Unitarian Universalist Irresponsibility Towards People Of Inherent Worth & Dignity Beyond UU Walls And Within The Walls Of Dysfunctional UU "Churches"
Rev. David Pyle, the Assistant Minister for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, California, as well as a U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain, has refused to publish the following comment that I submitted to the 'Our Responsibility to those Beyond Our Walls' blog post on his Celestial Lands blog earlier today because he feels that part or all of it is "beneath" me. Quite evidently I do not share Rev. Pyle's apparently deeply help personal conviction that what some might call this "prophetic work" is beneath me, far from it really.
I have added some hyperlinks to supporting material that were not in the original comment -
: In this paper Rev. Morales makes several arguments, such as how an expanded understanding of UU identity and connection would be beneficial to congregations, in that it would “lower the walls between our congregations and the larger world”.
Unitarian Universalists seem to be only too happy to create their own walls between their insular and isolated UU congregations and the larger world aka the real world. How many times have I heard people complaining about the anti-Christian and broader anti-religious intolerance and bigotry that seems to be quite pervasive throughout the so-called UU World? Although *some* UUA leaders have tried to minimize this serious problem I am quite sure that it was, and still is, a major contributing factor to Unitarian Universalism being "a tiny, declining, fringe religion", to quote some choice words from Rev. Peter Morales' sermon cum "stump speech" announcing his candidacy for UUA President. How many times have I seen intolerant and abusive UUs, including "less than perfect" UU clergy, ranting against Republicans and other political conservatives? Quite frankly I am surprised that there are still some Republican members of UU congregations remaining in light of just how unwelcome they are in most UU congregations. I have been pointing at these walls that UUs erect for years now, indeed over a decade now when it comes to UU anti-religious intolerance and bigotry, yet UUA leaders all but completely refuse to address these serious issues in a forthright and responsible manner. I dare say that UUA President Peter Morales is a major part of that problem in that he is quite evidently NOT part of the solution at the moment. The same may be said for UUA Moderator Gini Courter and most UUA Trustees. . .
: And yet, his argument in this article was reminiscent of all too many conversations I have had with lay-leaders in congregations across 9 states who have told me that they were interested in “growth” to “meet a budget” or “be able to hire a minister”, or “build a building”, or for some other practical, if often nebulous, expectation that growth is something we are supposed to do.
What do you suppose the UUA itself primarily wants growth for David? Here's a clue. . . balance the UUA's dwindling budget, be able to support UU ministers, and buy or build new buildings. It's all about the money and "practical" things as far as I can see David.
: Our world is desperately in need of the saving message of Unitarian Universalism.
Forgive me for saying so David but I almost fall out of my chair laughing whenever I see a UU spouting this UUA propaganda. What "saving message of Unitarian Universalism" may I ask? The one that Unitarian Universalists emptily and insincerely, if not outright fraudulently. . . "preach" while abjectly failing, and even obstinately refusing. . . to actually *practice*? From what I have seen over the last decade and a half or more Unitarian Universalists can't even "save" the UU World from itself, let alone "save" the real world. . . If the real world *really* "desperately" needed Unitarian Universalism there would be a lot more than a paltry 160,000 adult UUs and Unitarian Universalism would not be the "tiny, declining, fringe religion" that it currently quite evidently is.
: Let us find any way we can to bring people to the point where they can say, in their hearts and with their voices, “I am a Unitarian Universalist”… and to know what that means.
I wonder how many of today's card-carrying adult Unitarian Universalists can say “I am a Unitarian Universalist” and actually know what that means? Not many in my estimation David. In my experience and observation over the last decade and a half Unitarian Universalists, including far too many UU ministers and top level UUA leaders, have repeatedly, indeed quite continuously. . . made a total mockery of pretty much everything that Unitarian Universalism claims to be in its definitely empty and insincere, and *apparently* quite fraudulent, religious propaganda.
I have added some hyperlinks to supporting material that were not in the original comment -
: In this paper Rev. Morales makes several arguments, such as how an expanded understanding of UU identity and connection would be beneficial to congregations, in that it would “lower the walls between our congregations and the larger world”.
Unitarian Universalists seem to be only too happy to create their own walls between their insular and isolated UU congregations and the larger world aka the real world. How many times have I heard people complaining about the anti-Christian and broader anti-religious intolerance and bigotry that seems to be quite pervasive throughout the so-called UU World? Although *some* UUA leaders have tried to minimize this serious problem I am quite sure that it was, and still is, a major contributing factor to Unitarian Universalism being "a tiny, declining, fringe religion", to quote some choice words from Rev. Peter Morales' sermon cum "stump speech" announcing his candidacy for UUA President. How many times have I seen intolerant and abusive UUs, including "less than perfect" UU clergy, ranting against Republicans and other political conservatives? Quite frankly I am surprised that there are still some Republican members of UU congregations remaining in light of just how unwelcome they are in most UU congregations. I have been pointing at these walls that UUs erect for years now, indeed over a decade now when it comes to UU anti-religious intolerance and bigotry, yet UUA leaders all but completely refuse to address these serious issues in a forthright and responsible manner. I dare say that UUA President Peter Morales is a major part of that problem in that he is quite evidently NOT part of the solution at the moment. The same may be said for UUA Moderator Gini Courter and most UUA Trustees. . .
: And yet, his argument in this article was reminiscent of all too many conversations I have had with lay-leaders in congregations across 9 states who have told me that they were interested in “growth” to “meet a budget” or “be able to hire a minister”, or “build a building”, or for some other practical, if often nebulous, expectation that growth is something we are supposed to do.
What do you suppose the UUA itself primarily wants growth for David? Here's a clue. . . balance the UUA's dwindling budget, be able to support UU ministers, and buy or build new buildings. It's all about the money and "practical" things as far as I can see David.
: Our world is desperately in need of the saving message of Unitarian Universalism.
Forgive me for saying so David but I almost fall out of my chair laughing whenever I see a UU spouting this UUA propaganda. What "saving message of Unitarian Universalism" may I ask? The one that Unitarian Universalists emptily and insincerely, if not outright fraudulently. . . "preach" while abjectly failing, and even obstinately refusing. . . to actually *practice*? From what I have seen over the last decade and a half or more Unitarian Universalists can't even "save" the UU World from itself, let alone "save" the real world. . . If the real world *really* "desperately" needed Unitarian Universalism there would be a lot more than a paltry 160,000 adult UUs and Unitarian Universalism would not be the "tiny, declining, fringe religion" that it currently quite evidently is.
: Let us find any way we can to bring people to the point where they can say, in their hearts and with their voices, “I am a Unitarian Universalist”… and to know what that means.
I wonder how many of today's card-carrying adult Unitarian Universalists can say “I am a Unitarian Universalist” and actually know what that means? Not many in my estimation David. In my experience and observation over the last decade and a half Unitarian Universalists, including far too many UU ministers and top level UUA leaders, have repeatedly, indeed quite continuously. . . made a total mockery of pretty much everything that Unitarian Universalism claims to be in its definitely empty and insincere, and *apparently* quite fraudulent, religious propaganda.
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