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The theme of Play invites us to think of jokes. There are jokes which heal with laughter. There are also jokes that harm by being cruel or mean to a group of people. We can detest these so-called “jokes” and lift up the truly
funny jokes which make us laugh. So, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us into being a people of Play? It tells us “Spread the jokes that heal and bury the jokes that harm.”

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There are many Unitarian Universalist jokes, stories we tell each other as a way of laughing at ourselves. All of these statements contain at least a grain of truth about who we are, but, as we say, if you take three Unitarians, you'll find five opinions, so some of the jokes below are not relevant (or funny) to all of us. We are proud to call ourselves "a community of misfits."

Do you have another favourite UU joke? Please send it to us. If a few of us think it's relevant and funny, we'll add it here.

You can also check out the Unitarian Universalist Hysterical Society on Facebook.

Q. What is a Unitarian Universalist?
A. Someone who believes in life before death.
A. Someone who faces all questions with an open mouth.

Q: How many Unitarians does it take to change a light bulb?
A: We choose not to make a statement either in favour of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey, you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is wonderful. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb. Present it next month at our annual Light Bulb Sunday Service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life, and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

A UU is told "I hear you deny the divinity of Christ." "That's not true!" said the UU, "We don't deny the divinity of anyone."

Q: Why can't UUs sing very well in choirs?
A: Because they're always reading ahead to see if they agree with the next verse.

UU's are basically good people, who, for the most part, try to live by the 10 suggestions.

"I know my humor is outrageous when it makes the Unitarians so mad they burn a question mark on my front lawn." - Lenny Bruce

The children in a UU church school class were drawing pictures. The teacher asked one, "What are you drawing a picture of?"

"I'm drawing a picture of God," was the reply.

"But nobody knows what God looks like," objected the teacher.

"They will," said the child, "in a minute."

"A Unitarian very earnestly disbelieves in almost everything that anybody else believes, and he has a very lively sustaining faith in he doesn't quite know what." - Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage

Unitarian Universalist prayers:
* "Dear God, if there is a God, please save my soul, if I have a soul."
* "To whom it may concern..."

A Unitarian Universalist died, and to his surprise discovered that there was indeed an afterlife. The angel in charge of these things told him, "Because you were an unbeliever and a doubter and a skeptic, you will be sent to Hell for all eternity-which, in your case, consists of a place where no one will disagree with you ever again!"

Q: Why did the UU cross the road?
A: To support the chicken in its search for its own path.

Thomas Starr King is credited with describing the difference between Universalists and Unitarians: "Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men; Unitarians believe that man is too good to be damned."

UU bumper stickers:
* "Honk If You're Not Sure"
* "The Answer Is To Question"

A group of children at a Unitarian Universalist church school were trying to determine the sex of a rabbit. "There's only one way to decide," said one child, "let's take a vote on it."

Visitors on a tour of Heaven noticed a group of Unitarian Universalists, who were arguing about whether or not they were really there.

Some Unitarian Universalists think that life after death is one big annual congregational meeting, but they are not sure whether the meeting is in Heaven or Hell.

A traveler couldn't find the local Unitarian Universalist church. After looking in the centre of town, in the suburbs, and out in the surrounding countryside. the traveler asked a farmer "Am I too far out for the UU church?" The farmer's reply: "Nobody is too far out for them."

Famous Universalist minister Hosea Ballou argued with a Methodist colleague over the issue of eternal damnation.

The Methodist asserted, "if I were a Universalist and feared not the fires of hell, I could hit you over the head, steal your horse and saddle and ride away, and I'd still go to heaven!"

Ballou answered, "If you were a Universalist, the idea would never occur to you!"

A visitor to a Unitarian Universalist church sat through the sermon with growing incredulity at the heretical ideas being spouted. After the sermon a UU asked the visitor, "So how did you like it?"

"I can't believe half the things that minister said!" sputtered the visitor in outrage.

"Oh, good-then you'll fit right in!"

Q: What do you get when you cross a UU with a Jehovah's Witness?
A: Someone who knocks on your door for no apparent reason.
A. Someone who knocks on your door to learn about your religion.
A. Someone who knocks on your door to offer you coffee.

Q: How does a UU walk on water?
A: She waits until winter.

Ambrose Bierce, in The Devil's Dictionary, defined a Unitarian as "one who denies the divinity of a Trinitarian" and a Universalist as "one who foregoes the advantages of Hell for persons of another faith."

"The General answers his own phone. Must be a Unitarian." - Col. Sherman Potter, M.A.S.H. 4077

A Unitarian Universalist dies, and on the way to the after-life encounters a fork in the road. The left path has a sign "To Heaven" and the right has a sign "To a Discussion about Heaven" Without pausing, the UU turns right.

The UU holy book is Roberts' Rules of Order.

Dana Worsnop's Elevator Story
(Dana was an intern minister at Toronto First in the nineties.)

At a great international interfaith gathering at a major convention hotel, five delegates found themselves waiting and waiting for the elevator following one of the sessions. To break the monotony and silence, one of delegates suggested they play a little game: "Let's see if we can explain our faith in the time it takes the elevator to go from here to the first floor!" Although they would have to travel up and down several times, the delegates agreed.

On the trip down from the tenth to the first floor, the Roman Catholic delegate volunteered to go first. He recited the Apostles' Creed, and finished just as the doors opened on the lobby.

Next, the Universalist delegate pushed the button for the tenth floor and proceeded to say, "We Universalists believe in the essential goodness of humanity and of God. We believe that God loves all creatures, and intends our well-being and happiness, in this world and the next. We believe in a God who rewards, and does not punish." The Universalist was finished well before the elevator reached the tenth floor.

Next, it was the Hindu delegate's turn. Pressing the button for the lobby, she began, "We Hindus believe in the great wheel of life. All is a cycle, and what has been will be again. It is for us to understand our place in this turning, to do what falls to us to do, and to celebrate our place in the scheme of existence." Like the Universalist, she was finished long before the elevator reached its destination.

Now it fell to the Zen Buddhist delegate to push the button for the tenth floor. All waited eagerly for him to begin, but there was only silence as the car traveled the ten floors. When the doors opened, they asked the Zen Buddhist: "Why did you not say anything to us about your belief?" He replied: "In saying nothing, I said all that there is to say."

The interfaith conference delegates scratched their heads, then looked to the Unitarian delegate, the last to take a turn. The elevator doors closed, and she reached out to push the button. All were surprised when she pushed "2."

Why did you not push the button for the lobby?" they asked.

"Because," the Unitarian delegate replied, "there's a great little coffee shop on the second floor where we can kick back and really discuss this!"

An atheist was taking a walk through the woods, admiring all that the "accident of evolution" had created. "What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" he said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path.

He looked over his shoulder and saw that the bear was closing in on him. He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. His heart was pumping frantically and he tried to run even faster.

He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw the bear right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the atheist cried out: "Oh my God!..."

Time stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky."You deny my existence for all of these years, teach others I don't exist, and even credit creation to a cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps could You make the BEAR a Christian?"

"Very well," said the voice. The light went out. And the sounds of the forest resumed.

And then the bear dropped his right paw... brought both paws together and bowed his head and spoke:

"Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful."

And finally... Two songs by Christopher Gist Raible, a former minister at Toronto First:

Coffee, Coffee, Coffee
Sung to the tune of "Holy, Holy, Holy"

I am the Very Model of a Modern Unitarian
Sung to the tune of "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from "Pirates of Penzance"

I am the very model of a modern Unitarian,
Far broader than a Catholic, Hindu, Jew or Presbyterian.
I know the world's religions and can trace their roots historical
From Moses up to Channing, all in order categorical.
I'm very well acquainted, too, with theories theological,
On existential questions I am always wholly logical,
About most any problem I am teeming with a lot of views,
I'm full of fine ideas that should fill our church's empty pews.

(Chorus members:
We're full of fine ideas that should fill our church's empty pews.
We're full of fine ideas that should fill our church's empty pews.
We're full of fine ideas that should fill our church's empty empty pews.)

I quote from Freud and Jung and all the experts psychological.
I'm anti nuke, I don't pollute I'm chastely ecological.
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
I am the very model of a modern Unitarian.

(Chorus members:
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
We are the very model of a modern Unitarian.)

I use the latest language; God is never Father or the Lord,
But Ground of Being, Source of Life or almost any other word.
I never pray, I meditate, I'm leary about worshipping.
I serve on 10 committees none of which accomplish anything.
I give to worthy causes and I drive a gas conserving car,
I have good UU principles (although I'm not sure what they are).
I'm open to opinions of profound or broad variety,
Unless they're too conservative or smack of righteous piety.

(Chorus members:
Unless they're too conservative or smack of righteous piety.
Unless they're too conservative or smack of righteous piety.
Unless they're too conservative or smack of righteous pie-piety.)

I formulate agendas and discuss them with the best of 'em,
But don't ask me to implement, we leave that to the rest of 'em.
In short in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
I am the very model of today's religious liberal.

(Chorus members:
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
We are the very model of today's religious liberal.)

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There are many Unitarian Universalist jokes, stories we tell each other as a way of laughing at ourselves. All of these statements contain at least a grain of truth about who we are, but, as we say, if you take three Unitarians, you'll find five opinions, so some of the jokes below are not relevant (or funny) to all of us.

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Use min. 3:10 Discovery Breath to min 7:45 end of Zipper Laughter

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Laugh With Me: Cultivating Joy Through Choice, Play and Fun - Laughter Wellness Session

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When we think about play, we often think first of something fun; “just for fun.” But play is serious work, “the work of children” according to Maria Montessori, educator.
“According to Montessori, the essential dimensions of play are:
● Voluntary, enjoyable, purposeful and spontaneous
● Creativity expanded using problem-solving skills, social skills, language skills and physical
skills
● Helps expand on new ideas
● Helps the child to adapt socially
● Helps to thwart emotional problems”
With all this in mind, what’s one of the ways our faith guides us in leaning into being a people of Play? It
reminds us that “play supports understanding and creativity!”

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The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

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The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

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PRIDE in Education: Pride, The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag

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Puppets are one source of play. They can be a foil for exploring all kinds of characters and interactions. By modeling playfulness with puppets, you can model how puppets help us understand others by creating their characters.

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Being a people of Play means enjoying the play of creating and enjoying words. It can also be an
important way to play since new words can create a new reality. One example is the holiday of
Juneteenth, the creative combination of the month (June) and date (19th), a celebration of African American emancipation from slavery.

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This is a sample list of Wordles (or WORD puzzLES) which you are free to use to challenge yourself or a group of friends/colleagues to solve, as featured in the fun, team-building exercise of the same name.

For each puzzle, your task is to decipher a series of cryptic letters, words and patterns which, when combined, represent a common word or phrase.

The (eight) solutions can be found towards the bottom of this page (don't scroll too fast.)

.
OHOLENE
.

SNOW WIND RAIN
FEELING

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HOROBOD
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OWHER
.

WEAR
LONG

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ping WILLOW
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GEG GGE GEG GGE
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VAD ERS
.

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Wordles List Solutions

If, after studying the solutions, you can not work out how to create one or more of the answers below, contact us so that we can help you understand them.

Hole In One

Feeling Under The Weather

Robin Hood

Middle of Nowhere

Long Underwear

Weeping Willow

Scrambled Eggs

Space Invaders

.

Want More?

I hope you enjoyed deciphering this fun Wordles list.

If you like these types of lateral-thinking puzzlers, then you'll love browsing playmeo's activity database which features many more fun, team-building puzzles.

This list is just a small sample drawn from our collection of forty-eight unique Wordle puzzles.

Sign-up to playmeo today to download the full set of Wordles in under two minutes from now.

These Cards will help you begin to see the incredible richness & depth of others.
Chris, teacher, USA

playmeo is THE most creative & complete activity website - it's absolutely amazing!
Gisela, trainer, Dominican Republic

Get 10 of our Best Ice-Breakers

Try ten of our most successful ice-breakers & group games in our all-new 28-page ebook. Ideal for all groups, 100% fun & free.

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Wordles List for WORD puzzLES - Fun, Lateral Thinking Exercises

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This is a sample list of Wordles (or WORD puzzLES) which you are free to use to challenge yourself or a group of friends/colleagues to solve, as featured in the fun, team-building exercise of the same name. For each puzzle, your task is to decipher a series of cryptic letters, words and patterns which, when combined, represent a common word or phrase.

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Step 1: Make or find a puppet
Here are things which can become an immediate puppet:
- One orphaned glove
- Paper Towel tube
- Sock with a hole in it
- Stick or Twig or Chenille Stem
- Paper Bag
- Serving spoon or wooden spoon
- Stuffed animal
- Folded piece of paper
Step 2. Giving Life to Your Puppet
Let's try to figure out who your puppet is!  Try answering these questions:
● Did you know that your puppet will whisper its name to you in your ear? Try it. Listen very carefully.
● What name did your puppet tell you? Introduce them to us.
● What does their voice sound like? Is it low, tiny, rough, accented? No voice at all? Share your puppet's
voice.
● What kind of character does your puppet have? Silly, shy, mysterious, scary, calm, wise, self-centered?
Share it with us.
● How old is your puppet? Have them tell us.
● Where do they live? Invite them to tell us a bit about where they live.
● What is their gender identity?
● What is their favorite game? Food? Book? Song, Etc.
● What else do we need to know about your puppet’s life?
Step 3. Interacting with Other Puppets
Now that you have one puppet, try making another or have a friend or sibling give it a try. Now that you more than one, let them interact. Two puppets who each like the same food might tell the group how they make it. One shy puppet and one friendly puppet might help each other. Four puppets who like the same song might sing it together.