March 3-March 5

This week I focused on compiling the metadata for the 1961 sermons. So far, I am very pleased with how it is turning out but, once I am done, I feel that I need to go over everything again in order to add some more outside sources to the entries. This is easy to do with the documents that reference real world events but more difficult with the ones that focus on theology. Speaking of real world events, I feel that it is very important to discuss what exactly Reverend Fuller's views of the world around him were. This is very important, because many of his sermons actually deal with the problems man faces in the modern world and the nature of American society that he lived in.

First of all, what is this 'modern world' that Reverend Fuller discusses in many of his sermons? This world is the one contemporary to him which is the 50's and early 60's, the years in which he preached at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando. It is a world that is different but in many ways similar to our own. Reverend Fuller talks about the dangers of technology, race conflict, civil unrest and religious conflict, all things that still plague our current time. According to Reverend Fuller, the world of his time is one devoid of spirituality. Rampant consumerism and conformity dominate American society. People are afraid to be individuals for fear that they will be labeled a communist or as someone who divides a united society. The Cold War is a constant backdrop in Reverend Fuller's discussions of modern society. People live in constant fear of nuclear weapons so they give up their freedom and individuality in order to rely on the safety of the group. Reverend Fuller points out that this is a natural reaction but a wrong one. Reverend Fuller maintains that man is intrinsically good, and that they can make the world a better place by working together with their inner soul that has been gifted with the creative spirit. Concepts I have discussed in an earlier post. The problem is that modern society divides people, not only from each other but from their inner, spiritual souls. Another problem that runs rampant in American society is hypocrisy. Reverend Fuller observes how communism is detested for being atheistic and yet the materialist consumerism that is so lauded by American society is equally godless. Fundamentalist protestants praise themselves for their love of God and yet insult all those who dare go to integrated schools. America praises itself for being the best at war and yet, Reverend Fuller points out, wasn't it Russia that actually took Berlin? Again, this stems from the spiritual disconnect of the times. All is not doom and gloom, however. The modern world has benefited all of humanity greatly by bringing the world together, uniting East and West. Through greater international interactions, in the form of trade fairs and cultural exchange. Reverend Fuller is confident that a solution to conflict can be worked out but this must be a continual process. Stagnation not only prevents change but allows more and more conflict to happen. Freedom is not a state but something an individual must continually strive for by practicing that freedom. This is done by the person using his/her own mind to judge right from wrong. All these teachings I believe, even though they are decades old, can definitely apply to our present day.