Posted on 04/17/2009 8:17:05 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
A non-denominational Mississauga church known for its liberal religious practices has taken the unusual step of hiring an outspoken Muslim woman to run its youth programs.
The Unitarian Congregation announced yesterday it has appointed Farzana Hassan as director of spiritual exploration.
Hassan is a well-known author and poet and an outspoken activist who has butted heads with orthodox imams on issues such as hijab, polygamy and terrorism.
The Mississauga resident is also a past president of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Hassan will be responsible for introducing and running children and youth programs for the church.
This is not the first controversial move for the congregation. In 1982, it invited an openly-gay member, Mark DeWolfe, to become a minister.
“It's probably the first time that a mainstream congregation in North America has chosen a Muslim,” said the Rev. Jeff Brown, of his church’s appointment. “I am not aware of it having happened before. This is the congregation that does that.”
When the 150-strong congregation was looking to hire, said Brown, they felt Hassan was a perfect candidate because she reflects the diversity that exists in Peel.
Hassan says the Unitarian Universalists are the most inclusive of churches and that her own traditions and values are in sync with those practiced there, a reason she jumped at the opportunity to work with them.
“Universalistic tradition is a pluralist and humanist tradition,” Hassan said. “And these are values that I have espoused in some of the initiatives I've undertaken. I just plan to bring that experience to the church and articulate those values for the children in ways that are more meaningful to them. I don't find any conflict in the values I stand for and the values of the church.”
Unitarian Universalism, Brown explained, is a theologically-liberal religion that draws wisdom and meaning from the direct experience of individuals. Its followers seek inspiration from many different theological sources and have a wide range of beliefs and practices.
But historically their roots can be traced to Christian Protestants.
“When people ask us what our scripture is, I say it's the whole of the world. It's our experience, contemporary writings and wisdom literature,” Brown said.
Some church.
It’s basically nothing more than a ‘cultural learning center’ and has nothing to do with protestantism.
She must have been hired through the Useful Fools Employment Agency. Their motto is “finding idiot k’ffar Employers for 1400 years.”
Very strange indeed.
Idiots..
I had a Unitarian “church” next door to my home where I used to live in Florida for 27 years. They were good enough as neighbors, but the Unitarian thing seemed somewhat strange to me. Never struck me as religion.
ICHABOD!
Unitarian is not the same as non-denominational. Unitarians believe in nothing and everything and anything.
In other words, I don’t know why they bother.
Conversation overheard:
Person A (Mainstream Protestant Denomination): I hear that you allow all sorts of weirdos in your church. Atheists, Buddhists, Pagans...
Person B (Unitarian Universalist): We allow Christians too — we’re very open minded!
The church of “What’s happening now!”
I was brought up Unitarian as much as anything. If this woman teaches tolerance, inclusivity, and liberalism, she can worship fuzzy caterpillars and it will be fine.
So long as she doesn’t have anything nice to say about traditional values, the military, or Christians.
There is nothing "mainstream" about Unitarian Universalism. They are NOT Christians. They do not believe in the Gospel. They are humanist and believe themselves to be "gods".
Unitarians are not Christians, never have been. They rebelled from Congregationalist Christianity in New England and set up their own religion. Their most destructive act was that they captured once-Christian Harvard and turned it into the godless university it remains to this day.
Unbelievable — especially if Unitarians call themselves Christians.
There is no God in these “churches.” They have weather vanes on the top of their churches in some areas I have been. All voids will be filled. They rejected God so here comes Allah.
sorry to burst your bubble....they have everything to do with protestanism....the 20,000 or so protestant denominations decided that they, (each one)could improve on the church which Jesus Christ Himself founded......no transubstantion here, no music in the church here, no dancing there, gay ministers and bishops in this one, no blacks allowed in this denomination, no sacraments here, no need for confession there, baptism by immersion only in this program, no alcohol allowed (at least in public), it goes on and on, and you wonder where these inane ideas come from....they come from those who refuse to recognize Christ’s true church and decide they know better what God expects of us Pathetic!!
Not really. It isn't like UUs are Christian. Why shouldn't a group of non-Christian group hire a Muslim.
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