R U A UU?

I’d like to have a better network of social contacts. Friends, I think they’re called.

Church attendance is rumored to be a way to build a social network. My choices in this arena are limited, as I’m an atheist. The Unitarians (also known as Unitarian Universalists, primarily for administrative reasons) have no theology or dogma, so they’re my best shot. For four Sundays now, I’ve been showing up, sitting there, singing, listening, chatting with a few people after the service.

So far, I’m failing to see anything that would attract me. The minister’s sermons are okay, and the congregants are my kind of people in a general sort of way — intelligent, liberal, polite. The services barely mention God or prayer, so I don’t have to grit my teeth. But there’s nothing positive about the experience. I’m not feeling, “Wow, this is a great place to hang out.” I’m not thinking, “Hey, these are cool people. I want to talk to them about stuff.” It’s all sort of blah.

Blah is not, I think, what one hopes to get from church attendance.