I was out of town when metro area Unitarian Universalist
ministers began their online reaction to Lisa Miller’s March 22 “On Faith”column in The Washington Post. The headline assigned to her piece would have
stopped just about anyone turning the pages on that Saturday morning: “Many
Unitarians Would Prefer That Their Polyamory Activists Keep Quiet.” Whether you read her opinion or not - and
especially if you were unfamiliar with Unitarian Universalism - your understanding
of us might have been shaped in just the few seconds it took to absorb the
announcement made by that ten word headline.
One of my colleagues and two UU members from area congregations had
their letters to the editor published the following week (WaPo, 3/30), but common wisdom is that letters of this sort never
leave much of an impression on readers.
Besides
being poorly written and researched and - in several places - simply wrong,
I’ve been wondering what the point of the column was. What was her goal? Was there purpose to her shoddy
journalism? What was she trying to
accomplish? This was the kind of opinion
writing I expect from a Rupert Murdoch publication, not The Washington Post with whom I don’t always agree but generally
maintains a reputation for good journalism.
Yes, it was disappointing especially when there was so much more that
could have been said about Unitarian Universalism that would have been
accurate, provocative and stimulating!
As I said, I was out of town when the column appeared and when the call
went out for a response. But also, other
things needed my attention. If I had not
been consumed in my ministry with you, I might have written about one sentence
in particular with which I took exception:“The debate [over polyamory] makes the whole denomination look silly.” Silly as in “foolish, stupid, unintelligent, idiotic, brainless, mindless, witless, imbecilic, doltish, irresponsible, mad, erratic, unstable, childish, empty-headed, weak-minded, crazy, loopy, screwy ...” (Oxford Dictionary). You get the point. Our faith is silly? Here’s just one of the objections to her declaration: There is no debate, at least not one that I or any of my colleagues know about. I know of no UU congregation that is debating the issues of which she speaks. One of her sources is a six year old sermon given at the UU Fellowship in
While The WaPo journalist was writing her
misguided column about our alleged silly congregational life, many at UUCA were
in shock over and mourning the tragic death of Marine Lance Corporal Taylor
Wild whose memorial service saw 500+ standing shoulder to shoulder in our
sanctuary. That same week saw your
ministers praying with and sharing
healing words of affirmation and courage with 25 people who came forward during
the Tuesday AWAKE service. On Thursday night, twenty UUCA members and friends concluded a four week
conversation on “Life and Death,” in which the personal authenticity and
vulnerability was moving beyond words.
On Saturday evening, UUCA opened its doors for our annual Passover Seder,
the traditional meal shared while remembering the liberation and exodus of Jews
from political and spiritual oppression.
This Saturday, we will host another memorial service for former church
members whose fifty year old daughter succumbed to cancer after fighting it for
several years. So you see, it was hard
for me - and others of the Ministry Team - to get too worked up about Lisa
Miller’s column suggesting we were “silly.”
UUCA was deep into the ministry and meaning that shapes and sustains
life.
If you
detect a slight edge to my words, you’re right.
I’ve grown quite tired of outsiders - and insiders, as in our own
members and friends - whose misunderstanding of Unitarian Universalism leads
them to conclusions and then utterances that are at best wrong and at worst
offensive. My hope and prayer is to see
the day when we no longer must endure the silly ignorance of the uninformed.
Take care
and see you soon,
Fred
"I’ve grown quite tired of outsiders - and insiders, as in our own members and friends - whose misunderstanding of Unitarian Universalism leads them to conclusions and then utterances that are at best wrong and at worst offensive. My hope and prayer is to see the day when we no longer must endure the silly ignorance of the uninformed."
ReplyDeleteAs someone who is very well acquainted with UU clergy sexual misconduct, how do you feel about the following "utterances" made in an arrogant and aggressive cease and desist demand letter that the UUA hired its Canadian attorney, Stikeman Elliott Barristers & Solicitors litigation lawyer Maitre Marc-André Coulombe, have me served with last June?
"Your unfounded and vicious allegations to the effect that ministers of the Association engage in such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape are similarly defamatory to an extent such that they constitute blasphemous libel which is prohibited under section 296 of the Criminal Code (R.S.C. 1985, c. C.46.1)."
Besides being poorly written and researched and - in several places - simply wrong, I’ve been wondering what the point of the cease and desist letter was. What was the UUA's goal? Was there purpose to the UUA's shoddy (and indeed shameful) Lance Armstrong style legal bullying? What *was* the UUA trying to accomplish?*
Sadly, I have been enduring this "silly ignorance of the uninformed" (to say nothing of the perjurious lies of well informed UUA leaders. . .) for over ten months now because the Peter Morales UUA administration is obstinately refusing to formally withdraw these highly questionable accusations that are at best wrong, and at worst offensive to anyone who knows anything about "less than perfect" UU clergy and UU Religious Educators etc. who have actually been convicted of such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape. . . and properly and publicly apologize to me for bringing these unfounded and more than a little bit offensive accusations against me.
* This is a classic example of what is known as "a rhetorical question". . .
"If you detect a slight edge to my words, you’re right. I’ve grown quite tired of outsiders - and insiders, as in our own members and friends - whose misunderstanding of Unitarian Universalism leads them to conclusions and then utterances that are at best wrong and at worst offensive."
ReplyDeleteLOL! Insofar as UUA insiders go, I can think of at least two UUA Presidents and rather too many "less than perfect" U*U preachers who are guilty of apparent misunderstanding of Unitarian Universalist principles and ideals that has led them to conclusions and then utterances that are at best wrong and at worst offensive. . .
“The debate [over polyamory] makes the whole denomination look silly.” Silly as in “foolish, stupid, unintelligent, idiotic, brainless, mindless, witless, imbecilic, doltish, irresponsible, mad, erratic, unstable, childish, empty-headed, weak-minded, crazy, loopy, screwy ...” (Oxford Dictionary). You get the point. Our faith is silly?
Silly is and silly does. . . When top level UUA leaders, and prominent U*U clergy, say and do silly things, and are allowed to do so with complete impunity by the denomination as a whole because nobody dares to speak out against the silly things that these silly UUA leaders and U*U clergy say and do, it *does* reflect on "The Uncommon Denomination" as a whole. No?
There are not many things more silly (as in “foolish, stupid, unintelligent, idiotic, brainless, mindless, witless, imbecilic, doltish, irresponsible, mad, erratic, unstable, childish, empty-headed, weak-minded, crazy, loopy, screwy...”) as the UUA falsely accusing me of the archaic crime of blasphemous libel on the unfounded basis that I have made "unfounded and vicious allegations to the effect that ministers of the Association engage in such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" and then obstinately refusing to formally withdraw that allegation and apologize to me for bringing it against me in a shameful example of Lance Armstrong legal bullying that seeks to cover up and hide the fact that *some* U*U clergy, including but not limited to the U*U clergy I blogged about, are in fact guilty of engaging in such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape. You don't think that "The U*U Movement" as a whole is going to look more than a little bit silly when that "silliness and fantasy" on the part of the Rev. Peter Morales UUA administration becomes more widely known to the public?
BTW Fred, if you have any ever so Unitarian doubts about what I have said here about UUA "silliness and fantasy", you can see and read the actual cease and desist demand letter drawn up (perhaps I should say "dreamed up". . .) by Stikeman Elliott Barristers & Solicitors litigation lawyer Maitre Marc-André Coulombe that I was served with last June by visiting this URL -
ReplyDeletehttp://emersonavenger.blogspot.ca/2012/07/marc-andre-coulombe-stikeman-elliott.html
Here is the full text of one of my more recent "electronic communications" to Maitre Coulombe -
http://emersonavenger.blogspot.ca/2013/01/stikeman-elliott-litigation-lawyer.html
Here is one of my "electronic communications" to the Peter Morales administration and UUA Board of Trustees that has been totally ignored by remarkably silly top level UUA leaders. . .
http://emersonavenger.blogspot.ca/2012/10/kathleen-kay-montgomery-uua-vice.html
Needless to say there is more where that came from, but I do not want to contribute to your disappointment with UUA insiders, whose misunderstanding of Unitarian Universalism leads them to conclusions and then utterances that are at best wrong and at worst offensive. . . any more than that for now.
Hopefully you will find my comments about top level leaders of "The Uncommon Denomination" known as Unitarian Universalism to be accurate, provocative and stimulating! ;-)
Indeed I hope that you find them to be provacative and stimulating enough to provoke you and other UU clergy who care about Unitarian Universalism's increasingly tarnished reputation to loudly and publicly share your concerns about this UUA silliness with President Peter Morales and the UUA Board of Trustees prior to the upcoming April 2013 Board meeting. . .
Allah Prochaine,
Robin Edgar aka The Emerson Avenger
Typo correction -
ReplyDeleteThe word "style" should be inserted between "Lance Armstrong" and "legal bullying" so as to read "Lance Armstrong style legal bullying".
After all it was not Lance Armstrong himself who hired Stikeman Elliott Barristers & Solicitors to try to intimidate me into deleting aka "memory holing" The Emerson Avenger blog posts about some Unitarian Universalists who have in fact engaged in such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape.