Rev. Chip Roush Gets A Rather Sticky Message From TEA About *Why* The U*U Movement's Message Doesn't Stick With Many People
Rev. Chip Roush of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse in Traverse City, Michigan, is musing today about why the message of Unitarian*Universalism doesn`t stick. In a Yes Church blog post titled 'Making U*U sticky' Chip suggests that U*U identity is "too complex to be communicated easily" and thus it does not *stick*. The Emerson Avenger has his own *complex* take on that sticky message and delivered it in the following comment on Chip Roush`s blog. Hopefully my own rather sticky message will *stick* in more ways than one. . . :-)
"Alas, our identity is too complex to be communicated easily; it does not stick."
I regret to have to say so Chip, but I believe that the "complex" U*U identity is all to easily communicated and that may be precisely why so few people want to be U*Us. . . Maybe if U*Us did a better job of actually practicing what they preach, instead of all too often making a total mockery of their claimed principles with their contradictory words and actions more people would *believe* the message of U*U principles and ideals.
I personally believe that most Canadians and Americans and other "Westerners" already believe most of the U*U message but don't see U*Us doing an exceptional job of actually honoring and upholding that message. If the message is not "sticky" enough it may simply be because U*Us themselves don't *stick* to their "message" all that well if U*Us catch my drift. The moral and ethical mediocrity, and truly outrageous hypocrisy, that I have encountered in The U*U World is genuinely appalling if not laughable. . . Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but since I am not all that big on crying, I generally *stick* to laughing at the hypocritical antics of U*Us.
For *example*, yesterday was the perfect day to celebrate the ninth anniversary of my false arrest on trumped up "public nuisance" charges at the behest of Totalitarian Unitarians in Montreal who have repeatedly made a total mockery of pretty much every principle and ideal Unitarian*Universalism claims to "affirm and promote" in its, from my perspective. . . outright fraudulent message. U*Us need to pay heed to the following *message* courtesy of *Jeopardy* game show host Al Trebek -
Don't tell me what U*Us believe in. I'll observe how U*Us behave and I will make my own determination. . .
Now U*Us know one of the major reasons *why* the U*U message doesn't stick, it's because U*Us don't *stick* to their own message. . . Even when proferred carrots. And no Chip, this is by no means just an isolated problem with Montreal Unitarians. The same kind of two-faced hypocrisy whereby U*Us happily say and do things that are in complete contradiction of the message of U*U principles and ideals is found throughout the U*U World even at the "corporate headquarters" of the Uncommonly Hypocritical Denomination at 25 Beacon Street in Boston. The proof is in the Peacebang as it were, although there is plenty of other proof of even worse UUA hypocrisy. . . Modern Westerners, especially the "unchurched" who U*Us seek to attract, can smell hypocrisy a mile away and feel little or no need to attend a "church" that makes so little effort to actually practice what it quite evidently outrageously hypocritically preaches.
Having said all that I will agree that *some* U*Us do try to stick to the message of U*Uism, possibly even a majority of U*Us, but in this day and age of "electronic communication" a few "bad apples" can and do spoil the whole bunch. U*Us need to deal responsibly with their "bad apples" of various kinds, not the least of them being the intolerant and obnoxious "fundamentalist atheists" who make too many U*U "churches" anything but Welcoming Congregations to God believing Canadians and Americans, but quite regrettably U*Us make little or no effort to correct the situation when U*Us in general, and U*U clergy in particular, go "off message." Then U*Us wonder why The U*U Movement is but a "tiny, declining, fringe religion". I have no quarrel with you personally Chip, indeed you are in my good books as a result of not censoring and suppressing my message and allowing it to stick to your blog posts.
Ta from TEA
"Alas, our identity is too complex to be communicated easily; it does not stick."
I regret to have to say so Chip, but I believe that the "complex" U*U identity is all to easily communicated and that may be precisely why so few people want to be U*Us. . . Maybe if U*Us did a better job of actually practicing what they preach, instead of all too often making a total mockery of their claimed principles with their contradictory words and actions more people would *believe* the message of U*U principles and ideals.
I personally believe that most Canadians and Americans and other "Westerners" already believe most of the U*U message but don't see U*Us doing an exceptional job of actually honoring and upholding that message. If the message is not "sticky" enough it may simply be because U*Us themselves don't *stick* to their "message" all that well if U*Us catch my drift. The moral and ethical mediocrity, and truly outrageous hypocrisy, that I have encountered in The U*U World is genuinely appalling if not laughable. . . Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry, but since I am not all that big on crying, I generally *stick* to laughing at the hypocritical antics of U*Us.
For *example*, yesterday was the perfect day to celebrate the ninth anniversary of my false arrest on trumped up "public nuisance" charges at the behest of Totalitarian Unitarians in Montreal who have repeatedly made a total mockery of pretty much every principle and ideal Unitarian*Universalism claims to "affirm and promote" in its, from my perspective. . . outright fraudulent message. U*Us need to pay heed to the following *message* courtesy of *Jeopardy* game show host Al Trebek -
Don't tell me what U*Us believe in. I'll observe how U*Us behave and I will make my own determination. . .
Now U*Us know one of the major reasons *why* the U*U message doesn't stick, it's because U*Us don't *stick* to their own message. . . Even when proferred carrots. And no Chip, this is by no means just an isolated problem with Montreal Unitarians. The same kind of two-faced hypocrisy whereby U*Us happily say and do things that are in complete contradiction of the message of U*U principles and ideals is found throughout the U*U World even at the "corporate headquarters" of the Uncommonly Hypocritical Denomination at 25 Beacon Street in Boston. The proof is in the Peacebang as it were, although there is plenty of other proof of even worse UUA hypocrisy. . . Modern Westerners, especially the "unchurched" who U*Us seek to attract, can smell hypocrisy a mile away and feel little or no need to attend a "church" that makes so little effort to actually practice what it quite evidently outrageously hypocritically preaches.
Having said all that I will agree that *some* U*Us do try to stick to the message of U*Uism, possibly even a majority of U*Us, but in this day and age of "electronic communication" a few "bad apples" can and do spoil the whole bunch. U*Us need to deal responsibly with their "bad apples" of various kinds, not the least of them being the intolerant and obnoxious "fundamentalist atheists" who make too many U*U "churches" anything but Welcoming Congregations to God believing Canadians and Americans, but quite regrettably U*Us make little or no effort to correct the situation when U*Us in general, and U*U clergy in particular, go "off message." Then U*Us wonder why The U*U Movement is but a "tiny, declining, fringe religion". I have no quarrel with you personally Chip, indeed you are in my good books as a result of not censoring and suppressing my message and allowing it to stick to your blog posts.
Ta from TEA
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