I read this editorial at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem.

I have been a member for under a year, and a self-proclaimed Unitarian Universalist for a little under two.

My favorite thing about Unitarian Univeralists is that we are impatient. We work for change now, rather than waiting for an afterlife. At my first UU service, in Raleigh, I saw this spirit of action: the minister wanted to stop saying "by the power vested in me by the state of North Carolina" when performing weddings, because doing so helps the state discriminate about who should marry. I have seen the same spirit of action here in Winston-Salem. We have activists who look towards the future but understand that every voter registration card, every person who sees a billboard, every visitor to our fellowship is a necessary step towards equality. We do little things to prepare for one day of great change.

My next favorite thing about our religion is that we emphasize similarities. Rather than drawing out differences by debating who will go to heaven, or which religion is the "right" one, we have fundamental principles that emphasize universal truths. On some level, we can say that we agree with Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, or Humanism. After affirming we have something in common, we can listen to one another, even if our backgrounds are as varied as the Bhagavad-Gita and the Bible.

My third favorite thing, and the last one for today, is that Unitarian Universalism is rooted in reason and compassion rather than dogma. We don't believe things because someone told us so. Instead, we meet together, and decide what is fair and what is kind. We can think in broad strokes: we have a vision for how people should treat one another. We have a vision for a practical world peace. We have guiding documents, but if we find a flaw, we can agree to amend them. Our principles are living statements that must be taken seriously.

Unitarian Universalism gives us an active belief system that fosters equality. Our fellowship is an ideal setting for putting this belief system into practice.

That is why I support the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem with my time, my talents, and my money.