Third Principle

I really think this is an interesting way of looking at the principles. They line up a bit differently.

Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. This one does seem on the surface to be very UU specific. Perhaps they should change the wording very slightly, as I will for this post. To make it more inclusive, I will simply change that last word to community. As Pagans, we should should strive to accept others as they are, especially if we want them to accept us how we are. I

What does this mean? I think it means that we should allow people to be who and what they are. There are, of course, limitations to this. I am not about to advocate that a mass murderer should be allowed to run free. It is more to do with allowing others to run their lives as they want, so long as they are not hurting others or themselves. It also means that we should help others on their path. This could be simply talking about yours, not trying to convert, merely giving information. It could be deciding to take someone to spiritual place that is different for both of you and comparing notes afterward.

This one reminds me a lot of the fourth principle. We need to be free to think for ourselves and allow others to have the same freedom. It is another one that stresses community. I think we have lost community recently. Many think it is because technology changed us. I don't think so. It does make it easier, but it was us who decided to forgo community.

How does this play into druidry?

Druids historically have been teachers, healers, and priests. Today, they are mentors, teachers, and seekers. Seeking and helping others along their paths. UU's also like to learn and share and help others. Both groups are very similar in these respects.

Fourth Principle

One of these days, I will post on time.

Now, on to one of my favourites. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

Part of this one is to allow everyone to search out his or her own path. UU's seem to follow this one very religiously. As do druids. Every druid I've seen has her own way of practising. Both groups have some core bits that define their paths, and they allow for many variations on the theme.

The other part is the hard part, responsibility. You are responsible for how your views affect others. Not only is it hard, many ignore it. This is also why I take issue with libertarian ism. There are some aspects of it that are good, like not forcing people to conform. It, and much of modern American culture, unfortunately don't take how things affect others into account. It is all about the individual doing what he or she wants. If it negatively affects someone else, that is that someone's problem.

This is related in many ways to the principles about community and interconnectedness. When we search for truth and meaning, we have to think about how our beliefs will affect others. Some beliefs, say the number of gods you believe, don't affect anyone but yourself. However, there are belies, the ones about how we interact with the world and with others, that influence how we treat others. This is where we need to take responsibility for our beliefs.