Some Prophetic Voice For The U*U Movement Courtesy Of The Emerson Avenger
In a blog post titled 'Words far better then (sic) mine' U*U seminarian Drew Tripp aka The Post Modern Preacher says -
I'm struggling with the lack of prophetic voice in our movement. I'm tired of religious regret when we should fully embrace our faith. According to Bill Sinkford in his address to the NY state Convention of Universalists, "The work of Unitarian Universalism is about saving souls."
From the service of the living tradition in 2005
Remember, and never let anyone forget, that you are not ordained to become just some under-glorified business manager of a local religious franchise, measuring your ministry's worth in numbers or in bottom lines. And your churches' role and function is never merely to serve as just another perennially under-funded non-profit agency in town. The Church's reason for being is to make real the Beloved Community on earth, nothing less. And your office, in all its varied forms, exists to embody the work of that ideal, nothing less.
Here is my response to Drew Tripp's post. It will be interesting to see of my prophetic words get past his blog moderation. . .
Personally I think that U*Us do "preach the covenant" ad nauseum. They just have a lousy track record when it comes to actually living up to the empty "covenants" that they insincerely, and at times even quite fraudulently, preach. How's that for a prophetic voice about your U*U movement? ;-)
Here is my prophetic reworking of UUA President Bill Sinkford's "prophetic" words quoted above -
Remember, and never let anyone forget, that you are not ordained to become just some over-glorified marketing manager of a national religious franchise, measuring your ministry's worth in numbers or in bottom lines. And your "churches"' role and function is never merely to serve as just another perennially hypocritical Uncommon Denomination in America. The U*U "Church"'s reason for being is to make real the Beloved Community on earth, nothing less. And your office*, in all its varied forms, exists to embody the work of that ideal, nothing less.
Well I suggest that you get with the program Bill and start actually practicing what you so hypocritically preach, especially when it comes to U*U "covenants" and your 2006 Holiday Message about "waging peace". . .
* As President of the UUA aka the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
I'm struggling with the lack of prophetic voice in our movement. I'm tired of religious regret when we should fully embrace our faith. According to Bill Sinkford in his address to the NY state Convention of Universalists, "The work of Unitarian Universalism is about saving souls."
From the service of the living tradition in 2005
Remember, and never let anyone forget, that you are not ordained to become just some under-glorified business manager of a local religious franchise, measuring your ministry's worth in numbers or in bottom lines. And your churches' role and function is never merely to serve as just another perennially under-funded non-profit agency in town. The Church's reason for being is to make real the Beloved Community on earth, nothing less. And your office, in all its varied forms, exists to embody the work of that ideal, nothing less.
Here is my response to Drew Tripp's post. It will be interesting to see of my prophetic words get past his blog moderation. . .
Personally I think that U*Us do "preach the covenant" ad nauseum. They just have a lousy track record when it comes to actually living up to the empty "covenants" that they insincerely, and at times even quite fraudulently, preach. How's that for a prophetic voice about your U*U movement? ;-)
Here is my prophetic reworking of UUA President Bill Sinkford's "prophetic" words quoted above -
Remember, and never let anyone forget, that you are not ordained to become just some over-glorified marketing manager of a national religious franchise, measuring your ministry's worth in numbers or in bottom lines. And your "churches"' role and function is never merely to serve as just another perennially hypocritical Uncommon Denomination in America. The U*U "Church"'s reason for being is to make real the Beloved Community on earth, nothing less. And your office*, in all its varied forms, exists to embody the work of that ideal, nothing less.
Well I suggest that you get with the program Bill and start actually practicing what you so hypocritically preach, especially when it comes to U*U "covenants" and your 2006 Holiday Message about "waging peace". . .
* As President of the UUA aka the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
Comments
Robin,
You are a liar, a censor, a hypocrite, a bigot, a coward, a bully, and a fool.
Your personal thoughts on Unitarian Universalism are horribly tainted and biased by your decision to antagonize and alienate the people around you.
You say we have a lousy track record, but you treat every misstep as an assault, and refuse to acknowledge our successes. The fact is that we offer a place of open fellowship to hundreds of thousands of people of diverse theologies. For all our failings, we get it right in practice every day.
More importantly, we are trying. To my knowledge no other religion, indeed, no other group in the world is trying to do what we try to do, and none ever has before us. So yeah, we sometimes fall short. But if we shot for the stars and land on the moon I can live with that.
But you have to attack us, because you can't admit to the fact that you could have found a home here too, if you had chosen to.
Where are you going to hide this one?
I find the obsessive nature of this blog quite disturbing. The Big Brotheresqe pseudo-rationalizations seem like a tremendous waste of time.
When should one decide to move on? What good is coming from this obsessive vendetta?
If you think you are informing outsiders about some gross injustice, you are sadly deluded.
Mind you I haven't read the whole blog, but you come across as an irrational obsessive who may or may not have experienced a bad experience with the UU movement. But the stalking behaviour makes me have much more sympathy for the folks you seem desperate to discredit with your deranged doublespeak.
Sorry for coming across as so harsh. I'd just hate to see someone continue to waste their time by obsessing over past (real or imagined) injustices.
I hope you have a productive and (r)evolutionary New Year.
Anonymous is apparently unaware that I expect people to attach their real names to their comments unless there is a compelling reason for them to remain anonymous. Normally would relegate this cowardly anonymous attack to the U*U Hole but will deign to respond to it here and see if Anonymous is prepared to come back and defend their comment by attaching their real name to it.
:As an anonymous outside observer with no vested interest in this conflict, I'd like to state "Wow!"
By all means do but until you identify yourself no one will no for sure if you really are "an anonymous outside observer with no vested interest in this conflict." For all anyone knows you could be Rev. Ray Drennan, Frank Greene, John Inder, former UUA President Rev. Dr. John A* Buehrens, or even current UUA President Bill Sinkford. N'est-ce pas? You could be any number of other U*Us who definitely do have a vested interest in this conflict.
:I find the obsessive nature of this blog quite disturbing.
Yes being persistent is often characterized a being "obsessive" by those who seek to discredit people seeking justice. Indeed institutional stonewalling, as practiced by U*Us and others, seeks to make people appear to be obsessive in order to try to discredit them.
:The Big Brotheresqe pseudo-rationalizations seem like a tremendous waste of time.
Which Big Brotheresqe pseudo-rationalizations might those be? If you are going to make such accusations be specific.
:When should one decide to move on?
That is for each individual affected by injustices and abuses of various kinds to decide for themselves. It is not up to others, especially the perpetrators and perpetuators of injustices and abuses to suggest that victims "move on".
:What good is coming from this obsessive vendetta?
If the U*U religious community responded with genuine justice, equity and compassion to the victims of U*U injustices and abuses rather than obstinately stonewalling and engaging in DIM Thinking Denial, Ignorance and Minimalization of those injustices and abuses there would be no possibility for anyone to describe persistent fighting against injustices as "obsessive vendetta". In fact, the only reason that what Anonymous DIM Thinkingly characterizes as an "obsessive vendetta" is even occurring is because outrageously hypocritical DIM thinking U*Us are stunningly obsessive in their obstinate refusal to responsibly
acknowledge and redress the injustices, abuses and hypicrisy that I am exposing and denouncing. I could not be accused of being "obsessive" if U*Us were not stunningly obsessive in their obstinate refusal to practice genuine justice, equity and compassion in human relations. . .
:If you think you are informing outsiders about some gross injustice, you are sadly deluded.
I don't believe that I have ever characterized *any* of the injustices and abuses that I am exposing and denouncing as "gross injustice(s)". I have very justifiably characterized the well-documented negligent and effectively complicit responce of U*Us to these obvious injustices and abuses as gross negligence however. If you, or anyone else, thinks that I am not informing outsiders about very real and very well documented U*U injustices, U*U abuses and U*U hypocrisy, you are sadly deluded yourself. Public response to my ongoing public protest activities and internet "vendetta" is overwhelmingly positive and supportive.
:Mind you I haven't read the whole blog, but you come across as an irrational obsessive who may or may not have experienced a bad experience with the UU movement.
I would suggest that you engage in a genuinely free and *responsible* search for the trurth and meaning behind what is posted on this blog before you suggest that I "may not have experienced a bad experience with the UU movement." That is a grossly uninformed and even willfully ignorant statement that can be described as DIM Thinking.
:But the stalking behaviour makes me have much more sympathy for the folks you seem desperate to discredit with your deranged doublespeak.
What "stalking behaviour" are you talking about? If you are going to make such statements you should back them up with evidence. I am by no means "desperate" to "discredit" U*Us. On the contrary U*Us have repeatedly demonstrated just how desperate they are to try to discredit me. The DIM Thinking institutional denial SPAM of Anonymous U*U from Montreal is a good example of desperate U*U attemps to discredit me, as are many of the indrax troll's posts here, and other DIM Thinking statements made by U*Us desperately seeking to discredit me all over the internet. I am just telling some rather unpleasant highly verifiable truths about well-documented U*U injustices, abuses and hypocrisy. Some people would call this "Speaking truth to power" but I call it "Speaking truth to U*Us. . ."
:Sorry for coming across as so harsh.
Well that's a sorry excuse for an apology. . .
:I'd just hate to see someone continue to waste their time by obsessing over past (real or imagined) injustices.
I wouldn't be doing what I am doing if I though I was wasting my time. The injustices are real, well-dcumented, and ongoing. They are not in the past although they did begin over ten years ago now. . .
:I hope you have a productive and (r)evolutionary New Year.
I fully intend to a productive and (r)evolutionary New Year as The Emerson Avenger and in various other ways as well.
Not so anonymous U*U blogger
Gregory Rouillard
Uses the word (r)evoltion in the title of his (r)evolutions blog
"Coincidence"?
Cool...
That is one of the downsides of cowardly anonymous or pseudonymous posting, in refusing to identify yourself, and even possibly deliberately saying things to impersonate someone else, you create "collateral damage" in the U*U community. An excellent example of this kind of "collateral damage" is Rev. Victoria Weinstein's anonymous blogging under the pseudonym Peacebang. As I have recently pointed out to the appropriate officials in the UUA's department of Congregational Services, namely Rev. Dr. Tracey Robinson-Harris and Rev. Beth Miller.
It should be understood that although Rev. Victoria Weinstein's Peacebang blog is pseudonymous she none-the-less describes herself with these words in her personal profile that appears at the top of each page -
PeaceBang is the much sassier and brassier alter ego of a perfectly well-behaved, gracious and affectionate small-town pastor of a lovely New England Unitarian congregation.
It is thus clear that Rev. Victoria Weinstein represents herself as a Unitarian minister in a small town somewhere in New England . Various posts on her blog make it clear that she is in the Boston area. From my perspective any insulting and defamatory language, or otherwise unbecoming conduct, exhibited on her Peacebang blog thus tarnishes the image of Unitarian*Universalism over a broad area since few people know exactly which U*U minister Peacebang is.
As you can see. Peacebang could be *any* U*U minister in a small town somewhere in New England. . . By blogging pseudonymously she tarnishes the image of pretty much *every* U*U minister in in a small town somewhere in New England.
Please take a moment. Try to put yourself in the shoes of an outside observer who has just stumbled on to your blog. Look at your postings with a fresh eye. If you've got a decent imagination, you shouldn't have much problem in thinking that a significant number of outside observers would be disturb by what they see. Sure some may be disturbed by the Unitarians. But if you actually look at where your links that claim to point out some terrible injustices, you'd be quite surprised at the picture it paints. Linking to google search results is not a good idea. I had to do a lot of browsing to even get an inkling of what your issues are. But what I did see was a lot of postings by you on a wide variety of blogs. Little actual information about what actually occurred. The conclusion that I drew from a good hour or so of surfing was that you looked like an uncomprimising stalker who's harassing the whole online Unitarian community over a difficult incident for which you had already received an apology.
The fact that you are completely unwilling to accept my statements at face value (and even worse being outright dismissive) demonstrates to me some deep issues that you probably should get some help with.
Because it is a fact, that I am in no way connected to the Universal Unitarians. I am indeed just an unconnected outside observer with no vested interest who has stumbled into your blog.
I posted anonymously, because as someone unconnected to you or the Unitarians, I didn't see much point in attaching my name to my concerns for your wellbeing. Would it really have made a difference if I said I was David Smith? If I attached my real name to my post, could I guarantee that you wouldn't dismiss it as some Unitarian using a pseudonym? I have a hard time believing anything productive would have come from you knowing my real name. And upon further investigating the issue and seeing your responses above, I'm awfully glad I didn't give my real name. Because I would honestly fear some sort of online stalking from you in response to my concerns over your mental health.
I sincerely hope that you take the time to seriously reflect on my honest words and genuine concern for your wellbeing. Even if it's hard to imagine that an anonymous unconnected person stumbling around on the internet, would genuinely intervene on your blog because of a concern for your wellbeing. But please give it a try at least for a good 15 minutes. You might be surprised at how helpful that it may be.
I thought I was being witty and clever with my (r)evolutionary wishes. But alas, it seems all the good ideas have probably been used at some time by the 6 billion plus people on the planet, let alone the billions who lived in a past age.
Then the second anonymous poster is a liar because they very clearly say - "So, all I have to do is use the word "(r)evolutions" and you think I'm Greg? Cool..."
Unless of course you are not really the person who made both posts. . . See just how confusing it can get when people hide behind the cover of anonymity oh anonymous one?
:am deeply disturbed by how quick you are to jump to false conclusions.
I did not jump to any false conclusions at all. I just noticed that the anonymous poster used the rather unusual word (r)evolutionary and duly noted that U*U blogger Gregory Rouillard uses pretty much the same unusual play on words as his blog title. It is perfectly reasonable for me to surmise that an anonymous poster using the word (r)evolution or a version thereof could well be Gregory Rouillard. N'est-ce pas?
:Please take a moment. Try to put yourself in the shoes of an outside observer who has just stumbled on to your blog. Look at your postings with a fresh eye. If you've got a decent imagination, you shouldn't have much problem in thinking that a significant number of outside observers would be disturb by what they see.
The Emerson Avenger blog is *supposed* to disturb people my anonymous friend. I sometimes am quite deliberately over the top. After all if U*Us insist that I am "mentally unbalanced" and "psychotic" etc. why not have a bit of fun with that injurious and untrue, insulting and defamatory U*U BS?
:Sure some may be disturbed by the Unitarians.
No kidding. . . Glad you noticed the disturbing, and indeed disturbed, Unitarians posting here.
:But if you actually look at where your links that claim to point out some terrible injustices, you'd be quite surprised at the picture it paints.
I do look where the links go and I don't believe that I have ever used the term "terrible injustices" just injustices, abuses and hypocrisy.
:Linking to google search results is not a good idea. I had to do a lot of browsing to even get an inkling of what your issues are.
I find that hard to believe in that most of the pertinent Google searches lead to plenty of material that make it abundantkly clear what my issues are. In any case my issues are pretty clearly described in my blogger profile and in the posts that the links lead from. N'est-ce pas?
:But what I did see was a lot of postings by you on a wide variety of blogs. Little actual information about what actually occurred.
That is the kind of ridiculous assertion that I would expect from James Andrix aka the indrax troll who you may well be. . . There is abundant information about what actually occurred all over the internet hence the Google links and various direct links to supporting testimony and evidence. The vast majority of people are more than satisfied with a lot less information than make available. In fact most only need to hear that Rev. Ray Drennan labled Creattion Day a "cult" and my revelatory religious experience as "your psychotic" experience and that U*Us engaged in egregious DIM Thinking institutional stonewalling and denial and threw me out of the Unitarian church of Montreal etc. etc. to know what actually occurred. . .
:The conclusion that I drew from a good hour or so of surfing was that you looked like an uncomprimising stalker who's harassing the whole online Unitarian community over a difficult incident for which you had already received an apology.
If you know that I received a so-called apology you know also that I rejected that sorry excuse for an apology with very good reason. Nobody has to accept an unacceptable apology. Period. You are engaging in DIM Thinking denial, ignorance and minmization of what actually occurred. . .
:The fact that you are completely unwilling to accept my statements at face value (and even worse being outright dismissive) demonstrates to me some deep issues that you probably should get some help with.
I expect that it indicates to most people that your statements are open to some question and that some of them actually deserve a dismissive response. Does the well documented fact that U*Us are completely unwilling to accept my statements at face value (and even worse being outright dismissive) demonstrate to you some deep issues that U*Us probably should get some help with oh anonymous one?
:Because it is a fact, that I am in no way connected to the Universal Unitarians. I am indeed just an unconnected outside observer with no vested interest who has stumbled into your blog.
Fine. I will take your word for it but you are just one person with one opinion about the matter. I have lots of other much more supportive opinions from plenty of other people who know what I am doing here. I have already pointed out some serious errors and flaws in your statements here. You have jumped to a variety of conclusions yourself that are not supported by the available evidence.
:I posted anonymously, because as someone unconnected to you or the Unitarians, I didn't see much point in attaching my name to my concerns for your wellbeing. Would it really have made a difference if I said I was David Smith? If I attached my real name to my post, could I guarantee that you wouldn't dismiss it as some Unitarian using a pseudonym? I have a hard time believing anything productive would have come from you knowing my real name. And upon further investigating the issue and seeing your responses above, I'm awfully glad I didn't give my real name. Because I would honestly fear some sort of online stalking from you in response to my concerns over your mental health.
Just what kind of terrible online stalking would you fear oh anonynous one? That I might make a few comments on your blog or something? Give me a break. No one else posting here has ever suffered anything worse than me posting to their blog or sending them an email on rare occasions. None of the perpetrators and perpetuators of the U*U injustices and abuses that I am exposing and denouncing have ever suffered worse than that. On what grounds should you "honestly fear some sort of online stalking" from me? I dare say that I am concerned about your mental health oh anonymous one. You seem a little bit paranoid. You might want to seek some "professional help" of your own. . .
:I sincerely hope that you take the time to seriously reflect on my honest words and genuine concern for your wellbeing. Even if it's hard to imagine that an anonymous unconnected person stumbling around on the internet, would genuinely intervene on your blog because of a concern for your wellbeing. But please give it a try at least for a good 15 minutes. You might be surprised at how helpful that it may be.
I have reflected on your honest words, including your apparent paranoid fear of internet stalking, and don't find your words to be particularly helpful.
Your "concerns" about my mental health are far from helpful when certain U*Us are maliciously pathologizing me and have been doing so for over a decade now. It say right at the top of the page: Rev. Ray Drennan of the Unitarian Church of Montreal contemptuously dismissed (my revelatory religious experience) as my "psychotic experience". A main element of my grievances and ongoing protest is the injurious and intrue, insulting and defamatort aspersions cast on me by U*Us. I guess you could say it's a vicious circle. The more I complain about U*Us maliciously pathologizing me the more DIM Thinking U*Us maliciously pathologize me. Disturbing indeed. . .
Just in the last week or so a few DIM Thinking U*Us have labeled me as "mentally unbalanced" and have spoken about my "mental illness". I am not aware of any mental illness and nobody who knows me reasonably well in my "real world" surroundings thinks that I am suffering from any serious mental illness. I have never been diagnosed with any serious mental illness and have seen competent mental health professionals in the past as a direct result of the malicious pathologizing of me by U*Us. Not only did one of them write letters to Rev. Ray Drennan, and a year later the Board of the Unitarian Church of Montreal, informing him that he could find no traces of psychoses in me but he stated his opinion that I am "perfectly sane" to me. Even I would not say that I am "perfectly" sane but I think that that endorsement from a competent and experienced psychiatrist who examined on at least three different occasions and could not find *any* mental illness should tell you, and indeed U*Us, a thing or two about my degree of sanity. It is possible that your concerns were well meant but in light of all the crap I have had to put up with U*Us who label me as "crazy" "psychotic" "unwell" "mentally unbalanced" a "nutcase" etc. etc. etc. don't be surprised if I don't take too well to your suggestion that I am mentally ill.
:I thought I was being witty and clever with my (r)evolutionary wishes. But alas, it seems all the good ideas have probably been used at some time by the 6 billion plus people on the planet, let alone the billions who lived in a past age.
Indeed that is why when I come up with a bon mot, and I do so quite often, I run a Google search to see if someone else has not already come up with it independently. Very often my Google search indicates that someone got there first.
If you post again have the guts and decency to state your real name. The worst that will happen to you, unless you say or do something particularly stupid and harmful, is that I might say a thing or two on your blog if you have one.