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- Archive-name: unitarian-universalism/newsgroup-faq
- Last-modified: 19 Oct 1994
- Version: 1.0
-
- soc.religion.unitarian-univ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
-
- This FAQ is a monthly posting in support of the newsgroup
- soc.religion.unitarian-univ. It is maintained by
- lab@biostat.mc.duke.edu (Lance A. Brown). Send comments to
- uu-request@iecc.com
-
- Contents
-
- I. Who are the moderators of soc.religion.unitarian-univ
- II. Submissions address
- III. Moderation Policy
- IV . Why Auto-moderation?
- V. The Charter of soc.religion.unitarian-univ
- VI. Principles and Purposes of the UUA
- VII. UUA Contact Info
- VIII. What do Unitarian Universalists Believe?
- IX. Affiliated and Associated Organizations
- ***************************
-
- I. Who are the Moderators?
-
- Lance A. Brown <lab@biostat.mc.duke.edu>
- Greg Woodbury <ggw@wolves.durham.nc.us>
- Justin B. Alcorn <jalcorn@marvin.wariat.org>
- Harley Stenzel <hstenzel@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu>
-
- II. Submission Address
-
- Submissions/postings for soc.religion.unitarian-univ should be sent
- to: uu@iecc.com
-
- Administrative material and queries should be sent to:
- uu-request@iecc.com
-
- III. Moderation Policy
-
- Anyone with an interest in Unitarian-Universalism or other liberal or
- non-creedal religions is welcomed and encouraged to post articles to
- soc.religion.unitarian-univ.
-
- Moderators will only return submissions that violate this charter.
- Any returned article will have an explanation attached to it about
- which charter provision was violated.
-
- There shall be two to five moderators for soc.religion.unitarian-univ.
-
- The newsgroup will be subject to the conventions of network etiquette.
- In practice, an automoderator software package will approve and
- insert into the newsgroup all posts that are not caught by the current
- set of author and subject filters. Posts caught by the filter will be
- forwarded to the moderators and handled as appropriate.
-
- The filters will be modified as necessary to catch off-topic posts
- such as MAKE.MONEY.FAST schemes and authors who repetitively post
- off-topic articles. A consensus among the moderators will be required
- to make a change.
-
- These guidelines are intended to regulate only the noise level of the
- newsgroup and not the content of the discussions. This instruction is
- not intended to limit discussion and debate. Vigorous discussion and
- criticism are encouraged, flames are not.
-
- Administrative communications, comments and inquiries should be
- mailed to the moderator(s) rather than being posted to the group.
-
- From time to time a moderator may choose to give up his or her
- duties as a moderator. In such an event the moderators should select
- a suitable replacement. The retiring moderator may take part in
- this selection if he or she has not yet given up their responsibilities
- as moderator.
-
- IV. Why Auto-moderation?
-
- The concept of an auto-moderator has been talked about for a long time
- on Usenet. This group is the first formal USENET group to actually
- use an automoderator program for its operation.
-
- The auto-moderation method was proposed and approved due to a
- sense-of-the-net feeling that another un-moderated soc.religion
- newsgroup would not be approved by the administrators, and yet the
- "character" of a UU newsgroup would be best achieved by as minimal a
- set of moderation policies as possible. The current auto-moderation
- software attempts to meet this goal; allowing posts to occur nearly as
- freely as an unmoderated group, yet allowing the newsgroup readership
- to protect itself from deliberate or inadvertent attacks of spamming
- or other net.mayhem.
-
- [ Thanks for Greg Woodbury for this section. -- Lance Brown ]
-
- V. The Charter of soc.religion.unitarian.univ
-
- CHARTER
- -------
-
- This group, soc.religion.unitarian-univ, is to serve as a forum for
- discussion of issues pertaining to liberal or non-creedal religions,
- particularly Unitarian Universalism. Discussion of other religions is
- acceptable insofar as it is relevant to UUism, but keep in mind that
- another newsgroup (e.g., soc.religion.christian, soc.culture,jewish, etc.)
- may be more appropriate. Acceptable topics include, but are not limited
- to, discussion of UU principles and practices, questions regarding
- locations of UU congregations, organizing, running, administering, and
- living within UU churches, moral/ethical/philosophical discussion in a
- UU context, and comparisons of Unitarian Universalism to other
- religions.
-
- VI.
-
- The Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association
-
- We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist
- Association, covenant to affirm and promote
- The inherent dignity and worth of every person;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to
- spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic
- process within our congregations and in society
- at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and
- justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of
- which we are a part;
-
- The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and
- wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us
- to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the
- forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which
- challenge us to confront powers and structures
- of evil with justice, compassion, and the
- transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in
- our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond
- to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the
- guidance of reason and the results of science,
- and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
-
- Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles
- our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand
- our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant,
- promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
-
- The Purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association
-
- The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources
- to and exercise its corporate powers for religious, educational
- and humanitarian purposes. The primary purpose of the Association
- is to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new
- congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist
- institutions and implement its principles.
-
- The Association declares and affirms its special responsibility,
- and that of its member societies and organizations, to promote the
- full participation of persons in all of its and their activities
- and in the full range of human endeavor without regard to race,
- color, sex, disability, affectional or sexual orientation, age, or
- national origin and without requiring adherence to any particular
- interpretation of religion or to any particular religious belief
- or creed.
-
- Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual
- freedom of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and
- Unitarian heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose,
- covenant, or bond of union used by any society unless such is used
- as a creedal test.
-
- [ Thanks to Gila Jones <ImUU2@aol.com> for providing electronic
- copies to me. - Lance]
-
- VII. UUA Contact Info
-
- in the U.S.A.: Unitarian Universalist Association
- 25 Beacon Street
- Boston, MA 02108-2800
- USA
- (617) 742-2100
-
- in Canada: Canadian Unitarian Council
- 175 St. Clair Ave., West
- Toronto, ONT M4V 1P7
- CANADA
-
- in the U.K.: General Assembly of Unitarian and Free
- Christian Churches
- Essex Hall
- 1-6 Essex St
- Strand, London WC2R 3HY.
-
- Additions or corrections to this document are welcome.
-
- VIII. What Do Unitarian Universalists Believe?
-
- [This is the text of the "Red Pamphlet" distributed by the UUA.
- It is reprinted here with permmission. -- Lance Brown]
-
- 1. We believe in the freedom of religious expression. All
- individuals should be encouraged to develop their own
- personal theology, and to present openly their religious
- opinions without fear of censure or reprisal.
-
- 2. We believe in the toleration of religious ideas. All religions,
- in every age and culture, possess not only an intrinsic
- merit, but also a potential value for those who have learned
- the art of listening.
-
- 3. We believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The
- ultimate arbiter in religion is not a church, or a document,
- or an official, but the personal choice and decision of the
- individual.
-
- 4. We believe in the never-ending search for Truth. If the
- mind and heart are truly free and open, the revelations
- which appear to the human spirit are infinitely numerous,
- eternally fruitful, and wondrously exciting.
-
- 5. We believe in the unity of experience. There is no
- fundamental conflict between faith and knowledge, religion
- and the world, the sacred and the secular, since they all
- have their source in the same reality.
-
- 6. We believe in the worth and dignity of each human being.
- All people on earth have an equal claim to life, liberty,
- and justice -- and no idea, ideal, or philosophy is superior
- to a single human life.
-
- 7. We believe in the ethical application of religion. Good
- works are the natural product of a good faith, the evidence
- of an inner grace that finds completion in social and
- community involvement.
-
- 8. We believe in the motive force of love. The governing
- principle in human relationships is the principle of love,
- which always seeks the welfare of others and never seeks
- to hurt or destroy.
-
- 9. We believe in the necessity of the democratic process.
- Records are open to scrutiny, elections are open to
- members, and ideas are open to criticism -- so that people
- might govern themselves.
-
- 10. We believe in the importance of a religious community.
- The validation of experience requires the confirmation of
- peers, who provide a critical platform along with a network
- of mutual support.
- -- David O. Rankin
- Copyright 1989 by
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- 25 Beacon Street
- Boston, MA 02108
- (617) 742-2100
-
- IX. Affiliated and Associated Organizations
-
- Here is contact information for some of the groups that are Associate
- Member or Independent Affiliate Organizations of the UUA. Details
- about these groups and other groups can be obtained from your local UU
- church or fellowship or directly from the UUA.
-
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- 130 Prospect St.
- Cambridge, MA 02139-1845
- (617)868-660
-
- The UUSC, motivated since 1939 by liberal religious principles,
- works to promote justice, freedom, and self-determination in the
- U.S. and worldwide.
-
- The UUSC can also be contacted via the PeaceNet and CompuServe
- networks.
-
- UU Women's Federation
- 25 Beacon St.
- Boston, MA 02108-3800
- (617) 742-2100, x653
-
- The UUWF is the only continental membership organization for all UU
- women. Formed by the 1963 consolidation of the Association of
- Universalist Women and the Alliance of Unitarian Women, it is an
- associate member of the UUA.
-
- Conservative Forum for Unitarian Universalists
- G-2474 S. Ballenger Hwy.
- Flint, MI 48507
- (313)232-4023
-
- The Conservative Forum for Unitarian Universalists is an
- organization of UUs whose purpose is to ensure that all UUs are
- free to pursue a responsible search for religious truth and
- meaning in our societies and denomination regardless of their
- individual views on politics, economics, or social issues.
-
- Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
- P.O. Box 640
- Cambridge, MA 02140
- (617)547-6465
-
- The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans was formed at the
- 1985 UUA General Assembly in Atlanta to enrich and strengthen the
- religious pluralism of UUism by promoting the study and practice
- of contemporary Pagan and Earth- and nature-centered spirituality.
-
- Fellowship of Religious Humanists
- P.O. Box 597396
- Chicago, IL 60659-7396
- (312)338-5493
-
- FRH offers UUs and others the inspiration of a humanist way of
- life worked out within both liberal religion and the growing
- humanist movements of over 30 countries. FRH was organized in
- 1963 to provide publications and conferences for those seeking
- humanism as a religious philosophy, and regularly presents a
- lecture at the UUA General Assembly.
-
- Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
- 110 Arlington St.
- Boston, MA 02116
- (508)365-2427
-
- The purposes of the Fellowship are: to serve Christian Unitarians
- and Universalists according to their expressed religious needs; to
- uphold and promote the Christian witness within the UUA; and to
- uphold and promote the historic Unitarian and Universalist witness
- and conscience within the church universal. The Fellowship
- publishes books, pamphlets, study papers and occasional papers, a
- bi-monthly newsletter, the _Good News_, and a quarterly journal,
- _The Unitarian-Universalist Christian_, sponsors retreats and
- public meetings of various kinds; and meets annually at the
- General Assembly.
- --
-
-