Food fight, lay off the Mormons, video from Africa, and more

Food fight

John Gibb Millspaugh's article "Dinner Dilemmas" in the Winter 2008 UU World—the featured story at uuworld.org this week—drew angry responses from some readers. Jess Cullinan at "Jess's Journal" writes: "Can I just say that I am very tired of the inference that anyone who doesn’t eat only organic, local, free-range, etc, food is somehow unethical?" She adds:

The framing of this issue, particularly in the UUWorld, is yet another example of the assumption that to be a Unitarian Universalist one has to be a rich, Prius-driving, vegan who shops only at farmers’ markets and Whole Foods. And I am so tired of it. (November 13)

Lizard Eater at "The Journey" writes:

We got hard times coming, folks. Our job should be to reach out, show how to do more with less, (upcoming lesson on couponing will be forthcoming from yours truly) ... not imply that yeah, you can buy your cheap turkey, but you're poisoning your children, the earth, stealing money from hard working farmers and then there's the turkey ...

I'm sure there was much research and analysis put into this article. But with apologies to Dr. Phil, do you wanna be right or do you want to reach out to people? (November 13)

"Ethical eating" is the subject of the UUA's new four-year study/action issue. A resource guide has just been published and is available from UUA.org.

Rallying for gay rights after Prop 8

Galen Workman (aka Ozdachs) opposed California's Proposition 8, which eliminated gay marriage in the state, but thinks that efforts to strip the Mormon Church of its tax-exempt status for promoting the initiative are misguided. At "Dangerous Common Sense" he writes:

"Throughout history churches have been both agents of the oppressive status quo and incubators of enlightenment. We should not allow any church to dictate public policy. But, their nagging voices can and should make us think a second or third time about any conventional wisdom embraced by the politicians and the public." (November 16)

In a post at "One More Step" entitled "Lay off the Mormon Church," the Rev. Ricky Hoyt writes, "It doesn't help our cause to make churches a target when we have progressive, liberal churches on our side who we want to help fund and organize and speak out on this issue. We need to be seen as the people who are supporting rights, not taking them away." (November 14)

The Rev. Dan Harper of "Yet Another Unitarian Universalist" estimates that 5,000 people attended the Boston gay rights rally November 15. Similar rallies were held across the country to protest California's Proposition 8, which amended the state constitution to forbid gay marriage.

The UUA posted a YouTube video November 17 celebrating Unitarian Universalist support for same-sex marriage.

From one election to another

Now that the U.S. presidential race is concluded, UU bloggers are turning their attention to the election of the next UUA president, which will be held at the UUA General Assembly in Salt Lake City in June 2009. (Jane Greer reports on the presidential candidates forum at the UU New England Fall Conference in this week's edition of uuworld.org; video and a transcript are at UUA.org.)

Aaron Sawyer of "Discover UU" is conducting a poll about the 2009 UUA presidential race. (November 13)

The Rev. Stephen Lingwood, a British Unitarian minister, compares the UUA's process of electing a president with the U.K. Unitarians' process for electing members of their executive committee (November 13). Instead of individual candidate websites, for example, the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches hosts this elections blog, where all candidates submit answers to questions.

Elsewhere this week

• Although UUA President William Sinkford's first webcast from Africa ran into technical difficulties, his second (recorded November 16) is available at "A Unitarian Universalist Pilgrimage: Rev. William Sinkford's Journey through Africa."


• Although Beth Young wishes she were raising her daughters in a UU church, they attend an Episcopal church, where she is a new Sunday school teacher. Sometimes, she writes at "iBeth," the curriculum doesn't have everything you need. (November 16)


• DRUUMM, an organization for UU people of color, is conducting a survey of "persons who identify as a Person of Color/Asian/Arab/Black/Latino/Native/Pacific Islander/Mixed Race Person of Color/Adoptee Person of Color in Unitarian Universalism" as part of the organization's visioning and restructuring process. The survey is open until December 15. (November 16)


• Joel Monka at "CUUMBAYA" calls attention to an 11,500-year-old archeological site in Turkey that an archeologist calls "the first human-built holy site." (November 15)


• The Unitarian Universalist Historical Society has a freshly redesigned website.


• Plaidshoes at "Everyday Unitarian" wants to know what congregational membership means to you. (November 13)