On Sunday, October 1, we’re starting our monthly “New and Renewed UU” discussions groups after the service and the potluck. Hope you’ll pop in. These meetings always remind me of how tricky it can be to articulate our uncommon faith.

Many years ago, when my kids were in the midst of UU Religious Exploration and I was in Divinity School, we ventured out to dinner at our favorite local Chinese spot, Chang An. Have you noticed how the fortune cookies in Chinese restaurants nowadays provide a bite-sized Berlitz course? A chip off the old Rosetta Stone, as it were? On the flip side of the “fortune” part of the cookie, one can usually find a vocabulary word written out in Chinese characters, in transliteration, and in English. The Zuckers enjoyed taking a crack at pronouncing the word in Chinese (using the transliteration) and then we’d all try to guess the definition. (Yes, we sounded ridiculous, but it became a family ritual).

After one memorable dinner at Chang An, my then-adolescent son Sam cracked open his cookie, flipped his fortune, and proclaimed, “You-You,” trying to sound as Chinese as possible. “UU?” I asked. “Well, that’s easy – it means a religious liberal who promotes freedom, reason and tolerance.” Everyone but Sam chuckled. “No,” he responded, “youuuu-youuuu.” “UU?” I inquired again, even more mischievously, “as in, a person who searches for spiritual truth and meaning in a framework with flexible boundaries?”

At this point, Sam is experiencing the annoying downside of being a PK (preacher’s kid).  “No, Mom,” he replied, exasperated. “YOU-YOU! It means squid in Chinese. Squid, Mom! (envision eye rolling here). Because we couldn’t help ourselves, members of our family spent the next several weeks referring to Unitarian Universalism as the squid religion with all the requisite lame puns about how some folks don’t grasp the tentacles of our free faith.

All joking aside, it can truly be difficult to know how to respond when we experience unfair attacks and encounter inaccurate stereotypes and misconceptions about our progressive religion. Many of us know all too well the queasy feeling that arises when we hear the snide question, “Oh, aren’t you those people who don’t believe in anything?” They might as well say, “Aren’t you the folks who worship squid?”

There are various ways to articulate our faith calmly, but assertively, that not only inform others, but which also gives each of us a chance to strengthen our own self-definitions as UUs. Concoct your own “elevator speeches” to share when others ask you to describe our uncommon denomination. Imagine that you have 20 floors (and no more than 100 words) in an elevator to define Unitarian Universalism.  Take one of the “Articulating Our Faith” handouts on the welcome table.

For now, I’m out of space and need to run. There’s take-out waiting for me at my new local Chinese place. I ordered what the Zuckers have come to call “UU youuuu-youuuuu” – many-flavored calamari.