The Dance of Pluralism in UU and in the U.S.

Pluralism is one of the core values of our UU tradition. And it is part of the motto of the United States, “e pluribus unum”—out of many, one. Sociologist of religion Robert Bellah states, “Not only is there such a thing [as institutionalized civil religion in America], …this religious dimension has its own seriousness and integrity and requires the same care in understanding that any other religion does.”

Today we’ll explore how our UU tradition dances with the civil religion of America. And we’ll seek some understanding of how this dance underlies political tensions and aspirations in our country, which both weigh on our spirits and lift us up as U.S. residents and citizens.