As the winter holidays arrive this season, it is fitting that my task as of right now for my Constructive Theology class is to discern my personal theology. I have often struggled with articulating my faith, which is not exactly what I was raised as, (loosely Lutheran). Coming into the holiday season, as Happy Holidays prevail, I wonder, what exactly I am personally subscribing to when I receive such a greeting?
Yes, I am Unitarian Universalist, but what do I believe? In contemplating this, I learned the following of myself: I believe in the 7 (and 8th) principles set forth in Unitarian Universalism, but even before that, I believe in an entity that is greater than I, greater than the universe, greater than anything that can be imagined. But I believe that we, as beings, as creations of existence are a part of this entity. Some might be settled to just say “God,” but I am a philosopher at heart and delve deep into what exactly is meant by such a term. To me God, Spirit, is greater than we can completely comprehend, with names being inadequate for this entity. But it is not without merit to attempt to grasp at this greatness, in reverence of its entirety.
Perhaps this is why so many different faiths have different means of understanding this entity—be it God, Goddess, a combination of deities, or otherwise. Contemplating different faiths, I can see the merits in many, and yet have struggled to find which is mine. From this search I have come to find that my faith is eclectic. When one wishes me ‘Happy Holidays” I think of a flame that withstands the dark nights longer than possible, I think of a newborn babe that brings hope to the world for holiness, I think of the divinity of a goddess spirit that births the sun into being, I think of people reunited after centuries torn asunder from homeland and each other.
My belief in a panentheistic entity that is and creates and holds the entirety in its being has room for all of these faith traditions. I may not attend each of the separate houses of worship that these faiths deem holy, but I have reverence for them. In this way, I can appreciate the holiday greetings specific to the individual holidays that pass through these months, as well as the all-encompassing “Happy Holidays.” At this time, even in our separate quarters may we see ourselves and feel the holiness of spirit in the warm-hearted greetings of many faiths that still surround us,
Happy Hanukkah,
Merry Solstice,
Blessed Yule,
Happy Kwanzaa,
Merry Christmas,
Happy New Year,
Happy Holidays!
Rev. Vanessa Titang 