The Coarse And Combative Inflammatory Rhetoric Of "Less Than Polite" Unitarian*Universalist Ministers Has Been Condoned By The UUA & MFC For Decades
In a blog post submitted by by Susan Leslie, UUA Director of Congregational Advocacy, entitled 'Unitarian Universalists Call for Peace, Civility & Love on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday' the UUA's Standing On The Side Of Love Campaign reports about various Unitarian Universalist ministers making public statements calling for civility on MLK Day 2011.
Amongst other MLK Day events, First Parish Cambridge MA Unitarian Universalist reportedly held a 'A Candlelight Vigil for Peace and Civility' called 'Calming the Waters' during the evening of MLK Day, ostensibly "in response to the recent violence in Tucson and Islamabad and the inflammatory rhetoric that strains the bonds of community."
Rev. Fred Small, Senior Minister of First Parish Cambridge is on record as asserting that -
"All of us are influenced by coarse and combative rhetoric. All of us are responsible for calming the waters."
As far as I am concerned "all of us" includes ALL Unitarian*Universalists aka U*Us, including but not limited to ALL U*U clergy, ALL UUA administrators, and ALL UUA Trustees etc. etc., and ALL U*Us are responsible for "calming the waters" in the wake of "coarse and combative" inflammatory rhetoric being spouted by "less than polite" U*U ministers. The sad fact of the matter however is that hypocritical Unitarian*Universalists have done little or nothing to hold "less than polite" U*U ministers accountable for their harmful and damaging words when they descend into "coarse and combative rhetoric", to say nothing of outright obscene and sadistic rhetoric. . .
Without further ado here is the comment that I submitted in response to that SSL blog post, it will be interesting to see if SSL "moderators" aka censors see fit to post it to the blog post in question -
"All of us are influenced by coarse and combative rhetoric. All of us are responsible for calming the waters."
I wonder how many U*Us are aware of the fact that the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and its all too aptly named Ministerial Fellowship Committee are all too happy to allow "less than polite" U*U ministers use all manner of "coarse and combative rhetoric", some of which can be reasonably described as obscene and even sadistic? How many U*Us are aware that as recently as 2006 the UUA made a ruling to the effect that U*U ministers can say absolutely anything they want to as long as they do so under the cowardly cover of internet anonymity?
I would agree that all of U*Us are responsible for calming the waters roiled by the insulting and defamatory, and otherwise verbally and psychologically abusive, inflammatory rhetoric of Unitarian*Universalist ministers but I see little or no evidence of U*Us actually doing anything to *real* in rogue U*U clergy. Au contraire, all too often U*Us, including top level U*U clergy and UUA administrators, not only abdicate that responsibility to promote civility but tacitly condone the "coarse and combative" inflammatory rhetoric of U*U ministers. I say that the time is long overdue for a mea culpa to be delivered by the UUA along with an official apology to all those people who have been harmed by the inflammatory rhetoric of U*U ministers that the UUA and MFC irresponsibly, indeed negligently and complicitly. . . failed to hold accountable for their harmful and damaging words.
Last year I asked UUA President Peter Morales to stand on the side of love for all victims of non-sexual forms of U*U clergy misconduct on National Standing On The Side Of Love Day but he refused to do so and I see no evidence suggesting that he will do so this year. How much longer will President Morales and the UUA continue to stand on the side of effectively condoning the harmful and damaging rhetoric of verbally and psychologically abusive Unitarian*Universalist ministers?
Amongst other MLK Day events, First Parish Cambridge MA Unitarian Universalist reportedly held a 'A Candlelight Vigil for Peace and Civility' called 'Calming the Waters' during the evening of MLK Day, ostensibly "in response to the recent violence in Tucson and Islamabad and the inflammatory rhetoric that strains the bonds of community."
Rev. Fred Small, Senior Minister of First Parish Cambridge is on record as asserting that -
"All of us are influenced by coarse and combative rhetoric. All of us are responsible for calming the waters."
As far as I am concerned "all of us" includes ALL Unitarian*Universalists aka U*Us, including but not limited to ALL U*U clergy, ALL UUA administrators, and ALL UUA Trustees etc. etc., and ALL U*Us are responsible for "calming the waters" in the wake of "coarse and combative" inflammatory rhetoric being spouted by "less than polite" U*U ministers. The sad fact of the matter however is that hypocritical Unitarian*Universalists have done little or nothing to hold "less than polite" U*U ministers accountable for their harmful and damaging words when they descend into "coarse and combative rhetoric", to say nothing of outright obscene and sadistic rhetoric. . .
Without further ado here is the comment that I submitted in response to that SSL blog post, it will be interesting to see if SSL "moderators" aka censors see fit to post it to the blog post in question -
"All of us are influenced by coarse and combative rhetoric. All of us are responsible for calming the waters."
I wonder how many U*Us are aware of the fact that the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations and its all too aptly named Ministerial Fellowship Committee are all too happy to allow "less than polite" U*U ministers use all manner of "coarse and combative rhetoric", some of which can be reasonably described as obscene and even sadistic? How many U*Us are aware that as recently as 2006 the UUA made a ruling to the effect that U*U ministers can say absolutely anything they want to as long as they do so under the cowardly cover of internet anonymity?
I would agree that all of U*Us are responsible for calming the waters roiled by the insulting and defamatory, and otherwise verbally and psychologically abusive, inflammatory rhetoric of Unitarian*Universalist ministers but I see little or no evidence of U*Us actually doing anything to *real* in rogue U*U clergy. Au contraire, all too often U*Us, including top level U*U clergy and UUA administrators, not only abdicate that responsibility to promote civility but tacitly condone the "coarse and combative" inflammatory rhetoric of U*U ministers. I say that the time is long overdue for a mea culpa to be delivered by the UUA along with an official apology to all those people who have been harmed by the inflammatory rhetoric of U*U ministers that the UUA and MFC irresponsibly, indeed negligently and complicitly. . . failed to hold accountable for their harmful and damaging words.
Last year I asked UUA President Peter Morales to stand on the side of love for all victims of non-sexual forms of U*U clergy misconduct on National Standing On The Side Of Love Day but he refused to do so and I see no evidence suggesting that he will do so this year. How much longer will President Morales and the UUA continue to stand on the side of effectively condoning the harmful and damaging rhetoric of verbally and psychologically abusive Unitarian*Universalist ministers?
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