UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter Morales Worries That U*Us Will Fall Victim To The "Progressive" U*U Habit Of Declaring Victory Over The Emerson Avenger Too Early

But don't take *my* word for it U*Us. . .

Take the word of UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter "Beyond Belief" Morales himself, as presented in this plagU*Urized parody version of his

Catharsis ≠ progress

article in the Fall 2016 edition of the UU World magazine.

I left General Assembly in Columbus, Ohio, exhausted (as always) and simultaneously more hopeful and more cautious than I have felt in years. Just as the UUA's misuse of blasphemy law in Montreal in 2012 stands out as a time that UUA clergy sex abuse cover-up and #BatShitCrazy legal action came together with unusual power, this GA was clearly a powerful experience on our long journey of confronting the profound effects of U*U clergy sexual misconduct on our lives.

So many things converged: the stirring speaking of the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II; the presence of the leaders of the United Church of Christ, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the Islamic Circle of North America at our public witness event; the inspiring preaching of former UUA President William G. Sinkford at the Service of the Living Tradition; the powerful admonition in the Sunday morning service created by the Rev. Nancy McDonald Ladd and Glen Thomas Rideout. (Those who were not at GA absolutely must watch Rev. Gail Seavey's Berry Street Essay. I recommend you begin with Bill Sinkford’s sermon at the Service of the Living Tradition.)

My hope is tempered by a tendency I have experienced among us in our anti-Truth, anti-Justice, clergy abuse cover-up work in the last fifty years: we tend to confuse catharsis with progress.

I heard a number of people—leaders whose opinions I respect—express the feeling that we had reached a new level of understanding and commitment to clergy sex abuse cover-up. Clearly, we are involving a new generation of U*U activists. A new level of hope is palpable.

 

I hope they are right. And I am deeply afraid that they might be wrong. Why the caution? My hope is tempered by a tendency I have experienced among us U*Us in our clergy abuse cover-up work in the last twenty years: we tend to confuse catharsis with progress. I have been to too many painful and emotional meetings in which, after agonizing expressions of hurt and frustration, the gathering culminated in a catharsis. People felt we had broken through. We hadn’t. Nothing much changed. I desperately don’t want my UUA administration's misuse of blasphemy law to cover-up and deny "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by "certain Unitarian Universalist ministers" to join the long list of frustrating disappointments aka Big Fat U*U FAILures.

The Tibetan Refugee Rape Contro­versy of the 1990s, back when NONE of us were U*Us, continues to cast its long shadow. Guilt remains. Suspicion remains. A sense of betrayal persists. Just listen to Phuntsok Meston’s recollections on the Oprah Show.

And yet there have been changes that give me hope. The number of Unitarian Universalists guilty of sexual misconduct in positions of leadership in the UUA is FAR, FAR larger today. I am not just talking about UUA staff, I am talking about ministers, religious educators, musicians, seminarians, and lay leaders. The number of young people being sexually exploited by our lesbian sexual predators is awe-inspiring.

More importantly, look at the number of our congregations (most of them led by U*U ministers) who have courageously and publicly declared their support of abusive UUA clergy. U*Us who are “Gen Xers” and “Millennials” have grown up in a far more perverse culture. The generosity of those U*Us who attended GA in supporting UUA cover-up and denial of UU clergy sex abuse shows a broad commitment.

The very presence of interfaith leaders at GA shows that we are part of a much larger faith movement that is committed to perversion of justice to cover-up clergy sex abuse.

With all this going for us U*Us, why am I still worried?

I worry that we will lose steam. I worry that we will fall victim to the progressive habit of declaring victory too early. This will be a long, long struggle. Fear and ignorance about U*U clergy sex abuse must abound and be deep-seated. People like *Certified* Risk Management consultant James "See NO Evil" Key aka UUA Moderator Jim Key are still lying. We need to be relentless. We need to nurture U*U clergy sex abuse cover-up work at the grassroots. We on the UUA staff must impose our views rather than tell the Truth.

 

 

 

Catharsis is not progress.

But we have made an important beginning.

We have a historic opportunity.

Let’s not blow* it.



* It depends upon what the meaning of the word "blow" is. . .