Kara Allen shared her testimonial of how First Unitarian has transformed her life. As a stay-at-home mom, Kara values the chance to meet her small group and the chance to get to know so many talented people.
In the guise of Mrs. Parker, Annie shares the story of Theodore Parker. Parker was controversial during his time. Some would say he still is. He was fluent in many languages and a true scholar, so much so that even the well-studied Unitarians called him overly academic. He found himself in the controversy that troubled Unitarians at the time. He was a Naturalist, holding no special place in his beliefs for Jesus. He doubted the authenticity of miracles. He supported Ralph Waldo Emerson's Speech to the Harvard Graduates. He studied the tenets of Transcendentalism that saw the mark of God on all things. He believed we could understand God using intuitive truth. He believed that man is divine and could realize that divinity outside of the church.
His supporters loved it. Parker was bringing life into religion. His detractors feared his "rampant individualism". He was shunned from pulpit exchanges with churches in Boston. His message was too controversial.
The people loved him. The religious authority at the time did not. He worked too hard trying to spread his message amid hostility. He died of consumption at age 50 in Florence, Italy, leaving Mrs. Parker sad.
Theodore Parker, preaching at the Boston Music Hall.
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