The Camino de Santiago is one of the most ancient and well-worn pilgrimage routes in the Western world. For over a thousand years, people have walked these trails—from all across Europe and beyond—toward the cathedral in Santiago, said to be the resting place of the apostle James. In today’s hectic world that is constantly bombarding…

This is a one of the best Academy Sessions yet!!  In this presentation, Dr. Felicia Wu, Distinguished Professor of Food Safety, Toxicology and Risk Assessment at Michigan State University, will discuss the history of US government agencies in Food, Safety and Nutrition. A detailed analysis is done of the 2026 USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans…

This December 2025 NAUA Academy session features a presentation and a lively discussion on the opportunities and challenges from the Arising of the Nones. Joyce Francis leads the discussion, presents efforts of the New Salish Sea Congregation and our own stories of finding Unitarian alternatives. Does the same programs and activities of Unitarians still work for the…

At its core Christian Nationalism is a political-ideological view that a particular nation either is or should be a Christian nation — meaning the identity, culture, laws or governance of that country should reflect a specific form of Christianity. It is distinct from simply “being Christian” or “Christian values influencing society.” Rather, it tends to…

At its core Christian Nationalism is a political-ideological view that a particular nation either is or should be a Christian nation — meaning the identity, culture, laws or governance of that country should reflect a specific form of Christianity. It is distinct from simply “being Christian” or “Christian values influencing society.” Rather, it tends to…

The October Academy presentation featured guest speaker Mark Reimers. How do the billions of neurons in your head, tangled together like jello spaghetti, produce feeling, determination, love and laughter? Waking up, deliberation, remembering, effortful thinking, inner conflict, and day-dreaming are all aspects of consciousness. We will discuss how studies of brain activity during these kinds…

Ralph Waldo Emerson decried the Unitarianism of his day as “corpse-cold” and urged the religion to evolve with new understandings of the contemporary world. Those understandings are still with us today, but our Living Tradition asks us to continue evolving with the times. Dr. Matthew Shear will share with us a positive view of what…

Photo credit https://infiniteleaders.co/executive-coaching-advisory/ For decades, Artificial Intelligence was one of those “maybe someday” dreams. Seemingly out of nowhere, ChatGPT exploded on the scene in early 2023. The clock is now ticking – the capabilities of A.I. are going to improve exponentially, and very quickly. As with almost every technological advancement in our lifetime, we find…

Discussions about nuclear weapons are often framed as security, legal, political or military issues. Yet equally important are moral and ethical perspectives, and faith communities play a critical role in bringing in such dimensions to discourses about nuclear weapons, which poses existential threats to humanity and our planet. In this talk, Anna Ikeda of Soka Gakkai International will…