Media Coverage of UUism - First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa

CREDIT: Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen

Intern minister Rev. Debra Faulk will lead First Unitarian Congregation's Mythmas service Sunday. Rev. Brian Kopke is the congregation's lead minister.

There will be a Christmas tree and carols. The Nativity story will be told. But on Christmas Day, the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa will also acknowledge Hanukkah and the winter solstice, as well as explore myths from other traditions in a "Merry Mythmas" celebration.

It sounds like a distinctly modern take on Christmas, a compromise designed to please traditionalist Christians and those who prefer a generic "happy holidays" at this time of year. The Unitarian live-and-let-live approach to religion seems tailor-made for a 21st-century multicultural society in which Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and followers of other faiths live side-by-side with atheists, while public officials struggle to acknowledge Christmas without offending or excluding anyone.

"We live in this post-modern world where everything is so fractured that everybody is drawing on the best of whatever cultures they have exposure to, and that's OK," said Rev. Brian Kopke, lead minister for the 565-member congregation. "I don't think any one culture has a lock on truth."

Not everyone sees this as a good thing. Some, including David Reed, an Anglican minister and a professor of theology at Wycliffe College at the University of Toronto, argue that picking and choosing elements from various traditions diminishes specific faiths.

"The Unitarian church is appealing to current trends in spirituality that are individualistically driven," he says. "Our present culture tends to be suspicious of religious institutions and therefore spiritual practices express people's personal preferences rather than specific religious traditions."

But Unitarians -- who claim Charles Dickens, author of the classic A Christmas Carol, as one of their own -- have a particular spiritual tradition that goes back hundreds of years.

Unitarianism has roots in the Protestant Reformation, and its contemporary form took shape in New England between 1750 and 1800. It emphasizes individual paths to spiritual truth, respect for the dignity of every person and striving for peace, liberty and justice.

Although it grew out of the Judeo-Christian tradition, Unitarianism rejects the idea of God as a trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Unitarians see God as a unity and while they acknowledge Jesus Christ as a visionary, many see him as human, rather than divine.

According to 2001 census data, 17,480 Canadians identify themselves as Unitarian. They're a small minority in a country where most who identify with a particular religion are Catholic (12,921,285), Protestant (8,654,845), Muslim (579,645), Jewish (329,990) or Buddhist (300,345). About five million Canadians have no religious affiliation.

Some Unitarians consider themselves Christians, but many do not. Some, including Mr. Kopke, don't even believe in God.

"Right now, I don't feel a need for a supernatural presence in my life."

Not all congregations hold special celebrations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa, which has about 100 members, has no services scheduled on those days.

According to Brian Kiely, president of the Canadian Unitarian Council, "Unitarians tend to have a broad view of Christmas. Most will know that the pagan roots of the solstice celebration predate Christianity by centuries. Most will know that the Christmas story was an add-on that borrowed many pre-Christian symbols."

"At the same time, most (Unitarians) grew up in homes that celebrated Christmas in a traditional way and that still has a great deal of meaning for them. The story of the Nativity is enchanting and wonderful and speaks about deep truths. Most of us don't need it to be factual, nor do we need to believe in the divinity of Jesus."

Led by intern minister Rev. Debra Faulk, the "Mythmas" service at the First Unitarian Congregation on Sunday will include the singing of familiar hymns, such as It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, which was written by a Unitarian minister, Edmund Hamilton Sears.

But Ms. Faulk will draw on diverse sources, focusing on a number of themes, including holy births and "the whole idea of light." The story of Christ's birth will be told, but it is "only one among a number of stories."

Ms. Faulk will also tell the story of Mithra, the Persian sun god whose miraculous birth has "uncanny" parallels with the Christian Nativity.

"He was found in a cave by shepherds. He was raised by shepherds. He did so many good deeds. When he died, he went to the heavens."

As for the notion of the birth of Jesus bringing light into the world, Ms. Faulk notes that from the earliest recorded history, there has been "some kind of a celebration of returning light at mid-winter."

Hanukkah, which begins at sundown on Dec. 25 this year, is one of these celebrations of light.

So is the pagan observance of the winter solstice on Dec. 21 -- the shortest day of the year, after which days begin to get longer again.

Christmas, Ms. Faulk points out, was overlaid on these earlier traditions.

For her, "it's not about the literal story. It's about the deep, deep meaning of the story of the nativity."

Like other Unitarians, she believes that "every night that a child is born is a holy night," full of hope and possibility.

Like Ms. Faulk, Mr. Kopke recognizes the power of the Christmas story, but does not interpret it literally. He will lead the congregation's 11 p.m. Christmas Eve candlelight service, which will include a reading of an irreverent poem about the presence of queens as well as kings at Jesus' birth, but will also draw on familiar material.

There will be a reading from the Bible and Christmas carols such as Joy to the World and Silent Night.

But while the service in some ways will resemble a mainstream Christian celebration, there is a crucial difference.

"The way I celebrate Christmas looks a lot like the way that Christians do, except that I don't believe any of the story is true."

Still, the Christmas story always makes him cry.

"As a story, it works really well for me. What it taps into is our longing for peace on earth."

Fred Maroun, who is from a Catholic background, plans to attend the Christmas Eve service with his wife, Pina Giovannitti, and their two children, aged 10 and 12.

"We like the tradition of Christmas, including the story of the birth of Jesus," he says. "I am personally very attached to the personality of Jesus, although I do not like the way the Catholic church and other conservative churches manipulate His message.

"I want my children to hear His message of peace and acceptance, and I feel that the Unitarian Church does a pretty good job of conveying it, especially at Christmas."

For Mr. Kopke, Christmas is a time when North Americans should think about putting into practice Jesus' teachings about sharing the wealth.

"The ethical challenge that this radical peasant put in front of us is incredible."

Ms. Faulk, who sees Jesus as "a social justice activist," agrees with Mr. Kopke's emphasis on action versus creed.

"It's about making Christmas happen every day."

As for the current debate about whether and how to celebrate Christmas in a post-modern world, she believes the discussion may signal the potential for moving beyond the conflict between Christian and non-Christian values and beliefs.

"There's a possibility of us moving to a place where the midwinter celebration is one of universal peace and goodwill."