Out of my Comfort Zone

           A few weeks ago, instead of making my way home to attend Sunday School and church at Antioch Baptist Church in my hometown, I attended Georgia Mountains Unitarian Universalist Church in Dahlonega, and I’m not going to lie, it was hard for me to do. I am one who is very strong in my faith and my beliefs so breaking out of my comfort zone, even for this one Sunday, was difficult for me.

            I chose to attend this service, because living in North Georgia, there are not very many religious gathering options to choose from besides many of the basic Christian denominations, and this church seemed to push my comfort zone. For as long as I can remember, every Sunday my family would wake up early, put on our Sunday best and make our way to church where we were always surrounded by family and friends who loved to worship as much as we did. Growing up in a Christian home and community, I was never really exposed to other religious beliefs until I came to North Georgia. So when I decided to attend the Sunday service at Unitarian Universalist Church, I expected the service to be much different from a Christian service like I am used to, but surprisingly, it wasn’t. They had a Sunday School service for the children to attend, the choir sang before the service and everyone stood and sang along, and the fellowship sermon was carried out as it was in any other church I have attended.

            However, what I was worried the most about were the people there. I obviously didn’t share the same beliefs as them, so would they judge me? Ask why I was there? Ridicule me? These questions ran through my mind before I went into the church, but once I arrived, I realized I had nothing to worry about. Just as in my church back home, the people there were welcoming, kind, and inviting into their service. Everyone there seemed to worship in their own unique way, which made me feel comfortable; I realized even though I didn’t share their faith, I could worship however I wanted here.

            I decided to do some research on Unitarian Universalism and I something I found significant was the seven Principles the religion is founded on. A few that stood out to me included the 2^nd Principle: “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” (Unitarian Universalist Association) and the 6^th Principle: “The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all”. These Principles helped me to realize that despite my common belief, many religions unlike mine strive for the same goal of peace and love for the human population. I believe these Principles and being exposed to other religions is important as an educator, because in the classroom, many students will have different beliefs that they may want to share, and as an educator, we have to be acquainted and open to all of their opinions, instead of just our own.

"Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources." Unitarian Universalist Association. Unitarian Universalist Association. Web. 8 Oct. 2014. <Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and Sources. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2014, from http://www.uua.org/beliefs/principles/index.shtml>.