Calling for Dialogue on the Direction of the UUA

As a lifelong Unitarian, I am dismayed by the behavior of the leaders of UUA.

This is desperately needed!

How could all this mess be going on for 3 yrs without ordinary congregations becoming aware of it?

if there is any racist structure I say we identify it now…..no need to wait for another “principle”….where is it?…..the folks at my UU do not appear racist at all…..most are advanced educated humanists in the way of Tom Paine ….”my country is the world and my religion is to do good”…..skin and eye and hair color not needed or noticed…..

Unless there is some redirection from the current course ... all is lost

I joined UU about one year ago believing that the Church supported reasoned debate and opposed authoritarian attempts to achieve conformity. I’m starting to think I was mistaken.

The actions of the UUA and UUMA are absolutely appalling and a direct attack on liberalism in our denomination.

It is a relief to find a growing awareness of the sad divide in the UUA. I’ve been appalled by what happened to Todd Eklof and others of us.

A number of commentators and public intellectual have pointed out the increasing evidence of groupthink among people who identify as liberal in this country and its shift over the past decade into actual illiberalism. Some representative events: shouting down people who question prevailing social justice strategies; preventing speakers from presenting contrary points of view; joining mobs calling for the firing of people for various "offenses"; attempting to unpublish articles containing controversial ideas; and equating words that contradict preferred social justice positions as "violent" or "harmful". It's painful to see many of these attitudes and actions expressed within our UU denomination, particularly by people holding high positions in the UUA. Their application of the term "out of covenant" to people expressing different/original/unpopular ideas is especially odious, not only because the term can be contorted to mean whatever the user wants it to mean, but because it provides cover to those wanting to shut down the recipient. "We don't have to listen to him because he was found to be out of covenant."

Unitarian Universalism leadership has lost its way. The world is complicated; history is complicated. Disparate outcomes among differing groups are therefore multifaceted phenomena. Labelling groups based upon appearance offends and erases the individuality and humanity of those being labelled. Moralistically oversimplifying these complicated and nuanced phenomena has led the UU leadership down a mistaken and perilous path of segregation and self-righteousness. We are all in this together. The Earth is our home. We must protect, preserve and defend this home of ours, together and united.

I support the 5th Principle Project

thanks for bringing up the "Standing on the Side of Love" thing. That irked me, too when it occurred.

I am thankful to find out I am not alone - which gives me hope. Seems like overnight some were told their original skin is their original sin and repenting wont help - in a UU congregation??? I knew I was in trouble when the UUA decided that people with differing abilities didn't understand the use of metaphor so they had to change the words of the hymn 'Standing on the Side of Love". How condescending and embarrassing - not to mention with the state of the world some actually have time to spend on song lyrics - now if THAT isn't WHITE I don't know what is.

Thank you for taking leadership on the failure of the UUA to live up to our UU principles.

Return Unitarianism to Emersonian relevance. It's become an anti-racist gestapo

We need the UUA to actually move forward on racial justice instead of good sounding speeches

I think that the petition should not use negative phrases such as referring to UUs' "self-righteous moralizing." However, I am signing because I I agree with the general content of the petition.

Our UU fellowship is currently deeply enveloped in the UUA/UUMA created "culture war" stemming from the excommunication of Rev. Todd Eklof. Authoritarian, self-righteous censorship has emerged in leadership positions. Reasoned dissent is characterized as an expression of "white victimhood" and dismissed as contributing to "hurt and harm." Deep listening has been replaced by "call out culture" and "purity testing" for not following the party line. Thandeka's essay is criticised as old fashioned thinking, out of step with the new enlightened UUA anti-racist agenda. Thank you for addressing this destructive, corrosive approach to the issue of racism being pursued by UU "leadership" that has made me question my continued membership.

Thank you for stepping up. I'm glad to have found you.

I'm disappointed that the UUA has declared itself part of "systemic racism."