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This post was updated on .
(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.
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