tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244065109930949598.post8344089680233049763..comments2023-03-25T09:45:26.391-04:00Comments on Seeking Divinity: Polity and AutonomyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288925493907687573noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244065109930949598.post-4345528172125148802008-07-20T11:37:00.000-04:002008-07-20T11:37:00.000-04:00Very true, as I'm learning more of the history (mu...Very true, as I'm learning more of the history (much of it recent) of our faith. Much of what has engendered my thoughts is my own congregation's resistance to and fear of connections becoming a heirarchy, and a misunderstanding of what polity could mean for our faith. <BR/><BR/>I have to wonder if in a more pluralistic world, Unitarian Universalism can survive without some sort of central "bureaucracy" to help manage connections within and outside of our church. Our desire for autonomy and our definition of such could become our downfall without some sort of continuing method of connection between congregations. <BR/><BR/>I agree that the technological connections that exist now will change the face of those connections, and of how we define autonomy and interdependence. <BR/><BR/>The connections between the individual, the congregation and the UUA - as the Commission said 10 years ago is to "enable the congregations to carry out their ministries more effectively" locally and globally - that seems like a well-defined goal - but how one achieves that goal will be the nexus of the ongoing discussion about how individualism can coexist with that interdependence that seems necessary to continuing existence as a faith.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288925493907687573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7244065109930949598.post-48847139665340599002008-07-20T10:11:00.000-04:002008-07-20T10:11:00.000-04:00What the COA said is correct, but recall that on t...What the COA said is correct, but recall that on the Unitarian side, the "communion of the churches" was handled through locally convened one-off meetings, as for the ordination of ministers. Relations between ministers helped reinforce this relationship, and there wasn't the expectation of denominationalism we have today.<BR/><BR/>That said, the world is far more connected now -- more even when the report was written -- and one thing seems more clear: the desirability of, and the dependence on, a central bureaucracy to maintain those connections is now more in doubt than ever. <BR/><BR/>This discussion being a foretaste of that.Scott Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03838480302407811239noreply@blogger.com