When I read this I chuckled but wound up with a headache...

The Unitarian / Universalist Jihad: :astonished: :smiley:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/08/DDG27BCFLG1.DTL

The only mistake they made: they only mentioned coffee once. :laughing:

–James

At my UU Church, coffee is a bit more important than a single mention. I guess I’ll read it anyway…

LOL! That is excellent! I sent it to my own church members… we’ll begin meeting in earnest on this as soon as we get back from summer break.

:laughing:

Right on, Sister!

:laughing:

Robin

The UU Jihad even has an article in Wikipedia.

I’ve read that before, and it rather disturbs me.

“Jihad” can mean “inward struggle,” but in English it almost always means “holy war.”

By the tone of the article, I can’t really bring myself to find mocking war funny. War is the most serious thing in the world. I don’t understand how any war can be holy.

Grenades, flaming swords, and guns cannot be instruments of peace (or humor), in my view.

Now that is hilarious.

I don’t think war is funny. I think warmongers are ridiculous which isn’t the same as finding them funny. The best way of attacking things that are nasty, serious and ridiculous I know of is satire. This is very effective satire.

I want to be Brother Stilletto of Bliss. Or if that’s taken, Brother ICBM of Joy.

what do you get when you mix a Unitarian with a Jehovah’s Witness?


Someone who knocks on doors for no apparent reason! :smiley:


Missy

Missy, in case you didn’t know, Jehovah’s Witnesses are already unitarian.

They reject the Trinity as non-biblical.

Jehovah’s Witnesses may not accept the doctrine of the trinity, so in that sense I suppose they are unitarian.

However, they have nothing --at all-- to do with the Unitarian / Universalist Church.

By the way, the idea of anybody making jihad – “holy way” – isn’t funny. What’s funny is the idea of a bunch of U/U members trying to even get aggressive with anybody.

Historically, though, they did do a good job of smuggling people out of Nazi Germany: they got a lot of folks out to safety, and risked their own lives doing it. So there ya go.

–James

In regards to Jehovah’s witnesses, the ones I know usually use the word “nontrinitarian” instead of “unitarian,” for what it’s worth. I think it is because “unitarian” is usually associated with the Unitarian Universalists, but the two words historically mean the same thing (the rejection of the Trinity).

There are lots of faiths that are unitarian without being universalist, of course.

Can I change my name to “Brother ICBM of Autoerotic Asphyxiation?”

Actually there’s a lot I like about the Unitarians and that other one…Um…Oh yeah, Unity. At least some things I like.

This satire is in the same realms as “the church of the sub genius” and that of Discordianism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discordianism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Jihad

Each seems to be themed on a different group.
Church_of_the_SubGenius has the X-day instead of the rapture, Discordianism has been compaired to many eastern religions, etc.

It seems strange that they are combining two different philosophy’s U/U and Islam. I guess I do not understand the connection. Although I doubt that Jon Carroll had any intention of this being anything but a side note. It seem that other people are finding something in it.

Indeed. Unitarian Universalism supposedly encompasses Islam, but the same can hardly be said the other way around–Islam is probably the most un-universalist (I can’t think of another word?) religion in all of history.

I can attest firsthand that Unitarian / Universalist Churches welcome anyone…even a crusty old heathen like me. :slight_smile:

It’s a “come as you are” church.

–James

You know, I understand and really appreciate that sentiment, but I don’t think it’s always a good thing. I guess…I don’t think (wo)man is good enough on his own, the way he is. Humanity is in a pretty wretched state and has been forever.

We need salvation and non-leather shoes, as Bloomfield has said. :wink:

Hmm. I thought he said that we need salivation and wet weather shoes.

Been around any extreme Fundamentalist Christian Americans lately?

Yes. Many of them are my family members, classmates, and neighbours, in fact. Fundamentalist Islam is much more un-universalist (I am positive that there is a better word here but I cannot think of it) than fundamentalist Christianity.

Compare the two and you’ll see the difference in severity immediately.