Religious structure for the spiritually vague

[Harmony08]

I am spiritually all over the place but I am hungry for a structure. I was raised Epsicopalian and came to a more spiritual buddhist kind of a place and then I fell in love with Jewish ideas. Then I found the progressive christianity thread here and that opened up a whole new world. I am seeking. I want a community for my son and I want my husband (agnostic) to join us but I also want a structure, a path, a prayer book, i don't know how to describe it. We are planning to try out UU soon. I am jealous of a friend who just converted to Judaism. I am not saying this very well but I am longing for the kind of structure one gets from Episcopalianism or Judaism but I am very nebulous in terms of beliefs.

Any body else in a boat like this?

[EFmom]

My family goes to a UU congregation. There is ritual and there is lots of spiritual vagueness, so it seems to me you might love it.

Personally, I'm agnostic. I joined with the family, but it doesn't speak to me. But there are no other religions that do, either. I hate ritual and get nothing from it. We used to have a good minister who at least gave intellectually interesting sermons, but the person we have now is nice but inane. They do have excellent programs for religious education, and most weeks the kids and my husband go.

Is your husband on board with being part of this?

[Callimom]

We attend the UU congregation and I love it.
We are a lay lead congregation and so each service has a different tone but is grounded in the familiar rituals and music.

Our services vary from topics on world religions, social activism, spritual development, community issues.

There is a good childrens Spiritual development program and a strong teen group - although my 12 year old is a bit lost in between them.

Have you researched UU at all? There is a good thread here and Adele is excellent at offering resources etc for the curious as well as the committed. Come check it out.

Karen

[Theia]

I'll just say I'm out there being spiritually nebulous with you. I seek structure, but then I fear limitations being placed on my spiritual evolution. I need to feel free to seek as I wish and to not be told how, where or when to seek.

[EmmysMama]

I'm an atheist and I want the same thing.

I want a framework and I want to recognize it. I'm even down with working it out in my own head! I just want other people to share it, too.

I want to be able to go somewhere, sometime, and listen to someone talking about what I believe. I want to read books about what I believe and talk about them with other people. I want to sing songs and have meetings and bring my kids there so they can learn from other adults and meet other kids whose parents agree with me. I want to know that the other people there share my worldview. I want to have that ritual, that support, that comfort.

[Harmony08]

Originally Posted by EFmom

My family goes to a UU congregation. There is ritual and there is lots of spiritual vagueness, so it seems to me you might love it.

Personally, I'm agnostic. I joined with the family, but it doesn't speak to me. But there are no other religions that do, either. I hate ritual and get nothing from it. We used to have a good minister who at least gave intellectually interesting sermons, but the person we have now is nice but inane. They do have excellent programs for religious education, and most weeks the kids and my husband go.

Is your husband on board with being part of this?

Yes, my husband is actually very on board with trying UU. He doesn't need a structure like I do. For him it is mostly about community and morality.

[Harmony08]

Originally Posted by Karenwith4

We attend the UU congregation and I love it.
We are a lay lead congregation and so each service has a different tone but is grounded in the familiar rituals and music.

Our services vary from topics on world religions, social activism, spritual development, community issues.

There is a good childrens Spiritual development program and a strong teen group - although my 12 year old is a bit lost in between them.

Have you researched UU at all? There is a good thread here and Adele is excellent at offering resources etc for the curious as well as the committed. Come check it out.

Karen

Yes, thank you! I have researched UU and I am longing to buy 100 books about it. We will definitely try it out once we move. I have been in Adele's thread and think she is great She is even helping me out with book recommendations. I think I may find what I am looking for.

[Harmony08]

Theia and Emmysmama, I resonate with you both as well.

I think I want structure and ritual but then read the daily office or go to church and get bored and turned off. I think I want freedom but then I find myself wanting to open a prayer book and pray. I suck at praying. i'm working on it.