All humanity must pass through essential developmental stages to become mature beings. To become mature religious people, we must also pass through developmental tasks, which are undertaken all the time and not necessarily in any particular order. These developmental stages are: discerning human nature (including one’s own nature); coming to terms with one’s relationship with Ultimate Reality
(by whatever name we call it); defining one’s place in the historical process; developing an ethical stance with regard to one’s relations to others and the natural world; and creating a meaning or meanings that provide purpose for the human endeavor.

Each of these tasks helps give birth to one’s religious philosophy. The essential thing is not so much how one labels these values (for example, whether one uses the term “God” or not), but that these values be understood and made real in the life of the person. This program is largely built on undertaking these
tasks.

Reading for Session 1 (September 10)

Reading for Session 2 (September 17)
Worksheet for Session 2

Session 3 (September 24)
We will be sharing the spiritual biographies we started writing in Session 2; see the worksheet for full instructions.  Share as much or as little as you like; the most important work is thinking about it.

October 1 – Spiritual Outing – no class

Reading for Session 4 (October 8)

Reading for Session 5 (October 15)
We will be discussing our ideas of human nature.

Reading for Session 6 (October 22)
Ideas of God

Session 7 continuation of Session 6 (October 29)

Reading for Session 8 (November 5)
DRE Sara Lewis offers a brief history of Unitarian Universalism at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation (36 minutes)
A couple of short videos
History of Unitarian Universalism
http://www.uua.org/beliefs/history
Unitarian Universalist Origins: Our Historic Faith
http://www.uua.org/beliefs/history/our-historic-faith
And a set of Power Point presentations on UU history

Reading for Session 9 (November 12 )
Are the Ten Commandments out of date? lf so, how can we nail down some ethical convictions when, morally, “everything nailed down is coming loose”? ‘ What are the rules you live by? The reading has a couple of examples. If you have others you swear by, or want to write down your own, bring them with and we will share.

Session 10 (November 19)
Writing a Credo