You've also allowed us to continue to support the International Association for Religious Freedom. Several members have used their NAUA membership for free access to nearly all the available IARF workshops and recordings of past events. Check them out at IARF.net.

We also have ongoing expenses for hosting and maintaining our website and member database. Many thanks to board trustee Lincoln Baxter, who as tech team chair has donated hundreds of hours to redesigning and improving our soon-to-be-released new website! John Wunderlin, Terry Anderson and Bob Simoni have contributed many, many volunteer hours to this project as well.

Other ongoing expenses include our Zoom accounts for hosting NAUA events, including our very popular CIRCLES. There are currently 15 meetings of CIRCLES monthly with three more offered this Spring. See below for information on the new CIRCLE offerings! 

We also aim for twice-monthly distribution of our newsletter, The Compass. And we are working on reviving the quarterly Liberal Beacon, refreshing and expanding our ministerial services, and planning our fall Summit! 

There are so many new and exciting upcoming programs and events to look forward to. Thanks again to our generous donors for making this all possible. Below, NAUA President Roy Dickerson shares why he has prioritized giving to NAUA and has recently decided to increase his regular donation. 

We didn’t think too much about the time or the money given. It was just part of our lives; it brought us pleasure and a sense of belonging; it was being a responsible member of the church. It wasn’t so much a conscious decision as it was more of an automatic habit, like putting on a comfortable pair of slippers.

When we started making an automatic donation to the NAUA, it was a nominal amount; after all, how much overhead is there when we don’t have a physical location? The reality is that we do have expenses, our programs are valuable to us, we are an organization to be proud of, and we want to grow. While we are mainly virtual, we have many friends here I care about.

In thinking about this, I realized that we can and will raise our donation to the NAUA. I hope that you will consider the impact the NAUA has on your life, and be part of helping it be more successful.

Last week the NAUA Principles Task Force emailed all NAUA members and subscribers a survey invitation. If you haven't yet participated, please take the survey by clicking on the link below:

NAUA Principles Survey

Survey responses will be compiled and shared with the NAUA Board, the NAUA Principles Task Force, and in the Compass newsletter. The results will also help inform a draft set of proposed principles that will be discussed with membership and (hopefully) voted upon at our Annual Meeting / Summit. In addition, the survey will help us determine the dates, formats and topics for the Summit.

Your participation is very much appreciated, and we look forward to your input! Please complete the survey no later than Wednesday, March 25th.

With appreciation,

Terry Anderson
Chair, NAUA Principles Task Force

Suggestions for new NAUA programs, or changes to existing programs, are always welcome. Please email your suggestions to info@naunitarians.org or speak directly to one of NAUA's board members.

Every other week the group reads about and discusses a different topic of interest. The topic for March 22nd is "the moral philosophy of Michael Sandel, Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University"

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We seek to understand how science confirms or contradicts religious or philosophical conceptions, think about how the disagreements might be resolved, and also identify religious or philosophical issues that have been neglected by science, which might lead to fruitful growth on both sides.

• Session 1: February 7 (completed, recording available)

• Session 2: March 7 (completed, recording available)

• Session 3: April 4: "Recollection and Meaning"

• Session 4: May 2: "Types of Consciousness"

Register with IARF.net and then register for the course at https://iarf.net/network/courses/30/. The course takes place on the first Saturday of the month; time is always 8:30 AM ET. The course has a discussion board for announcements, asking questions and general conversation related to the subject. Don't worry if you missed the March session; simply review the recording from that session and join for the remainder of the series.

If you are interested in joining or observing a board meeting, please read the board meeting participation policy on our website before emailing our board secretary for the Zoom link: secretary@naunitarians.org.

Note: Past board meeting minutes can be found on our website.

This book examines recent illiberal trends in traditionally liberal American institutions. It focuses on Unitarian Universalism, a historically liberal church whose national leadership has adopted an extreme, authoritarian version of anti-racism as a “theological mandate,” causing strife and division.

Inequalities, unfairness, and prejudices are problems in all societies throughout human history. Stereotyping, unconscious biases, and tribalism are innate in human psychology and society. There is no single or objectively correct answer to addressing disparities. There is also no single or objectively correct way to organize societies, communities, and organizations.

While the various racial justice models offer important insights into race and society, the author believes in classical liberalism, freedom of speech, and the free exchange of ideas, things that many extreme social justice movements and activists oppose. Freedom of speech and expression and the respectful exchange of ideas inherently support diversity and multiculturalism. Illiberalism, dogmatism, censorship, and authoritarianism are oppressive of all groups, minority and majority, and should be rejected wherever they appear.

As there are no simple or objective answers, this book encourages discussion. The most intolerable aspect of recent illiberal trends, and a key reason for the author writing this book, are the attempts to suppress the open exchange of ideas.