EXAMPLES
OF PROPOSALS FOR CYBER-SERMONS
FOR
THE FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF THE INTERNET
The following is a short list of synopses and
outlines for the FUUCI.
These are arranged into 7
possible areas into which cyber-sermons might
fall.
The specific proposals illustrate some possible formats
in which proposals might be offered.
Some of the following cyber-sermons might be used by
the FUUCI.
If so, the proposals will still be useful for other UU authors
who are considering creating cyber-sermons
for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of the Internet.
1. SPIRITUALITY
WHAT IS SPIRITUALITY?
1.
Beyond the Life of the Body, the 'Heart', & the Mind
SYNOPSIS:
The meanings of "spirituality" in our time are so
elusive and vague
that we can only begin by saying what our human spirits are NOT.
If we clearly define what we understand to be
our capacities of body, 'heart', & mind,
then we can begin to point beyond these
to our capacities of spirit.
Our human spirits enable us to say “I am I”.
In our spirits, we can become individual persons.
Our spirits give us the capacity to stand beyond ourselves,
to become free, creative, & loving.
OUTLINE:
A. The Life of the Body.
B. The Life of the 'Heart'.
C. The Life of the Mind.
D. The Life of the Spirit.
2. RELIGION
Why I Am a
Unitarian Universalist
SYNOPSIS:
About 90% of adult members of UU congregations
were raised in other religious denominations
(or grew up without any religious background).
This means we have chosen to become Unitarian Universalists.
Each such joiner has his or her own reasons.
This cyber-sermon sets forth the reasons of one Unitarian Universalist:
I. UUism allows me freedom of belief,
without the necessity of basing each belief in a given tradition.
II. UUism looks forward more than it looks back.
III. UUism attracts other
intelligent people.
3. LOVE, SEX, & RELATIONSHIPS
SEPARATING LUST AND LOVE
SYNOPSIS:
Connecting with other persons is an important
dimensions of living.
One of the first things that draws us to other
people is our sexual response.
But because lust responds to abstract characteristics of the other,
we might find simple sex a deficient basis for an on-going
relationship.
Parallel to our sexual responses we also find
ourselves 'falling
in love'.
This emotional response has deep roots in our Western culture.
But romantic love is also a deficient basis for a meaningful
relationship.
Beyond lust and love, it is still possible to create
relationships
based on the persons we are inventing ourselves to be.
Beyond sexual and emotional givens,
we can love freely and creatively.
OUTLINE:
I. LUST—RESPONDING TO IMPRINTED SEXUAL FANTASIES.
A. Where Does Lust Come From?
B. Does Our Lust-Response Change and Mature Over a
Life-Time?
C. How Should We Respond to the Lust We Find within
Ourselves?
II. ROMANTIC LOVE—HOW OUR HEARTS WERE TRAINED TO 'FALL IN LOVE'.
A. Where Does Romantic Love Come From?
B. Does Our Romantic Response Change and Mature Over
a Life-Time?
C. How Should We Respond to the Romantic Feelings We
Find within Ourselves?
III. BEYOND BOTH LUST AND LOVE—CREATING UNIQUE RELATIONSHIPS.
A. Where Do Relationships Come From?
B. Do Our Loving Relationships Change and Mature
Over a Life-Time?
C. How Do We Conduct and Transform Our Loving
Relationships?
4. PERSONAL GROWTH & LIFE-CHOICES
Looking
for the Meaning of Life
SYNOPSIS:
When
we seek to make our
own lives "meaningful",
we might be struggling with two different
sorts of meaninglessness.
We can create many kinds of relative
meanings
within the assumed areas of meaningful life:
money, achievement, love, marriage, children,
enjoyment, & religion.
But even when we have fulfilled such meanings,
we might still feel an ultimate hollowness,
a spiritual or existential
meaninglessness.
This deeper meaninglessness is not overcome
by any of the relative meanings we are able
to create or achieve.
The
following 5-fold
distinction underlies this cyber-sermon:
Relative
Meaninglessness
Existential
Meaninglessness
1. Disappointed
expectations;
1. Frameworks of meaning collapse;
failure to fulfill accepted
criteria.
lack of ultimate purpose in life.
2. Discrepancy between
established
2. Uncaused; discovered as a
criteria and observable
actualities;
fundamental condition-of-being;
based on intellectual information.
existentially disclosed.
3. Temporary—lasts only
until
3. Permanent—no matter what we
the discrepancy is
corrected.
change, meaninglessness continues.
4. Limited to a
specific
4. Pervades every dimension of life.
realm of meaning.
5. We know what to
change
5. Nothing we can do will
to bring
meaning.
make life ultimately meaningful.
OUTLINE:
I. MY
EARLY QUEST FOR
MEANING
II. NO
HELP FROM ACADEMIC
PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
III. RELATIVE MEANINGLESSNESS
& EXISTENTIAL MEANINGLESSNESS
IV.
THE COLLAPSE OF
'MEANINGS' AND ILLUSIONS
V.
BEYOND EXISTENTIAL
MEANINGLESSNESS
5. MEDICAL ETHICS & DEATH
ADVANCE DIRECTIVES FOR MEDICAL
CARE:
24 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
SYNOPSIS:
What would be the ideal way for you to die?
If you write a careful, comprehensive Advance Directive for Medical
Care,
you will be able to decide the basic pattern for the last year of your
life.
If you want your settled values to govern your terminal care,
rather than standard medical practice,
then you should answer these 24 Questions.
OUTLINE:
PART I. Scope of Your
Declaration &
Appointing Proxy Decision-Makers
PART II.
Quality-of-Life Issues
PART III. Pain Control,
Nursing Home,
Financial Limits, & Medical Information
PART IV. Life-Ending
Decisions
PART V. Disposition of
Your Remains
PART VI.
Philosophical-Religious Beliefs
& Readiness for Death
6. PEACE & SOCIAL JUSTICE
BLESSED
ARE THE PEACEMAKERS
Peacemakers will be individual persons who live
everywhere on the planet Earth
who maintain peace, prevent genocide, & serve
the people.
This is a utopian goal.
But, where there is no vision, the people perish.
What do you think
about the following vision of a planet without war?
1.
PEACEMAKERS WILL OPERATE IN A DISARMED WORLD.
2.
PEACEMAKERS WILL BE STATIONED IN EVERY COUNTRY.
3.
PEACEMAKERS WILL WEAR UNIFORMS AND CARRY GUNS.
4.
PEACEMAKERS WILL WATCH FOR GENOCIDAL TENDENCIES.
5.
PEACEMAKERS WILL IMPRISON ANYONE WHO VIOLATES THE PEACE.
6.
PEACEMAKERS WILL WORK INDIVIDUALLY RATHER THAN UNDER ORDERS.
7.
PEACEMAKERS WILL GIVE AID WHEN NATURAL DISASTERS STRIKE.
8.
PEACEMAKERS WILL BE MORE HONORED THAN NATIONAL MILITARY FORCES.
9.
PEACEMAKERS WILL BE SUPPORTED BY PEACE-LOVING PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
7. MISCELLANEOUS
USING
ELECTRIC BILLS
TO MAKE EVERYONE MORE GREEN
OUTLINE:
1. VOLUNTARY CARBON TRADING
2.
LET
THE ELECTRIC COMPANIES DO THE MATH
TO TRANSFER CASH FROM THE OVER-USERS TO THE UNDER-USERS
3.
A
POSSIBLE NEW ELECTRIC RATE STRUCTURE
4.
SUCH
A SYSTEM WOULD BE SELF-REGULATING
5.
EVERYONE
WOULD BE MOTIVATED TO SAVE ELECTRICITY
6.
I
AM NOT A HERMIT LIVING 'OFF THE GRID'
7.
LOOKING
FOR WAYS TO SAVE ELECTRICITY
Created
December 30, 2008; Revised 10-8-2020;