8 Bonnybank Road Dear Members and Friends, My goodness, doesn't the time pass quickly? It's been a busy three months for me, what with dealing with a Summer cold; entertaining grand-children; weddings; dealing with an awkward and seemingly intransigent computer which didn't want to be upgraded (!) and so on. How did I ever find time to work??? I've had a couple of letters from our Crieff member, Mr Bill Gauld. The first offered to place some of our S.U.F. literature in the Crieff Public Library; the second advised me that the material I had sent to him, which had been placed in the Library, had now all been taken up, and could he have some more! Unfortunately, this has not yet resulted in any known response .......but at least we are spreading the 'word'. I know that other members have put some in their local libraries - but it would be helpful if all members would help in this way. Or, even better, speak about our Fellowship to friends and relations! Anyway, on to world matters. What an awful catastrophe in Turkey - apparently aggravated by shoddy workmanship motivated by personal greed. There are so many examples of such human frailty in our modern society, so many of which lead to fatal consequences and much human distress. The B.S.E. crisis springs immediately to mind. I have always said that if, when I die, I can leave the world a teeny bit better place than when I entered it, then my life has not been in vain. But it seems that we Unitarians are
fighting a losing battle against the forces of a loveless, godless, materialistic world order. But, Nil desperandum! It just needed one man to change the whole world, so if we each do our own little bit - it might just work!!! Colin
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Some Ethical Commandments: Be a good friend |
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A CONTRAST - FOR UNITARIANS (of all shades) TO PONDER:
'The words of one Heath Town (Wolverhampton) neighbour - spoken without a hint of irony - illustrate the sick morality of heartless Britain:
'Of course there are times when you need to leave the
kids. What else are you supposed to do when you go down the- pub?'"
(Reported in the Sunday Express, January 2nd.,1994)
Surely a better time must be drawing nigh when god- like human beings will become truly humane, and learn to put their animal fellow mortals in their hearts instead of on their backs or in their dinners.
In the meantime, we may just as well as not learn to live clean, innocent lives instead of slimy, bloody ones. All hale, red-blooded boys are savage, the best and boldest the savagest, fond of hunting and fishing. But
where thoughtless childhood is past, the best rise the highest above all this bloody flesh and sport
business, the wild foundational animal dying out day by day, as divine, uplifting, transfiguring charity grows in.'
(The Story of my Boyhood and Youth, John Muir)
| I believe human nature is searching, growing, and becoming . . . . . . |
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PAUSE FOR THOUGHT
What is LIFE? That's far too big a question to be answered in just
so few words - even if it could yet be answered at all! But what I can claim is that an essential,
inherent part of LIFE is CHANGE! We who are alive are in a process of change. The cells of
our bodies are changing as we grow older, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second.
We exist within an environment which is also in a process of change. As we board a
train, bus, ship, car, bicycle and move, we experience CHANGE! The weather CHANGES! The loaf
of bread in the bread-bin CHANGES. Even the bread-bin itself CHANGES - it grows older!
The seasons CHANGE. We switch on the TV - and we experience CHANGE! It's
just as well, for otherwise the picture would remain constant and there would be no news! Indeed, the
whole experience is bound up with CHANGE!
Of course, CHANGE can be benign, progressive, constructive. Or CHANGE can be destructive, aggressive. Just like a
volcano, which can be explosive or flowing, so too can be any experience of change. BUT, we can't ignore
CHANGE. It is part of LIFE! I have just invested in the process of
technological change - I have purchased a personal computer! I have tried to avoid this for a long
time, feeling that I am too old to need to participate in this part of contemporary society. But I'm NOT!
It may be a bit harder to accept - but just like a TV it is now considered to be an essential part of any household,
so too ere long will be the P.C. So I've jumped on the band-waggon! My E-Mail address
is: colin.wicker@virgin.net And, of course, you will find the S.U.F. together with
a picture of my head on http://www.suf.org.uk GOSH! -
I'm catching up with my six year old grandson - who is, of course, completely
computer-literate!
But where does the church fit in with this essential process of CHANGE? Some
would claim that as an instrument of God (who apparently never changes) it should never change
- it is timeless. But the church is a HUMAN institution - so it should change. So I believe
that our SCOTTISH UNITARIAN FELLOWSHIP is part of that same process of CHANGE...
Rev. Dr Colin Wicker
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An E-Mail from Terry Ducheane
(to me at colin.wicker@virgin.net)
(My first main thought) is the use of the word 'tolerance' . It is one of those I have always disliked in connection with another's belief, because I associate it with Christians. They tolerate only because they have to at least recognise that others have beliefs. But because it is very self-righteous, they are really wrong! But we will put up with it as a 'for now', belief. I prefer the word 'understanding', as it represents an ability to sincerely understand another point of view without it becoming part of their own views on life etc.
My second thought is as much a question. We refer to Unitarians as a religion and church-based. For me, the use of such words always puts me off, as I associate them with narrowness of thought and everything Christian I dislike. In reality, both humanism and Unitarianism are philosophical disciplines that happen to gather or meet on a Sunday out of habit drawn from Christian roots. Many in U.S.A. refuse to refer to themselves as a religion or as a church and prefer to use the word 'fellowship'. Unfortunately, that word has links with the male gender rather than its real definition which refers to both genders!
This could be the reason why people are turning away from the church in droves, and I would assume as they turn their association to the S.U.F., they can at least turn from blind faith to reason .............(edited)
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Some Thoughts from Jamie Smith....
Hindhism: This is the sum of duty: do nought to others that which if done to thee would cause pain.
Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow men. That is the entire
Law; all the rest is commentary.
Zoroastrianism: That nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self.
Buddhism: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.
Taoism: The sage has no interests of his own, but regards the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind, he is also kind to the unkind: for virtue is kind.
Christianity: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Islam: No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.
Sikhism: Precious like jewels are the minds of all. To hurt them is not all good. If thou desirest thy Beloved, then, hurt thou not any one's heart.
Baha'i Faith: Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself.
And from Rosemary Goring:
So all you children, white and brown,
And all you yellow too,
Come sing with us your friendship song,
That love may dwell with you.
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AUTUMNThe chill o' autumn's i' the air, |
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