Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Carolina Foothills

Live Your Life    Rev. Ernie Mills

Democritus, a fifth century B.C.E philosopher once said, “to live badly, is not to live badly, it is to take a long time dying.” The implication being that we can not only be living life but dying it. I propose that life and living are two entirely different things. Life can be reduced to biological functions, a matter of matter- physics and chemistry. “Life” as Carl Jung once put it “can be defined as a function of the carbon atom.”

We can even mimic life through AI. Living is different. We will explore what it means to be fully alive and what it means to “live your life” rather than living it badly, that is “dying it.”

On Becoming a Human    Rev. Ernie Mills

What does it mean to be a human? We presuppose that humans are “beings” when we really should think of humans as “becomings. ” One bumper sticker reads “Humankind, be both.” Becoming human requires a certain kind of nurturing. As the song from South Pacific says, “You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear,” so we have to be taught to become loving, kind and humane.

An inhumane human is an oxymoron. If we don‟t become human (humane) we remain beasts with insatiable appetites for cruelty. We are witnessing plenty of beastly behavior in our world these days.

Introduction to Resilience      with Fe Avis

We are pleased to welcome Fe Avis, who will speak on the subject of preparing for the final chapters of our lives, subjects we too often avoid thinking about.  His theme, “Introduction to Resilience,” is one designed to inspire self-reflection and no doubt much discussion. Fe conducts seminars and provides workshops for various church programs and councils on aging. Somehow, the Whimsical World Gallery seems an ideal place to explore the topic of life’s rainbow ride.

Why I Love Taoism       Rev. Ernie Mills

As far I know Taoists have never persecuted, tortured or executed those who

disagree with their philosophy. There are no dogmas in Taoism nor do Taoist

philosophers engage in theological debates and discussions. They leave God

alone. Their philosophy is very simply, “follow the WAY and put your Self

in harmony with the natural universe” (small and large). Taoist philosophy

encourages us to embrace both the light and dark aspects of life (Yang and

Yin, male and female.) And finally, Taoism has never attempted to establish

itself on historical events, persons or places. As “local” as it may seem, its

roots are universal and eternal.

Tassel Weejuns: Dealing with Disappointments      Rev. Ernie Mills

I remember seeing, for the first time, a pair of Tassel Weejuns in the window of Belks

in downtown Hendersonville. It was love at first sight. But the price was $30 and

neither I nor my parents could afford that. So I took the lay-away plan and put $5

down. It took several months and many lawns to cut before I raised enough money to

own the shoes. Then, after about a month of wearing them, the first tassels

fell off, followed, a few days later, by the second. MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT and

shattered dreams of being the “cool guy” with the Tassel Weejins. As life went on

I got over the disappointment. But the Tassel Weejuns were not the end of disappoint-

ments in my life and they still continue till today. In this reflection (I prefer not to say

“sermon”) we will explore life‟s disappointments and how we cope and deal with them.

The Myth of the Cave   Rev Ernie Mills

Through his Myth of the Cave, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato invites us to come out of our caves and explore the world outside. The cave, in this case, would represent the closed or imprisoned mind that cannot see beyond what appears. The English Romantic poet, William Blake, wrote, “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.”     Let’s find ways to come out of the caves of our own making.

The Fascinating Religion of Mexico      Rev Ernie Mills

When the Spanish came to what is now Mexico in the 1500’s, they brought their Catholic religion with them. They took stones from the pyramids built by the ancient Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs to build the many Catholic churches. Yet it was more than just stones. Those ancient stones represent the religion of the indigenous people that was absorbed and incorporated into Catholicism as it is experienced by the Mexican people. I’ll show a few images of winged saints, surrounded by giant serpents and a “Jesus” covered in blood. Of course, at the center of both religions is human sacrifice.

A Unitarian Universalist Idea of God     with Derek Harrison

I want to explore the changing idea of God in the modern world, and In particular how the UU conception of God differs from that of many other religions. That will require distinguishing any discussion of religion from discussions of God, and more importantly, suggesting how modern spirituality has been evolving toward a possibly more mystical and pantheistic understanding of God, with some reference to the ideas of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

Tranquility      Rev Ernie Mills

Tranquility is the name of a Queen Ann-style home in Flat Rock, built in 1880 by my great-grandfather, W. F. Edwards. It would be great if tranquility was something we could find in a building or a place on the map. A lasting and genuine tranquility is a state of mind and something we must nurture in ourselves in spite of the external environment we may find ourselves in. It is not a luxury, but a necessity; it is restorative and a vital need of the soul. We will explore ways we can nurture tranquility in our lives.

Above Us Only Sky   Rev. Ernie Mills

“Above us only sky” is a line from John Lennon’s song Imagine.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we humans could just do what is right without expecting a reward, that is, if we treated virtue as its own reward?  I am reminded of a church billboard that read: “Jesus is your ticket to heaven.”  I don’t believe Jesus would care a whole lot for being seen as a piece of paper with markings on it.