What would my own religion look like?

 If I were to start my own alternative-to-religion group, what would it look like?

For starters, while it would be an alternative to religion, it wouldn't be an alternative to "belief-in-Godism."  We wouldn't demand a belief in God, but we would not try to hide it, either.  We would assume God's existence, and this would come across in some of the wording of our talks and songs, perhaps.

We would include music.  Classical, chant, drumming, select Gospel and Christian rock, global folk music, etc.

We would read from Wisdom books for inspiration.  Wisdom books would include selections such as the Psalms and Proverbs and Isaiah from the Hebrew Bible, selections from the New Testament, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, the Greco-Roman clasical literature, great thinkers of the Renaisance, Indigenous Lore, etc.

We would pick a theme and focus our reading, music, and talk on it.  We would tie the theme to some practical application in our daily lives. Sometimes these applications would focus on self-improvement, other times they would focus on serving the community.

We would break into small groups based on more specific interests and goals.  Perhaps there is a need for a group that brings prolifers and prochoicers together to struggle in a spirit of wanting to reach a common goal - decreasing the number of abortions being saught.

I have to stop here and point out that as I was writing the above paragraphs, the ideas started to sound familiar and then I realized there already exists a place like this, and it's called the Unitarian Universalist Church!

I've struggled with UU because they are quite liberal in their approach to social justice, and I am much more moderate.  I especially struggle with the issue of abortion.  I have never been able to bring myself to join a place that officially supports abortion on demand, no questions asked.  But below are the UU principles (as opposed to a creed) that serve to unify UUs.

1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; 

3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;

4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;

5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;  (*I imagine this is where the abortion issue breaks down for me.  I'm still struggling here, because I know it's not as simple as "make it illegal" and voila! The problem goes away.  I'd have to say the problem isn't abortion.  The problem is unplanned and difficult pregnancies. I think there's some common ground that can be had here between prolifers and prochoicers, but so far I see the two sides yelling past each other.)u

6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;

7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Right now, the liberal left is pro-BLM and pro-choice in abortion without limitations, as well as pro-transgender umbrella issues, which are varied in themselves.  So I worry about the perfect fit, but I think I'm ready to try something different, bc my current situation in a Catholic environment isn't a perfect fit either.  And while I may disagree with them on the literal nature of our common Scriptures, various church laws that limit personal freedom (all male celibate priesthood, no birth control, divorce frowned upon, etc.), I do seem to agree that chastity has a place in a healthy society.  However, even that I'm currently trying to unpack.  (See post on Chastity and Modesty, forthcoming.)

But when I think about which environment I'd prefer to raise my children in.... I want my kids to see women in positions of leadership, including the priesthood/pastorship.  I want them to see same sex couples with children, people who do not conform to gendered stereotypes, people from various walks of life.  In a Catholic setting, that diversity would most likely be in the form of ethnicity and income, if just the right church is found.  In a UU setting, most likely that diversity would instead come in the form of a variety of though and belief, and alternative lifestyles.  We'll probably need to alternate Sundays to get the full effect of what I'm going for here.  A piece-meal effort, in a way.  A hodgepodge approach.  Certainly no such thing as a one-size-fits-all.