The First Principle Of U*Uism And Clergy Misconduct

This just posted somewhere in the U*U blogosphere. . .

Victims of clergy misconduct committed by U*U ministers very quickly discover not only just how unimportant they are but just how important the ministers who are guilty of clergy misconduct are. . . This rather deplorable U*U principle applies to victims of both sexual and non-sexual forms of clergy misconduct.

Update: 22.05.2008 9:45pm

I thanked Shannon for not memory holing my comment and she responded by saying the following -

While I am convinced that not all humans have a good grasp on principles such as the inherent worth and dignity of all people, or all beings, I am uncertain as to what my post about how to help children develop their own concepts of "each person is important" has to do with clergy misconduct of any nature.

I answered that statement with this comment -

Well for starters children can be, and have been. . . victims of clergy misconduct committed by U*U ministers, including egregious sexual misconduct such as rape. That being said my comment was mainly responding to the first two or three paragraphs of your post which were much more general in their scope. I dare say that most children probably have a better grasp on the moral and ethical implications of clergy misconduct than some of the U*U clergy and UUA officials I know. . .

Yet Another Update: 23.05.2008 3:00pm

Shannon said...

children are victims of people. lets not get that mixed up with religion.

10:14 PM

Robin Edgar said...

When the people who victimize children, or indeed adults. . . are U*U ministers, and their clergy misconduct (sexual misconduct or otherwise) is tolerated, or even effectively endorsed, by other U*Us including individual U*U congregations and the UUA, that *is* mixed up with the U*U religion. It is an unfortunate fact that the UUA has failed miserably to provide restorative justice to victims of clergy misconduct of all kinds and continues to do so. In fact it appears that the UUA is currently unwilling to provide genuine restorative justice to victims of clergy misconduct. Needless to say this means that the UUA is utterly betraying the First Principle of U*Uism, to say nothing of the Second Principle of U*Uism which calls upon U*Us to work for justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

1:54 PM

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