Unitarian Universalism. Some may know it as the least church-like church. The church that accepts atheists. The most cult-like of churches. The liberal church. The open-minded and accepting church. These are all fairly appropriate terms to describe it. From 2000 to 2010, membership has risen 16%, showing that there is a growing attraction towards the principles and beliefs in this “religion.” Looking at the demographics of Unitarians, they are some of the most well educated, financially successful, and liberal-leaning of all religious associations. 

After recently joining a UU church on Cape Cod last year, primarily because I was looking for volunteer opportunities and I wished to be part of a choir, I have learned what it’s all about, and have decided that these are undoubtedly some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I’ve never met a group of people so welcoming, warm, unbiased, loving, flexible, and polite in my life. From the moment that I entered into their space, I was greeted like an old family member. Despite being the youngest person in choir, and not fitting the average demographic, it didn’t matter. The congregants were kind, honest, and embraced me like a son. Every time that I needed help, it was proffered. Every time that I took a risk, it was supported. It was a truly unbelievable community. 

This started me thinking what the world would look like if the world was run by people like this. How truly different it would be to have flexible, loving, open-minded, yet highly intelligent and culturally-aware people making decisions about the direction of our world? Imagine how quickly problems like global warming and pandemics would be addressed and solved if these people were in charge? How easily injustices in our criminal system would be corrected, finally affording equal sentences to all people, regardless of their racial or cultural backgrounds? How wonderful it would be to raise children in a world where our leaders were supportive and nourishing, rather than spiteful and fear-mongering? 

My experience with the UU church demonstrates that we already have the solutions to the majority of the world’s problems. It isn’t that we can’t fix these problems, or that it’s impossible. Rather, it’s that the wrong people are governing the globe. Seeing how effectively, how precisely, and how delicately each committee and service is run in my church, I see what is possible in other organizations. The problem of our country, or the world, doesn’t lie so much in the constitution, or the geographic boundaries, or any other concrete thing. Rather, the problem lies in the individuals who make the decisions on a daily basis. If we have more people like Unitarians running the world, the world will run better, make no bones about it. For those of you who don’t know anything about Unitarian Universalists, I highly recommend learning about them, as it won’t remind you very much of many of the other rigid religious organizations with which you may be more familiar. Besides, it’s not about the rituals or ceremonies, but rather it’s about the people, their beliefs, their values, and their self-aware nature that really makes it stand out in a sea of me-too religious sects. 

Traditional religion hasn’t fixed the world’s problems, and it’s unlikely to start doing so soon. Instead, I suggest we look at non-traditional religious organizations like Unitarian Universalism, which provides a model example of what a human being can be, and the sort of person that our world needs more of. It’s really quite simple - take model humans and give them the ability to lead the world, and the world will become a better place. I’ve found plenty of them in the UU community. Where do you find yours?