cannot live without silence.
“Listen to the speech of others. Listen even more to silence.
“To pray is to listen to the revelations of nature, to the meaning of events….”

So wrote Unitarian Universalist minister Jacob Trapp.

Whatever we may call it: God, Spirit of life, that which represents the best part of our selves
This we call upon to give us strength
To be with one another, to listen to one another
It is good to be with people
It is good to feel others near by, to know that there are those near us from whom we can draw support
May we overlook petty differences
May we tolerate the largest differences
May we always see that common links that link person to person, that link me to you and both of us to all humanity
If we have come here to find peace from the troubles of life, may we have a moment of peace
If we come here to find strength to again go out an face a difficult and even hostile world, may we find that strength here and now
May we be granted the hope to make things better, the courage we need, and the love of others; that a day may come when all shall make together a life worth living.