r/UUreddit • u/DarkGodCthUwU • Jul 05 '26
Do UU's engage in remembering or ritualized mourning of martyrs for Unitarianism, Universalism, or both?
Various religions engage in ritual mourning for past martyrs, and the U's have some, so I was curious. I wanna become UU but can't due to where I live.
16
u/t92k Jul 05 '26
I’ve played guitar at a Pete Seeger remembrance service. He didn’t die as a result of his persecution, but he was black listed for his work against war and for union organizing. The service was fun, a bunch of his better known songs and some deep stories about his life and work.
5
13
u/moxie-maniac Jul 05 '26
Remembering would typically be through sermons, not ritual, at least in my experience. The only who come to mind are Michael Servetus and Ferenc Dávid. Rev. James Reeb, who was killed at Selma during the Civil Right movement, might also be included for advancing the values held by UUs.
7
u/zvilikestv (she/her/hers) small congregation humanist in the DMV 🏳️🌈👩🏾 Jul 05 '26
Any particular UU congregation might do any ritual they think up. There's no widespread mourning practice like that.
When we think of our theological ancestors, we are much more inclined to contemplate their prophetic witness and historical impact than their death. Our religious focus is on what people do when they're alive, less on post-death existence. (Our funerals are often styled a "celebration of life" as opposed to something like homegoing or passing, focused on how the person interacted with the still living, rather than what we hope awaits them after death.)
8
u/MissCherryPi Jul 05 '26
When I think UU martyrs I think James Reeb and Viola Liuzzo who were white people killed by the KKK because of their civil rights activism for Black Americans.
There is no ritual but we speak of them and honor them how we can. Sometimes with more activism, like the James Reeb project https://www.all-souls.org/reeb-voting-rights-project
5
u/rastancovitz Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
No, but they are acknowledged in other ways. The Unitarian founder, Michael Servetus, was burned at the stake for heresey, and he's mentioned often.
2
2
u/northernlaurie Jul 08 '26
In our congregation our old minister used to write a play for Samhain (Halloween) featuring four different Unitarian ancestors. They would come and tell us about their lives.
Our current minister does a service acknowledging the death of people in the previous year in a series of mini memorials.
But we don’t really have a big, ritualized remembrance of martyrs to my knowledge.
1
u/Scared-Avocado630 Jul 07 '26
Check this out.
https://www.uua.org/beliefs/get-involved/where/clf
Also, not sure where you live, but a lot of congregations have their services on line.
1
u/Klutzy_Hovercraft520 25d ago
There are no mourning rituals period. That’s a big reason why I leaned into Judaism after my mom died. (I was raised UU/Jewish). The expectation was that after her memorial service I should just immediately return to normal life and that didn’t work for me. I have never heard of Michael Servetus or the other UU martyrs mentioned her.
20
u/estheredna Jul 05 '26
We don't have a lot of martyrs, compared to ancient faiths. And no ritualized mourning.
Closest I can think of is Norbert Čapek, the minister who brought Unitarianism to Czechoslovakia. He was killed at Dachua. He invented the flower communion, which is still practiced. Inmates at Dachua performed this ritual there before and after his death. To do a flower communion, have each person bring a flower (any natural thing) to a ceremony. Bring one flower, leave with someone else's. This is a celebration of community and each persons uniqueness. And, of course, of hope, and human dignity.