No. 27 Sin

Facilitator______________
Date___________________

Group Session Plan from FUSN (prepared by Bob Zeeb)

Chalice/Candle Lighting

Opening Words:

" In the early nineteenth century, . . . sin became a dirty word in Unitarian and Universalist circles. Liberal theologians responded by claiming that we were born good. Any evils that manifested themselves during the course of our lives were the fault of environment, education, lack of opportunity, poor nurture, bad examples, or discrimination. These were the things that led us to fall, not sin.

Placed in the context of today’s debate, Calvinists attributed our fate to genetics, liberals to the environment. The weakness of the Calvinist argument is not that it was based on original sin, but that it involved a capricious resolution of some people’s sin by divine orchestration, while others were left hopeless, swinging in the wind. But in rebelling against this blasphemy against the creator and creation, we liberals went too far in the opposite direction. We concluded that sin was not a genetic predisposition, but rather an imposition by society upon children born not sinful, but pure and good."
Forrest Church

Check-in/Sharing

Topic/Activity:
As UU’s, we are often either actively hostile towards the notion of sin or quite vague about it. We may, as Forrest Church argues above, have over-corrected. Or the word sin may, for some of us, stir up uncomfortable associations with religious upbringings we abandoned, religions we experienced that put too much emphasis on guilt and our own shortcomings or inadequacies.

What does the word "sin" imply for you? What is the history of your relationship with this concept? In what ways do you find the notion of sin a hindrance and a weight around your neck? In what ways do you find it useful and helpful as a way to connect with the dark side of yourself and with others? Where do you fall along this continuum of belief or how do you struggle with this concept?

Select the topic and location for the next meeting

Check-out / Likes and Wishes

Closing Words:

We can shine like the brightest beacons, and so we should.
We can sparkle like the sun upon the waters.
But unless we know our darkest hearts
And touch in others what repels us to the quick,
We will float on the surface of life and spin aimlessly in the wind;
We will remain estranged from the depths of our beings.
Bob Zeeb