Abortion, conversion, a UU TV network, and more
Abortion and other 'UU World' topics
The Rev. Christine Robinson talks about the Rev. Scotty McLennan's article offering a theological justification for abortion in the Winter 2009 issue of UU World:
So iMinister, a woman, thinks it's pretty irksome to hear him opine that her decision to decline to provide her uterus, which is to say, a whole lot of her body and that huge medical drama called childbirth, to a developing fetus is only ok because he thinks that the fetus isn't a human being yet. He just so doesn't get it! It doesn't matter whether the fetus is a bit of tissue or a full person. It doesn't have a right to use my body unless I want it there or consent to be its hero and provide my body for its use. ("iMinister," November 16)
James also posts about the article at the progressive North Carolina blog "BlueNC":
No matter what side you're on in the Great American Abortion Debate, you'll find this article of interest. I discovered it this week in UU World, the Unitarian Universalist monthly magazine. It traces the history of religious practices around abortion, including the Catholic Church's radical change in 1917, driven by Pope Pius IX who said that centuries of previous Popes had gotten things wrong. ("BlueNC," November 19)
You can find the article here: Breath is Life
Sara discusses a 2003 UU World article and Sunday School activities:
Church and school don't have to be totally passive experiences, and we can learn a lot from active games. There are several good resources out there for classroom games that are actually meant to teach something (like cooperation, listening skills, etc), so we should all be making our classes more active, also-known-as-boy-friendly. ("The Curriculum of Love," November 16)
You can find the article here: What should we do with the boys?
Nile Tallman refers to the Rev. Cynthia Landrum's essay in the Winter 2009 issue of UU World when considering her non-deist beliefs:
I have never had any faith in any gods. Does that make me a threat? Does that make me a bad person? Am I contributing to the downfall of Western Civilization? I would never force my beliefs on another person. I respect the rights of others to believe as they see fit. Why do some seem to need an "enemy" to make their belief stronger? The "in group" gets the prize and the "out group" gets things like eternal damnation. When one minority group can't be targeted anymore, another is put in its place. ("The World is Afire," November 18)
You can find the article here: If there is a God...
"Lizard Eater" addresses Annie Laurie Gaylor's response, in the Winter 2009 issue of UU World, to the criticism of the FFRF ad:
They, and I, were mind-boggled by YOUR ad. Respect has always been a part of Unitarian Universalism. Mocking and belittling others is NOT a part of my religion -- is it a part of yours? Oh, I forgot. You want freedom from religion. ("The Journey," November 14)
Crisis of faith and conversion
Thomas R. Beall has been having a crisis of faith:
Maybe I have this all wrong but, if this is a good description of modern UU'ism, if this is why we "come to church", then where is the faith - the collective belief in something? Of course, many UU's would say that the "something" is our seven principals. This brings me to the crux of the issue for me and the reason I am undergoing this crisis of faith. For I question if we truly embrace these principals as a church even as many UU's do individually. ("Living the Prophetic Imperative," November 25)
Bill Baar wonders what actually happens when someone converts to Unitarian Universalism:
Now, if someone believes they are converting, we as a Church are not particularly equipped to find them wrong on it either. We don't see into the soul. It's not what were about.
So what exactly is happening when we covenant with a Church? ("Pfarrer Streccius," November 18)
Paul Oakley responds:
I prefer to look at the word "conversion" in a more Catholic sense, meaning a change of life. Many of us contemporary UUs speak of our religion's transformational power or its access thereto, of our worship and other shared activities as a locus of transformation. If people experience transformation rather than mere emotional flux, they are converted. ("Inner Light, Radiant Life," November 18)
UUMA Convocation
Rev. Cynthia Landrum blogs about a performance at the UUMA Convocation by native Canadians:
They performed a number of songs, explaining each one, and then had all of us try throat singing. If you can imagine a hall full of Unitarian Universalist ministers, paired into two teams, throat singing and trying to make the other team laugh, well, you're likely to laugh yourself at the image. But even funnier was the sight of UU ministers trying to do the dance. ("Rev. Cyn," November 13)
Rev. Kathryn Bert says she was too tired to attend that performance, and blogs about conflict:
The word "conflict" may give you the wrong impression about what this work is about - in many ways, it's simply about learning to live with difference - especially in congregational life. How do we notice difference, honor it, and engage it - without insisting everyone be the same, or share the same opinion or have the same politics or even religious beliefs....? I think this is at the core of conflict transformation work. ("The Stole'n Word," November 13)
Around the blogosphere:
Peter Bowden imagines a brand new UU TV network:
I can imagine a web based UU TV network with a wide range of content for those new to our faith, existing members, leaders and more... Internet connected televisions will be able to connect to it the way we connect to a website today. Only it will be a TV channel. Scheduled program. Full HD picture... ("The UU Growth Blog," November 15)
Rev. Gary Kowalski talks about the film 2012 and Americans' fascination with end times:
If films like 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow are any indication, the "world-is-coming-to-an-end" message will always draw a big audience. Global warming, AIDS, H1N1, shifting weather patterns and similar threats will be seized upon as evidence that all is lost. The task for our time will be to recapture the faith of the founders, not to abandon hope, but to take melting ice caps, nuclear proliferation, economic recession and all the rest as problems for human ingenuity to solve. ("Revolutionary Spirits," November 14)
"Suttonhoo" believes conflict isn't a bad thing:
Conflict originates in the struggle for power, something that, frankly, all of us should grasp for. Owning our own strength, claiming our will to power, is what makes us human and gives us the courage to find the capacity to fulfill the dreams that drive us forward. ("Detritus," November 17)
"DairyStateDad" offers his opinion on hate crime:
Dead is dead. Beaten is beaten. Maimed is maimed. Raped is raped. Doesn't it make sense to punish people based on the consequences of their actions, rather than the thoughts in their heads? If a mugger kills me for my wallet, or kills my friend because he's gay, does the reason for the killing really warrant a different kind of sentence? ("DairyStateDad," November 19)
John discusses morality:
Morality is, at its very core, a function for the survival of social creatures. During the dawn of humanity, morality meant to have loyalty to one's family, clan, or tribe. A moral person had to defend their people against outsiders, who brought with them disease and war, or at best were competition for valuable resources. Men were expected to hunt, women were expected to bear children, and life was short and violent. This isn't the best possible condition we can expect today, but with their limited technology, it is the best that could be hoped for at that time. ("The Pageless Book," November 19)
The Rev. Colin Bossen posts letters he wrote to U.S. senators to urge them to support the health care reform bill:
I am writing to urge you to support the Patient Protection and Affordable Act now before the Senate. The United States needs health care reform and while this bill is far from perfect it will ensure that around 94% of Americans have health care coverage, a major improvement over the current situation. Importantly it will also help to curb health care costs over the long run. ("The Latest Form of Infidelity," November 20)





