Have you played The Name Game yet?

The Name Game is a website aimed at developing a Unitarian & Universalist Vocabulary that is INCLUSIVE & INVITING, in a fun and interactive way!

There is a tendency to use Liberal Christian (Protestant) terminology in Canadian Unitarian circles. Words like "Church", "Hymn", and "Sermon" are part of the popular Unitarian vernacular. For those Unitarians that still consider themselves Christian, this may be fine. Yet the habit remains prevalent even amongst those who firmly see Unitarianism today as a religion distinct from Christianity. Though the Protestant Christian roots of our religion are still revered and honoured as the "spiritual base" of our founders, the Christian "source" of inspiration now takes equal billing alongside the other world religions, humanism and earth-based spirituality.

The Name Game was NOT created out of a dislike for Christianity or Christian terminology; rather a out of a dislike for promoting confusion and misrepresentation to non- and prospective Unitarians.

Many of us, I know, feel an obligation to take the "good news" of the Unitarian and Universalist faith out to the world - that we might calm the suffering and bring peace into the lives of individuals; and offer a set of principles by which humanity can live in mutual respect and harmony with itself and its environment.

Yet to take the Unitarian Message out to the world wrapped in Christian vocabulary is not only misleading, it will basically undermine our efforts for growth and outreach...

We must remember that we are facing an uphill battle... Still, in many books, if Unitarian Universalism is mentioned at all, it as an off-shoot of Christianity. While being historically correct, this is like dismissing Buddhism as an off-shoot of Hinduism, and, of course, Christianity itself as no more than an off-shoot of Judaism.

If we are committed to making Unitarian Universalism known and available to others, we must present (dare we say "package") our "offering" in a way that does not confuse them, or prematurely "turn people off", before they have the opportunity or the inclination to dig deeper.

Some say that we could continue to use the Christian vocabulary, knowing ourselves that we have a different meaning to the standard Christian interpretation. That approach requires us to add "small print" to all the core words we use. We must be honest and realize that many will not "stick around" and listen to our little speech that a "Unitarian Church is not like a Christian Church, ... etc., etc."

If we use words like "Church" to publicly refer to our congregations, we will perpetuate the misunderstanding that we are still nothing more than a Christian sect. Adding the words "liberal religion" is not sufficient. If people want "liberal religion" in a "church" in Canada, the United Church seems well-suited to fulfill this need. If we "walk like Christians; talk like Christians", is it surprising that potential newcomers will regard us as Christian and, frankly, may dismiss us prematurely because of this. If we are to act on our universalist inclination and reach out our hands to all peoples across this great land, we must ensure that the language of Unitarianism is relevant, inclusive and inviting to an increasing multi-cultural and secular society.

I must emphasize that, here, we are talking about the terminology we use in public. It is a wonderful thing if Christian Unitarians personally view our congregations as Churches; our Buddhists as Temples or Sanghas; our Muslims as Mosques; and our Pagans as Covens.

Sectarian-specific words (Church, Synagogue, Coven, etc.) are indeed meaningful, useful and important for us personally and in like-minded groups (e.g., SmallGroups); yet we must accept that they can be alienating to others outside the group.

The Name Game, therefore, is a humble attempt to foster awareness of this "language issue" in a light-hearted and interactive manner, and to, perhaps, begin the process of developing a Unitarian and Universalist vocabulary that is inclusive and inviting.

Please join in at: www.newuniversalists.org!

Faithfully,

Kalvin B. Drake
Toronto, Ontario

(The views expressed in this website are those of the individuals who posted them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Canadian Unitarian Council or its member congregations.)