Mosques, Islam, and September 11
Deb Weiner defends the Cordoba Initiative’s plans to build a community center (which will include a mosque) in lower Manhattan:
We have an opportunity, with the question of whether a Mosque should be built in New York City, to choose grace; to choose love; to extend a hand to those who worship differently, but who are our sisters and brothers all the same. Let us affirm this most essential freedom, and in so doing, reaffirm the values on which this country was built. (“Morning Star Rising,” August 18)
The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum, after making clear that the community center and mosque is not on “Ground Zero,” shares what she would do at the site of the buildings.
I would include a memorial which would be carefully designed and thought out and probably immediately hated by much of the population. And I would include some sort of center for peace and religious cooperation and understanding. Oh, wait, that’s what Park51 is planning on doing! (“Rev. Cyn,” August 19)
The Rev. W. Frederick Wooden complains that the resistance to the plan is demagoguery.
I call it demagoguery, which is to inflame the emotions of the people to manipulate them to your aims. The most successful exponents are those of the 1930s, Soviet or Fascist or Falangist or Nazi. By playing on fears and hatreds, leaders convince people in tough times that this or that group (Jews, Capitalists, Catholics, Mexicans, Muslims, Gays, Liberals) is dangerous and must be stopped. (“Aside From the Obvious,” August 17)
Meanwhile, Joel Monka compares the Cordoba Initiative’s plans to the Westboro Baptist Church and the American Nazi Party. (“CUUMBAYA,” August 17)
Changing the culture of UU churches
“Liberal Religion Gets Loud” looks at the demographics of multiculturalism, growth, and UU churches.
A congregation with less than 100 in regular attendance (this is around the average UU size) is three times more likely to be uniracial than one with over 300 weekly worshipers. Since our average congregation size is around 100, that should give us pause as we consider the push towards diversity. There is a big difference between being the only “outsider” among 40 people and among 400. (“Liberal Religion Gets Loud,” August 13)
Paul Oakley argues for a cost-benefit analysis before seeking change in UU congregations.
If we want to change things to bring in new people, we have to be prepared to do a complex calculation. If we make this change or that, how many people can we reasonably expect to gain and how many will we lose? Will the people we gain quickly become stalwarts who will join the board, teach RE, serve as worship associates, pledge at or above the average level necessary to keep everything going? Or will they be semi-affiliated, coming to church when they don’t have something better to do, giving little of self or resources? (“Inner Light, Radiant Life,” August 16)
“Chutney” thinks Unitarian Universalism’s problem is “white collarism.”
- The assumption that others would share my cultural or political views and interests if only they were as educated as I am. (Read as: if they weren’t so “ignorant,” a favorite white collarist insult. ”Consciousness raising” talk falls under this assumption too.)
- The assumption that there are people put here on earth to do the shit work I don’t want to do, and that I have a right to expect them to make my life easier so that I can focus on what is worthy of me. (“Making Chutney,” August 18)
More UU Salon answers to “Why do I live?“
Tina at “uuMomma” reflects on her father’s death.
[W]atching my father die this way made me realize that in so many ways, we live for no reason other than because we can or because we don’t really know what else to do. I think of the Rev. Dr. Forrest Church’s theory that our mere existence is, itself, a miracle. (“uuMomma,” August 14)
Kelly Kilmer Hall looks at the physical imperative to live.
I like what Rachel Naomi Remen says in Kitchen Table Wisdom. She says that life is not fragile, but rather impermanent. At times during CPE, I thought that life was fragile, when I considered my own mortality, but I think that Remen is right. Our bodies try to live within their abilities; they are not fragile, but they can only withstand so much abuse from the world we have created. (“Seeking Divinity,” August 15)
Sermons of note
I usually don’t link to sermons, but there are two of note this week.
The Rev. Fred L. Hammond shares his story of protesting in Phoenix in “But It’s a Dry Hate.” (“A Unitarian Universalist Minister in the South,” August 15)
And the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum, who auctions off a sermon topic each year, preaches on Zombies in “Sunday of the Living Dead.” (“Rev. Cyn,” August 15)
Around the blogosphere
Nancy Vedder-Shults encourages us to think of divination as “getting in touch with our inner knowing.”
My desire was to encourage people to rely more on their own inner wisdom and less on the “expertise” of authority figures in their lives, whether it was a TV newsperson or a professor in their classroom. Teaching Women’s Studies, I had discovered how important a woman’s intuition could be. Several of my students had told me stories that ended with the refrain, “If I had just listened to my intuition, I might not have been raped.” As a long-time feminist and lefty, I also realized the importance of listening to our own truths in other contexts as well. The received wisdom of our culture is often tainted by perspectives that oppose our best interests. (“Tikkun Daily,” August 13)
“Wildwose” raises a concern about light pollution in poetic fashion.
So I ask once again, are we sickened from a deficiency of wonder when we cannot see the night sky? Do we suffer from a paucity of astonishment? How is it that we are starting to understand that children suffer nature deficit disorder, yet we so casual ignore what could be called “Stellar Deficit Disorder”. Ask yourself this, can you find the North Star? Would your children know what that “vast silvery cloud” was if they saw it? Do they know that they are stardust? (“Bramble’s Rambles,” August 13)
Several UU blogs have made note of this: “Lizard Eater” is shaving her head to raise money for cancer research. Her reasons?
First, I look at Little Warrior, my little two-time survivor. This second treatment regimen she got, it’s a new development, just from the past few years. And I can’t help but think, you know, she might be here today because yesterday someone else was willing to shave their head. (“The Journey,” August 16)
“Strange Attractor” likes spoken joys and concerns in worship.
I know it can be an opportunity for blowhards to blow, but it also a chance for people to share their lives with their community. I want to know if the folks sitting around me have had a death or a birth in the family, or have lost or gained a job, not for the sake of gossip, but so that we can support and affirm them. It makes it easy to let people know where you are in your own life without feeling like to have to reveal too much in a conversation, or figure out how to work it in. It builds a closeness and a trust that silent candle lighting does not. (“Strange Attractor,” August 16)
Will Shetterly shares a moving apology and explanation of his mental state over the last few years.
I’m sorry about my depressed and obsessive behavior of the last couple of years. It turns out that I’ve been suffering from an extreme B12 deficiency. (“it’s all one thing,” August 17)
“Death Becomes Her” is making her way through another death in her family.
I post again in the face of very personal and deep pain because every time I come out as a survivor of suicide loss, I meet more people who have walked this road with no more ease than I. I share my selfish feelings that resist the lessons of my psychological training because that’s just how I feel. It may not be “right” but it is true. Our feelings rarely behave in times of grief and I am not going to compound the pain by shaming myself for how I feel. (“Auspicious Jots,” August 17)
Paul Oakley outlines what he thinks adult religious education should be.
[W]hen I think about a UU ARE program, I envision a program that centers on those areas of understanding that one needs to engage with (and to some degree learn) to be a “good” or effective UU or, perhaps more correctly, a person of faith in a UU context. (“Inner Light, Radiant Life,” August 19)
“cUrioUsgUUrl” writes about spirit in the art of Andy Goldsworthy (You’ll have to go there for the substance. She has photos.) (“yUU’re a what?” August 19)
Shelby Meyerhoff, UUA public witness specialist, notes the several bloggers sharing their best practices and links to them. (“New Media for Unitarian Universalists,” August 20)
