March 28-March 30

This week proved to be very productive. On March 28 I finished compiling metadata for the 1960 sermons and on March 30 I began scanning the sermons given in 1961. After 1961, Reverend John C. Fuller would leave to become a reverend for a different Unitarian church in New England. The reasons for his departure are not clear to me at this moment. He may have left to be closer to home, he was originally from New England, or he may have left because the higher authorities in the Unitarian Church ordered him too. Either way, once I am done with the 1961 folder I will most likely move on to the folders that contained sermons he gave before the year 1958. This would no doubt be interesting because not only would I learn about Unitarian teachings but I would be able to see how Reverend Fuller was reacting to all the historical events happening in the 1950's. Scanning the 1960 sermons I was able to see his reactions to the presidential election, the United Nations and a race riot that occurred in Jacksonville.

While on the subject of these sermons, I feel the need to discuss some more important Unitarian teachings I have learned about. The first that needs a lengthy explanation is the Unitarian concept of 'Reverence for Life.' According to Unitarianism, the Universe possesses something known as the 'Creative Spirit.' This Creative Spirit is responsible for the creation of life and every life form, whether it is a human or animal, shows traces of this creative spirit. What makes humanity unique is that the creative spirit acts through every member of mankind. The soul of man is inherently good instead of sinful like most other Protestant religions attest to. Men and women can use the Creative Spirit to reach out to the cosmos and learn more about spiritual matters. The Creative Spirit also allows mankind to show a Reverence for Life. This is the recognition that all beings are part of the cosmos and that they are to be respected as reflections of that greater entity. The soul, Reverend Fuller states, is made to do good but outside events can lead it to go astray and cause man to do evil. Man becomes irrational when he allows outside events to make him lose touch with his/her soul and he loses that important connection to the inner self that is inherently good. This disconnect causes negative actions to occur. This is why another teaching, that one's personal beliefs are a private matter, is so important. Ones relationship with his inner self or soul is a sensitive one. When outsiders pry this relationship can be upset and communication with the inner soul can be lost. Respecting ones private beliefs is not just about not invading ones privacy but rather more about not disrupting another person's spiritual tranquility. Each Unitarian is on his/her own path when it comes to the search for the truth and their individual journey cannot be disrupted by others. This is what Reverend Fuller means when he refers to Unitarianism as a liberal religion. It is the religion of freedom and of the individual.