Category Archives: Credo

Upcoming Credo presentations by Alyson Ritter are derived from the Mental Fitness Challenge, which is a cutting edge program developed by world renowned leadership gurus and bestselling authors, to teach success thinking that will help enable anyone and everyone to make improvements in their lives. It consists of 13 topics, one discussed each week, taken from the book “Resolved” by Orrin Woodward.  We are at present on Week 4.
Week 4: THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT
Week 5: PLAN AND DO
Week 6: KEEP SCORE
Week 7: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF FRIENDSHIP
Week 8: FINANCES
Week 9: LEADERSHIP
Week 10: CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Week 11: SYSTEMS THINKING
Week 12: ADVERSITY QUOTIENT
Week 13: LEGACY
We have had several interesting and introspective conversations so far.  Please join us on April 13th, as we continue our journey with Week 4: The Ant and The Elephant.

In our ongoing series about organizing and destressing our lives, we have, the last two Sundays, talked about decreasing our possessions to decrease stress and practiced Yoga to learn about centering ourselves and find the peace within.

This coming Sunday (March 2nd) we will practice QiGong led by our own Mike Clement. QiGong is a practice with roots in Chinese medicine, martial arts and philosophy and is traditionally viewed as a practice to cultivate and balance qi which is the intrinsic life energy. It is believed to develop human potential, allow access to higher realms of awareness and awaken one’s ‘true nature’.

On March 9th we will learn about using meditation to declutter and clear our minds.

We hope you will join us Sunday mornings at 9:00 am in the Middle/High School RE room!

The Credo discussion group has been contemplating future topics which may include: workshops, Ted Videos, philosophy shorts and group-structured book exploration. Let us know which of these you would willing to participate in, or of any suggestions you might have.

We have also been discussing the possibility of either moving to or adding afternoon Credo, provided there is enough interest. It’s all “what if” right now but we’re very interested in stimulating new discussion.

Currently Credo hours are Sundays at 9 A.M., which is an hour before service.

We’ve been having a fascinating discussion on Reproductive Justice, led by Sue Pittman. If you’re interested, why not come join us!

Last Credo we talked about how our culture is a breeding ground for rape and what to do about “rape culture”. We discussed the portrayal of one gender being weaker than the other. We also talked about how young people, especially males are pressured into seeking sexual experience as a measure of self worth, of what it means to be a man. How do you be there for the victim while making sure the accused receives proper due process. How do you maintain un-biased when you find such a situation between two people you would trust without hesitation? These are some of the things we talked about and which may be the subject for our next Credo session- but which may be subject to change. If you have not yourself been a victim you likely know someone who has and the discussion was not without some very personal feelings, memories and struggles.  It was pointed out that men are also raped from time to time and that men’s shelters are often nonexistent. It was also brought up that many shelters, while they do infact provide shelter are tainted by social taboo, with women often being directly or indirectly encouraged to go back to there abusers. Arguments such as “God’s disapproval of divorce” and “you can change him”. Lastly we talked about how in many tribal cultures the women, especially the elders are the family and can and how raping the women of the clan dis-empowers a whole people  are already struggling to maintain some sense of identity.

There are no words here to explain the impact rape has on not only victims but their families, rippling out across many generations- and so, for entry I would would like to share a video with all of you. 

To The Indigenous Woman Long Format, Poem by 1491s

Last Sunday in Credo we discussed “going with the flow”; how to let life take it’s course yet being able to tell when it’s passing you by. How to dismiss the urge to worry, and knowing which things actually should arise concern. We discussed needs, preservation and what’s important to live by. We talked about how preparing for the season requires us to let things happen while being constantly proactive. This led to a discussion on prayer and intent and  how many of us have become more reserved about what we ask to come into our lives. Perhaps the most important thing to know in life, and most troubling, is when to change course…. and how. Mindfullness is a process, and our shortcomings have their own rewards. All you can really do is learn.

Then of-course, in UU fashion and in tribute of the topic, we started talking about music that charges and motivates us…

In Credo we talked about how we use technology to navigate our path in life. From getting lost on the road with no help from your GPS; to being unable to traverse a social situation, texting another across the table. We talked about the difference between being information rich and having true knowledge, and of the degradation thereof.

We discussed gender standards within the military. We also discussed the physicality of gender expression regarding the distribution of body strength. We discussed how this influenced the test required for each sex to enter combat. We also talked about how in our society it’s not considered okay for men to be feminine. We also discussed this truth even in regards to women who may not feel empowered when embracing the feminine. Another possible topic: Football as a way to healthfully deal with the masculine process. We also discussed being able to simultaneously give and take within a relationship. Lastly, we talked about the influence of hormones and their diagnostic use regarding misplaced gender identity.