Torch Articles
- (Will be posted to our Youtube Channel Dec 19th"
- https://tinyurl.com/slcuupageant2020
- Meeting ID: 955 5321 8571 Password: chalice
- https://tinyurl.com/coffee-hour-link
- Meeting ID: 953 6319 4188 Password: slcuu
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Meeting ID: 928 4380 9478
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Password: solstice
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Meeting ID: 914 1699 1975 Password: xmas
How are those New Year’s resolutions working for you thus far into 2020? About 8% of the American population keeps to their new resolutions, transforming themselves into the marvelous creatures they’ve dreamed about. That’s probably enough of an incentive to keep at it. Surely I can be as resolute as roughly the top 90th percentile, but then again…
The very concept of making resolutions upon entering a New Year extends back 4000 years to Babylonia. Back then the New Year began in mid-March, after the crops were planted. (Probably not a bad idea getting the mandatory work filled before contemplating a new life with less stress in the New Year). The Babylonians apparently did not make resolutions along the lines of weight loss or new workouts to add tone and definition to the body. Instead they celebrated a 12-day religious festival, promising their pagan gods to turn over a new leaf such as paying off their debts and returning things they borrowed (like books from their minister).
About 2000 years later, Julius Caesar fiddled some with the calendar, establishing January 1st as the start to a New Year. But even then, it was considered good form to enter the New Year by making promises of self-improvement. Striving for “good conduct” was the expected nod to tradition. The emphasis, at least historically, involved making changes to one’s character, not one’s physique. (That aspect of reform has unfortunately faded over time).
It was never made clear if New Year resolutions for better conduct were made to God or to oneself. There’s a big difference, I think. We have the tendency to be more forgiving of ourselves than any Deity who records conduct in a ledger and keeps careful track of things.
Through many millennia, civilization has been conscious of tantalizing new beginnings whenever the calendar starts afresh. It feels like a reprieve from old bad habits, and a chance to consider life, and oneself in it, in a new context. The lure of a new tableau upon which to imprint new ways of being inspires this long tradition of looking into a New Year as a string of untold possibilities for change. No wonder the past has always looked upon such prospects with an eye towards the gods. A new calendar appears as grace, a divine favor to start over again. Is there any other species that harbors regrets about their conduct while allowing possibilities for great personal change? Wish more of humanity would take advantage of such a gift of awareness.
Too bad New Year resolutions have become so secular. I can think of several personalities in leadership positions who would benefit greatly if they took New Year resolutions with a teaspoon of religion. Fewer lies, less arrogance, a compassionate heart would serve them in good stead. But unfortunately we cannot make New Year resolutions for others. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could? We are left with only making recommendations for others. Resolutions remain the province of self-improvement, a deeply personal matter.
As you gaze into the unchartered territory of a New Year, perhaps making resolutions of improvement, may you fall into the 8% class, which actually follows-through. But regardless of your level of perseverance, I hope it’s a good year for you: healthy, fun, and inspiring. And as you meet people adhering to contrary political perspectives, remain calm. After all, it’s 2020, where our present leadership may have no choice but to follow our recommendations of finding a new line of work. TRG
FAMILY FUN NIGHT: Monday November 4th at 6:15pm in Eliot Hall.
UU ORIENTATION: Tuesday November 5th at 7pm in Eliot Hall.
UU SOCIAL JUSTICE: Wednesday November 13, 7pm in Eliot Hall. "Peace in the Middle East"
BOOK DISCUSSION WITH REV. TOM: Monday November 18th, 7pm in Eliot Hall. We will discuss “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTRAY PRE-HOLIDAY SWAP: Saturday November 23, 10am-3pm in Eliot Hall.
ARTISTS DISCUSSING ART: The last Monday of every month artists gather at 7pm in the Haven to discuss each others art. The group is open to all visual artist, watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, fused glass, and clay. Bring work to discuss or just come to listen. Bring a light refreshment to share.
DREAM GROUP: 4th Sunday 12:45 pm in Room 201
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION CIRCLE:
- Meets Sunday at 10am, in the Parlor,
- Third Wednesday Meetings: 6:30pm in The Parlor
- Tuesday Meditation Walks: 9am, Jordan River at Arrowhead Park, 550 W 4800 So.
MYSTICAL SPIRITUALITY: Meets the 2nd Sunday in Room 201 12:45pm. Rise Up Nimbly And Go On Your Strange Journey; To The Ocean Of Meanings ...Rumi.
SANCTUARY: Please engage or re-engage with Sanctuary, renew your background check, get caught up on training, and start actively volunteering at least once a month. We have volunteers in Eliot Hall after both services ready to answer your questions and to help you engage or re-engage with Sanctuary.
- VOLUNTEER: To volunteer to become a Sanctuary Host, sign up at: https://slcuu.org/programs/sanctuary
- BACKGROUND CHECK (New & Renew) Consent: http://tinyurl.com/UUBCKT $15 donation. All Sanctuary Volunteers need to renew/upgrade their background checks to Level 2
- SANCTUARY TRAINING: Complete the training survey to let us know what days/times work for you: survey is included in the Background Check Consent form linked above.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY FAMILY FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Family Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Family Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/sanctuary- fund OR https://slcuu.org/about/donate-online. You may also donate through the GIVELIFY app, just check the Sanctuary Family Fund.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY DEFENSE FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Defense Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Defense Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/ about/donate-online. You do not need to create a profile. Click on the Click Here to Donate button (on the left of the donate online webpage), notice the Donations section of the form, enter the amount of your donation next to the Sanctuary Defense Fund choice, press continue, and follow the remaining instructions. You can also make a donation by smartphone with the GIVELIFY app.
WOMEN’S SACRED CIRCLE: Second Tuesdays, The Haven 5:30 -7:30pm, Course of Study: Rise Up And Call Her Name: LILITH. During this course of study, we will learn about a variety of cultural traditions that honor goddesses and esteem women. We will also become acquainted with some of the beliefs that are associated with these traditions and how varied spiritual practices stimulate personal inner journeys.
YOUNG ADULTS: A community of people in their 20's, 30's, or young at heart. See all of our upcoming events on Facebook: First Unitarian SLC Young Adults, or email us to receive notifications via email: , or you can reach out to Heather Drenckhahn
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Do you think it’s possible that the researchers at Exxon Mobil have regrets about deliberately misleading the public about the effects of fossil fuels on climate change? Corporate leaders engineered their business plan that netted $290 billion last year. Obviously good for the company, but destroyed the Earth. Where were the whistle-blowers when we needed them?
The researchers themselves were dead accurate. They knew the facts did not support the self-serving science back in the 1970’s when they predicted that fossil fuel emissions could be catastrophic. By 1982 they predicted that the atmosphere would contain 415 parts per million of carbon dioxide by 2019. Exxon researchers were some of the best in the country, able to forecast not only the precise amount of CO2 37 years into the future, but the consequences as well: rising sea levels, intensified storms and fire, agricultural disruption, etc. But in Exxon’s effort to ensure their own prosperity, they deliberately confused the public by insisting that climate change was merely politically motivated.
I am trying to understand how saving the planet and protecting public health and safety have devolved into a political issue rather than a human issue. The seeds for corporate indifference towards the public were planted back in our “Gilded Age of Robber Barrons,” when businessmen smelled the riches attained through ruthless and unscrupulous practices. The capitalistic impulse of placing profit far ahead of people and the Earth never subsided. Boeing’s lust for profit recently caused two fatal yet preventable airline crashes. And more locally, the Inland Port, forced down the throats of the Salt Lake Valley citizenry, will demolish a vital ecosystem, pollute the air with coal and diesel fumes, and sacrifice a quality of life for the sake of business dollars. Anyone who (logically and humanely) supports the planet and the lives of future generations is labeled either a socialist or a terrorist. Let me remind you: Exxon spent more than $30 million on Think Tanks to sway the public to go against their own best interests.
Beyond the headlines and photos and reporting on the California fires, we find a terrified and vulnerable population. My children and grandchildren are in the mix. Their homes have not yet been set ablaze, but they inhale the smoky air, all power has been lost, and there’s no cellphone service. Schools are closed and so are businesses. A fear has penetrated the minds of all: Is this the new normal?
Our last contact with them came when they traveled 30 miles to regain phone service as they were desperately looking for ice to place in coolers to save some food before spoilage. There is no ice to be had anywhere in Northern California. And if there were ice to be sold, can you imagine the price a 10-pound bag of ice could command? Supply and demand keeps our nation humming.
Maybe everything really is reduced to political motivation. One political party consists of climate change deniers; the other party seeks alternative energy solutions. One party wants government to end regulations; the other party relies on regulations to keep people safe and alive. And we have a huge election coming up in exactly a year. It’s a referendum on the life of all species including humans. It’s a referendum on the future. You would think we might have learned a lesson or two by now about greed extinguishing life itself. But Exxon has released its latest business plan: A 25% increase in oil output by 2025. The writing is on the wall. Have we become illiterate? TRG
It’s an old aphorism, that beauty is seen through the eye of the beholder. Indeed, there are many shades of beauty; no one holds the definitive view. But can the same maxim be applied to the sacred: What is sacred for some isn’t sacred for all. This may apply to certain rituals in a house of worship or beliefs and practices that hold meaning only to some and not others.
Reciting a Buddhist chant at a sangha may not appear sacred for many. We can’t all agree that a certain painting or sculpture holds beauty. When I hear responses to my sermons it feels like we can’t agree on anything because of such vastly varying perspectives. And this is a good thing. It keeps conversation crisp, the artist humble, and keeps religious rituals from becoming too universal.
My question, however, is this: Are we widely varied in our appreciation of beauty when it comes to nature? A recent headline in the Salt Lake Tribune prompted this question: In Policy Change, Feds to Open Utah National Parks to ATVs. The accompanying photo captured mountain bikers on the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands. Even the newspaper photo of the red rock took your breath away. It was both beautiful and touched a nerve within which even a skeptic wouldn’t hesitate to call “sacred.”
At a recent worship service led at Harvard Divinity School by Ali Asam, a professor of Islamic studies, he quoted the prophet Muhammad. In the Qur’an, a sacred text like all scriptures, it is written: God is beauty and loves beauty…all of creation, as a manifestation of the Divine, is beautiful.”
It seems that beauty and nature and sacred are all of one thread. One need not ascribe to a particular religious faith to feel the awe and splendor inherent in nature, ostensibly to be preserved in our National Parks. It was a given that whatever developers do to this earth in their persistent pursuit of endless monetary gains, the public would always find beauty and experience the sacred within the confines of a National Park.
The trust has been broken. The roar of an ATV will soon pierce the hushed silence beckoned by natural splendor. Machines destined to destroy the environment will soon tear up trails meant for gentle admirers. So much for the idea that God is beauty manifest in all of creation.
I have to wonder if white nationalism, in the guise of individual behavior or as a governmental power, has zero feeling or connection to beauty. I have tried to understand how decimating the aesthetics of red rock country can result in anything positive. Sure, the rationale is that the land belongs to us to destroy as we see fit. And destroying ecological habitats and sacred Indian artifacts are of no significance while pursuing personal pleasure on an ATV. In the hierarchy of man over beast and landscape, there is no such thing as beauty.
I have to wonder if beauty sits at the core of our huge national divide. We’re not divided so much by left wing or right; by red state or blue. It’s about beauty. We see it so differently. Some see it as sacred to be respected; others see it as mundane to be abused for personal use. So perhaps the old aphorism still holds sway: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It makes me wonder if the divide will ever be healed. TRG
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FAMILY FUN NIGHT: Boo! Let's start October off right with a Family Fun Night first, a movie sing-along! Join us on October 7th, at 6:15pm in Eliot Hall for dinner and a viewing of “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, singing along encouraged!
ARTISTS DISCUSSING ART: The last Monday of every month artists gather at 7pm in the Haven to discuss each others art. The group is open to all visual artist, watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, fused glass, and clay. Bring work to discuss or just come to listen. Bring a light refreshment to share. **Meeting October 7th instead of Sept 30th**
YOUNG ADULT GROUP: A community of people in their 20's, 30's, or young at heart. Our next social event is a Discussion with Monica in The Haven, Thursday October 10th at 7:30 pm. For more info or to RSVP, visit the Facebook group (First Unitarian SLC Young Adults), or email: , or reach out to Heather Drenckhahn.
NEW FAMILY DINNER: Are you a new family to First Church looking to connect? Join us on October 21st at 6 pm for our New Family Dinner! This is a great opportunity to meet other new families, share a meal, and learn more about our program and church offerings. Dinner will be provided, please RSVP to Amanda Esko at
FIRST CHURCH HALLOWEEN SPOOK-TACULAR: Join us for pizza, games and a spooky sing along! A suggested donation of $5 a family is appreciated! October 29th 6pm in Eliot Hall.
DREAM GROUP: 4th Sunday 12:45 pm in Room 201
MEDITATION WALKS: 8am, Jordan River at Arrowhead Park, 550 W 4800 S.
Mindfulness Meditation CIRCLE:
- Meets Sunday at 10am, in the Parlor,
- Third Wednesday Meetings: Beginning October 16th 6:30pm in The Parlor
MYSTICAL SPIRITUALITY: Meets the 2nd Sunday in Room 201 12:45pm. Rise Up Nimbly And Go On Your Strange Journey; To The Ocean Of Meanings ...Rumi.
SANCTUARY: Please engage or re-engage with Sanctuary, renew your background check, get caught up on training, and start actively volunteering at least once a month. We have volunteers in Eliot Hall after both services ready to answer your questions and to help you engage or re-engage with Sanctuary.
- VOLUNTEER: To volunteer to become a Sanctuary Host, sign up at: https://slcuu.org/programs/sanctuary
- BACKGROUND CHECK (New & Renew) Consent: http://tinyurl.com/UUBCKT $15 donation. All Sanctuary Volunteers need to renew/upgrade their background checks to Level 2
- SANCTUARY TRAINING: Complete the training survey to let us know what days/times work for you: survey is included in the Background Check Consent form linked above.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY FAMILY FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Family Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Family Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/sanctuary- fund OR https://slcuu.org/about/donate-online. You may also donate through the GIVELIFY app, just check the Sanctuary Family Fund.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY DEFENSE FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Defense Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Defense Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/ about/donate-online. You do not need to create a profile. Click on the Click Here to Donate button (on the left of the donate online webpage), notice the Donations section of the form, enter the amount of your donation next to the Sanctuary Defense Fund choice, press continue, and follow the remaining instructions. You can also make a donation by smartphone with the GIVELIFY app.
WOMEN’S SACRED CIRCLE: Second Tuesdays, The Haven 5:30 -7:30pm, Course of Study: Rise Up And Call Her Name: LILITH. During this course of study, we will learn about a variety of cultural traditions that honor goddesses and esteem women. We will also become acquainted with some of the beliefs that are associated with these traditions and how varied spiritual practices stimulate personal inner journeys.
YOUNG ADULTS: A community of people in their 20's, 30's, or young at heart. See all of our upcoming events on Facebook: First Unitarian SLC Young Adults, or email us to receive notifications via email: , or you can reach out to Heather Drenckhahn
ENVIRONMENTAL MINISTRY: Friday September 6th, 7-9pm, Eliot Hall
FAMILY FUN NIGHT: Monday September 9th at 6:15pm. Eliot Hall
ARTISTS DISCUSSING ART: The last Monday of every month artists gather at 7pm in the Haven to discuss each others art. The group is open to all visual artist, watercolor, acrylic, oil, mixed media, fused glass, and clay. Bring work to discuss or just come to listen. Bring a light refreshment to share.
DREAM GROUP: 4th Sunday 12:45 pm in Room 201
MEDITATION WALKS: Beginning September 24th 8am, Jordan River at Arrowhead Park, 550 W 4800 S.
Mindfulness Meditation CIRCLE:
- Meets Sunday at 10am, in the Parlor,
- Third Wednesday Meetings: Beginning October 16th 6:30pm in The Parlor
MYSTICAL SPIRITUALITY: Meets the 2nd Sunday in Room 201 12:45pm. Rise Up Nimbly And Go On Your Strange Journey; To The Ocean Of Meanings ...Rumi. September 8th 2019 Course of Study: An Emerald Earth Felicia Norton & Charles Smith PhD 9-8-19 Part 1-Awakening to an Emerald Earth (pp 1-33) Practice #1 Tranquility Meditation—Dwelling in the Space between Thoughts
SANCTUARY: Please engage or re-engage with Sanctuary, renew your background check, get caught up on training, and start actively volunteering at least once a month. We have volunteers in Eliot Hall after both services ready to answer your questions and to help you engage or re-engage with Sanctuary.
- VOLUNTEER: To volunteer to become a Sanctuary Host, sign up at: https://slcuu.org/programs/sanctuary
- BACKGROUND CHECK (New & Renew) Consent: http://tinyurl.com/UUBCKT $15 donation. All Sanctuary Volunteers need to renew/upgrade their background checks to Level 2
- SANCTUARY TRAINING: Complete the training survey to let us know what days/times work for you: survey is included in the Background Check Consent form linked above.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY FAMILY FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Family Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Family Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/sanctuary- fund OR https://slcuu.org/about/donate-online. You may also donate through the GIVELIFY app, just check the Sanctuary Family Fund.
- DONATE TO THE SANCTUARY DEFENSE FUND: To donate by check, make check payable to: First Unitarian Church and write: Sanctuary Defense Fund in the note. Online donations to the Sanctuary Defense Fund may be made at: https://slcuu.org/ about/donate-online. You do not need to create a profile. Click on the Click Here to Donate button (on the left of the donate online webpage), notice the Donations section of the form, enter the amount of your donation next to the Sanctuary Defense Fund choice, press continue, and follow the remaining instructions. You can also make a donation by smartphone with the GIVELIFY app.
WOMEN’S SACRED CIRCLE: September 10th; The Haven 5:30 -7:30pm, Course of Study: Rise Up And Call Her Name: LILITH. During this course of study, we will learn about a variety of cultural traditions that honor goddesses and esteem women. We will also become acquainted with some of the beliefs that are associated with these traditions and how varied spiritual practices stimulate personal inner journeys. During this opening session, we will explore what it means to take a journey to Earth-based spiritual traditions around the globe. Because woman honoring religious imagery has often been devalued, we will together reclaim the first wife of Adam, known as Lilith.
YOUNG ADULTS: A community of people in their 20's, 30's, or young at heart. See all of our upcoming events on Facebook: First Unitarian SLC Young Adults, or email us to receive notifications via email: , or you can reach out to Heather Drenckhahn
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Help! With RE beginning next week, our classrooms all still need volunteers! Follow the link below to signup. Remember, we are a co-operative program, and need family support in order to maintain safe adult/youth ratios in classrooms!