My name is Helen Iacovino and I
consider myself a Unitarian Universalist mystic. In a nutshell, I
feel that there is a unifying, transcendent power in the universe
which pervades all things, although I do not call it "god." Since I
was a teenager, there were times when I would suddenly experience
that power, and I would feel deeply connected to the universe.
However, without the long and noble history of humanism in our
movement, I would probably not be comfortable with words like
"mystic" or "spiritual" because they would still have their
Christian overtones. In fact, I might not be comfortable exploring
this area at all if humanism had not done so much to distinguish our
faith from the Protestant roots of its origins. I agree with
humanism’s basic principles, and in daily life, I depend on reason
even if I argue against it at times. What I have always valued most
about our religion is the freedom to explore, and also the kindness
of the people in our congregation.In the debate about the
humanist and mystical perspectives in Unitarian Universalism, I feel
there are actually more commonalities than differences, because we
all share some basic UU values. One important commonality is the
question of authority, a crucial concept for Unitarian
Universalists. Both humanists and mystics would agree that it rests
with the individual, and both value the individual’s own judgement
in matters of belief.
It disturbs me that people are feeling left out over these
issues, because I think Unitarian Universalism is larger than that,
and that when we remember another shared value, that of tolerance –
and of course love – we can overcome this, and learn and grow from
it. I think back to Unitarian history, and how the movement was
divided by the Transcendentalist controversy in the mid nineteenth
century, and later incorporated the wisdom gained and grew from it –
in fact grew to shape twentieth century Unitarianism.
I think the key is to remember our UU conviction that truths are
relative. Mystics can guard against saying, "They just don’t see
it," while humanists can guard against saying, "They see what’s not
there." In embracing viewpoints that differ from our own, we don’t
have to take them on for ourselves, we just have to acknowledge them
as other valid viewpoints. In an ecumenical gathering, when a
Catholic talks about meeting Jesus in prayer, a Unitarian
Universalist will often nod, and think about the value of being in
touch with one’s inner self, or about true compassion for others. It
is this kind of respect, which we often show in interfaith meetings,
that we can bring to the humanist/ mystic debate in our own
congregation. More often than not, the other person is not out to
deny our view, but only to express their own. To use 70’s jargon,
they are not out to "lay their trip on anybody."
I am confident that as a congregation we will be able to enter
into dialogue with each other, and both our congregation and 21st
century Unitarian Universalism will be the stronger for it.
