Nature of UU; future of UUHK

[Alex]

(this is my private reflection and is not a formal position of UUHK nor issued from my capacity)


As the AGM of UUHK is approaching, I would like to ponder on the future of UUHK.  To ponder on the future of UUHK, I must reflect on the basic nature of UU.  


UU is not only a multi-faith religion.  A mere multi-faith religion lacks a (theological) center.

Surveys in US reveal that over half of UUs identify themselves as humanists.  Taking the Christian historical background of UU into account, we might understand that:

"UU is a post-Christian church of religious humanism."

That means UU has extracted the pearl of religious humanism (compassion of Jesus, humanistic portion of the Bible) from the muddy waters of traditional Christianity (superstitious doctrines, superstitious portion of the Bible).

Dropping "post-Christian" to avoid exclusive reference to a single religion:

"UU is a church of religious humanism."

Dropping "church" as it brings the impression of being traditional and Western:

"UU is a community of religious humanism."

The terms "religious" and "humanism" warrant definitions here.

"Religion" here means a comprehensive (holistic) approach to life as a whole.  It involves creating a meaning of life, a purpose of life.  It has little to do with the traditional sense of the word (creeds, doctrines, rituals, holy books, rules, and institutions, etc).

"Humanism," simply put, is a life philosophy based on evidence, science, naturalism, and compassion/love.

The remaining question: Why a community?
For a sense of being together (fellowship), co-operation, mutual support, education, celebration (rites of passage), enjoyment of art (eg, music), and visibility (makes religious humanism visible to the public).


How about our subgroups which at first sight have nothing to do with humanism (namely, Progressive Christian Fellowship, Buddhist Sangha)?
My answer is:
1  The center of Christainity is Jesus.  The center of Jesus is love.  Love is humanistic.
2  The center of Buddhism is Buddha.  The center of Buddha is compassion.  Compassion is humanistic.
(I mean that there is a humanistic element at the heart of Christianity and Buddhism, not that Christianity and Buddhism are to be put under Humanism.)


Therefore, I propose "UU as a community of religious humanism" to be the basic direction of UUHK.

This, I believe, is a more focused and hence more viable direction than a merely inclusive multi-faith religious community.

[Philip Williams]

Geography of Hong Kong
Hong Kong is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 2,755 km² (approx. 1,064 mi²). Continental shelf of Hong Kong is approximately 0 km² (around 0 mi²). Hong Kong is located in Asia. Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent. Asian countries include, but are not limited to, Russia, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and North and South Korea. Hong Kong shares its borders with People's Republic of China. Hong Kong is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of Hong Kong is 479 m (1,572 ft).

Neighbors
Total length of land borders of Hong Kong is 33 kilometers (~13 miles). Hong Kong has 1 unique land boundary with a neighbouring territory - People's Republic of China. The length of said border is 30 km (19 mi).

Cities
The capital city of Hong Kong is Hong Kong.

Elevation
The average elevation range of Hong Kong is 479 m (1,572 ft). The highest point of Hong Kong is Tai Mo Shan, with its official height being 958 m (3,143 ft). The lowest point of Hong Kong is China Sea. The elevation difference between the highest (Tai Mo Shan) and lowest (China Sea) points of Hong Kong is 958 m (2 ft).

Area
The total land area of Hong Kong is 2,755 km² (approx. 1,064 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 0 km² (~0 mi²). The continental shelf of Hong Kong is approximately 0 km² (around 0 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of Hong Kong is approximately 2,755 km² (~1,064 mi²). Hong Kong is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land
There are 53 km² of arable land in Hong Kong, and it comprises 2% of the country's total territory.