Author: Web Admin2TBUUF

Service Mar 3, 2024

by Web Admin2TBUUF

Jesus was a Unitarian, which is the reason I’m one

Rev Ernie Mills

“Orpheus,” wrote Jane Harrison, “halted halfway on the ladder between earth and heaven, a ladder up which many mortals have gone and vanished into the remote unreality of complete godhead.” Jesus was not as lucky as Orpheus (his Greek prototype) in spite of his efforts to avoid going up the ladder and vanishing into “the remote unreality of complete godhead” he was pushed up the ladder by the emperor Constantine. The Trinity makes absolutely no sense at all, and why would it? It is the only dogma in Christian history created outside of ecclesiastical authorities. Jesus was a unitarian and his teachings are the reason I became a Unitarian.

Service Feb 18, 2024

by Web Admin2TBUUF

UUs Go To Hell    Reverend Ernie Mills

In Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Huck is committing a grave sin by helping a runaway slave, Jim, to escape. Twain’s story is fictional but it is not a fiction that African Americans were considered less human and did not share the same emotions as Caucasians. The turning point in the story is when Huck and Jim are floating down the Mississippi river on a homemade raft. It’s night and Huck overhears Jim crying for his family. Huck then realizes that Jim has a heart and is human. And although Huck believes he is breaking a law of God he experiences a life-changing, existential crisis and says to himself, “Alright I’ll go to hell.”

Unitarian Universalists come from a long line of “Huck Finns.” They are those who have stood up against institutions of power and authority, whether religious, political or even “God” (or gods made in human images.) We’ll take a brief look at this history and what it means to “go to hell” for the cause of justice.

Service Feb 4 2024 (at Landrum’s Depot)

by Web Admin2TBUUF

Why I got my tongue stuck in a Coke bottle   Reverend Ernie Mills

When I turned six, my parents threw a party and my classmates were invited. It was all fun until I tried to pull off a victory in a weird competition —making popping sounds by using a coke bottle. You’ll have to attend the service on February 4 if you want to hear the rest of the story. I’m using this incident as a launching pad to explore a theory (maybe law?) put forth by Will Storr in his new book, The Status Game. The book “examines our deep-rooted desire for social status and how it influences our behavior.”

Pot luck lunch to follow. Main dishes, drinks and place settings provided.

Service January 21, 2024

by Web Admin2TBUUF

What Do We Give When We Forgive?   Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30 Whimsical World Gallery

The etymology of the word “forgive” comes from Latin perdonare, which means “to give completely without reservation.” Yet, what are we giving when we for- give? We will take a close look at the psychological aspect of forgiveness and see if we can’t come up with an answer to the question.

Service January 7, 2024

by Web Admin2TBUUF

Can Science Save Us?   Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30  Whimsical World Gallery

“We believe in science” seems to be the modern-day mantra backed by the belief that science will somehow save the planet. We seem to put as much faith in science as we do any religion.

In posing this question I am aware that the word “save” may raise some issues. What is it that we expect science to save us from? Science has indeed saved us from many killer diseases but ithas also been instrumental in the production of many chemicals that are destructive to both human lives and the life of the planet.

Can we expect science to save ourselves from the fear, hate and greed that so often drive us to war and the destruction of our planet? We’ll explore this question and determine if it is really science or a new myth that will save us.

Service December 17, 2023

by Web Admin2TBUUF

UU Yule   Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30AM Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum, SC

(This reflection comes by way of special request. It is a “first” for me.) Yule is a noun that means Christmas. Yet its origins derive from natural or pagan festivals that celebrate the winter solstice, that is the birth of the Sun. Yule provides us a first- hand look at the pagan celebrations that form the background of Christmas, the birth of the Son.

The connections between the pagan Yule and the Christmas story reveal the natural and universal sources of religion. We are all living under the same Sun, all children of the same Divine Force.

Service December 3, 2023

by Web Admin2TBUUF

Getting in the Way          Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30AM  Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum, SC

The Tao is often referred to as the Way. To get in the Way begins by removing obstacles that get in the way of getting in the Way. Knowledge is one of those obstacles. When we know, or think we know, we close our minds to the great mystery and wonder of life. Another obstacle is isolation and thinking we can go it alone.. Finding companions is vital as we journey on the Way. Getting in the Way is moving along with the rhythm and flow of life. The goal of this process is “self-actualization” or in Taoism terms bringing life to its completion.

Service November 19, 2023

by Web Admin2TBUUF

The Myth of Redemption – Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30 AM  Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum SC

 

Imagine, the entire history of the Western world hinging on the bite of a forbidden fruit, an apple (it really was not an apple). That bite brought about what theologians termed the “Fall” (that concept is not found in the Biblical story). Humanity thus, according to the myth, “fell” into bondage and was in need of redemption. The first attempt at redemption resulted in the giving of the Torah (Law). When that failed, it seemed that the only path was through blood and the sacrifice of a human victim, i.e., Jesus. This has been the prime myth of the West for ages and is still in force today. Are there alternatives? Yes!

Service November 5, 2023

by Web Admin2TBUUF

What a Scallop Can Teach Us about Being Human – Rev. Ernie Mills

10:30 AM  Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum SC

 

Scallops have many eyes but they don’t really see; they simply react. In the human world, we call this reactional behavior prejudice. In an ideal human world, the Executive Function of the brain operates to control this kind of behavior, but unfortunately this function is not always developed (through education) or is simply not there.

It is my belief that Buddha, Jesus, Lao Tze and others tried their best to “ignite” the Executive Function so we humans would not behave like scallops.

Service October 29, 2023

by Web Admin2TBUUF

Personal Journeys into Unitarian Universalism   Ernie Mills

10:30 AM   Whimsical World Gallery, Landrum SC

Most of the newest members of Unitarian Universalist congregations in the South
have come from Protestant or Catholic backgrounds or no religious background at all. It is exciting to hear how they found their way and what precipitated their journey out of their traditional church homes into UU. I have asked two of our members to share their stories. My hope is that we can continue this theme every 5th Sunday.