Regarding people of color, several years after leaving the UUA, I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). It was a long story as to how that came about, but FWIW, I can say that I have probably seen more people of color (Hispanic, Black or Asian) in any one average-size Mormon congregation than I saw in the entire time I was active in the UUA.
For all its pretense of being a racially diverse religious community, Unitarian Universalism is predominantly white. About 9 out of 10 Unitarian Universalists are white. There's a lot of tokenism in UUism as far as I am concerned. "People of Color" are promoted to prominent positions in the UUA to provide a misleading public "veneer" over "the overwhelming whiteness of being UU" as it were.
I believe UU is one of the six most racially monolithic and one of the three whitest churches in the country. Since the start of its "anti-oppression" agenda, the percentage of racial minorities has fallen. I've characterized UU and my congregation as "a church for white progressives."
Well, as you can gather from my comments, the "white progressives" of Unitarian Universalism aren't as progressive as they like to believe they are. I still can't believe that "a church for white progressives" would ever stoop to threaten anyone with criminal prosecution for blasphemous libel for any reason whatsoever. . .
I know of one Unitarian Universalist minister saying similar things publicly on his Facebook account, but he appears the be the exception that proves the rule. . .
Unitarian Universalists, indeed the UUA as an institution, have been censoring and suppressing free speech for decades. One of the reasons so little is known about Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct is because the UUA has silenced many if not most complainants-victims with "confidentiality agreements" aka NDAs. The UUA has also banned critics and whistleblowers from posting to UUA controlled internet forums and has used various forms of legal intimidation to try to silence people. I was banned from all UUA controlled listserves in the early 2000s for posting about the Rev. Mack Wallace Mitchell case and also for engaging in a free and responsible search for the truth and meaning of the claims of German anti-fascist groups that the Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft was founded by former SS officers after WWII, and was a front group for neo-Nazis throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
Speaking of suppressing dialogue in the name of justice, and justice not being achieved through coercion and dogmatism, the UUA exercised plenty of coercion and dogmatism in June 2012 when the Rev. Dr. Peter "Beyond Belief" Morales led UUA administration tried to suppress my free speech "in the name of justice" by having me served with an arrogant and aggressive cease and desist demand letter threatening me with criminal prosecution for "blasphemous libel" for blogging about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by "certain Unitarian Universalist ministers". I'm still waiting for the UUA to formally withdraw its immoral, UNethical, borderline criminal, and quite frankly insane false accusation of "blasphemous libel" that not only violates multiple UUA principles, notably the 4th and 2nd principles, but ignominiously terminated a centuries old Unitarian*Universalist tradition of opposing blasphemy laws, publicly apologize for it, and publicly disclose the full truth about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by pedophile*rapist UUA ministers, to say nothing of pedophile*rapists UU lay leaders such as RE teachers and camp counselors etc.
As far as I am concerned, the Unitarian Universalist "Church" long ago lost any moral authority on the free speech front, to say nothing of the clergy abuse front. Indeed it appears to be morally bankrupt. . .
I look forward to seeing how the Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, and First Unitarian Universalist Church Houston as a UUA congregation, handle this weekend's U*U fiasco caused by the highly questionable words of Rev. Bossen's partner Sade Perkins, which make a TOTAL mockery of most if not all of the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism, as well as "JETPIG" with "love at the center".
At present, it seems FUUCH is resorting to the usual Unitarian Universalist suppression of debate about Sade Perkins questionable, and indeed highly offensive and abusive, words about Texas flood victims by closing commenting on its Facebook page and allegedly deleting some comments.
Regarding people of color, several years after leaving the UUA, I became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon). It was a long story as to how that came about, but FWIW, I can say that I have probably seen more people of color (Hispanic, Black or Asian) in any one average-size Mormon congregation than I saw in the entire time I was active in the UUA.
For all its pretense of being a racially diverse religious community, Unitarian Universalism is predominantly white. About 9 out of 10 Unitarian Universalists are white. There's a lot of tokenism in UUism as far as I am concerned. "People of Color" are promoted to prominent positions in the UUA to provide a misleading public "veneer" over "the overwhelming whiteness of being UU" as it were.
I believe UU is one of the six most racially monolithic and one of the three whitest churches in the country. Since the start of its "anti-oppression" agenda, the percentage of racial minorities has fallen. I've characterized UU and my congregation as "a church for white progressives."
Well, as you can gather from my comments, the "white progressives" of Unitarian Universalism aren't as progressive as they like to believe they are. I still can't believe that "a church for white progressives" would ever stoop to threaten anyone with criminal prosecution for blasphemous libel for any reason whatsoever. . .
Hear, hear! Thank you for this, David. It needs to be said. Is *any* UU minister saying this publicly yet?
I know of one Unitarian Universalist minister saying similar things publicly on his Facebook account, but he appears the be the exception that proves the rule. . .
Unitarian Universalists, indeed the UUA as an institution, have been censoring and suppressing free speech for decades. One of the reasons so little is known about Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct is because the UUA has silenced many if not most complainants-victims with "confidentiality agreements" aka NDAs. The UUA has also banned critics and whistleblowers from posting to UUA controlled internet forums and has used various forms of legal intimidation to try to silence people. I was banned from all UUA controlled listserves in the early 2000s for posting about the Rev. Mack Wallace Mitchell case and also for engaging in a free and responsible search for the truth and meaning of the claims of German anti-fascist groups that the Deutsche Unitarier Religionsgemeinschaft was founded by former SS officers after WWII, and was a front group for neo-Nazis throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
Speaking of suppressing dialogue in the name of justice, and justice not being achieved through coercion and dogmatism, the UUA exercised plenty of coercion and dogmatism in June 2012 when the Rev. Dr. Peter "Beyond Belief" Morales led UUA administration tried to suppress my free speech "in the name of justice" by having me served with an arrogant and aggressive cease and desist demand letter threatening me with criminal prosecution for "blasphemous libel" for blogging about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by "certain Unitarian Universalist ministers". I'm still waiting for the UUA to formally withdraw its immoral, UNethical, borderline criminal, and quite frankly insane false accusation of "blasphemous libel" that not only violates multiple UUA principles, notably the 4th and 2nd principles, but ignominiously terminated a centuries old Unitarian*Universalist tradition of opposing blasphemy laws, publicly apologize for it, and publicly disclose the full truth about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by pedophile*rapist UUA ministers, to say nothing of pedophile*rapists UU lay leaders such as RE teachers and camp counselors etc.
As far as I am concerned, the Unitarian Universalist "Church" long ago lost any moral authority on the free speech front, to say nothing of the clergy abuse front. Indeed it appears to be morally bankrupt. . .
I look forward to seeing how the Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, and First Unitarian Universalist Church Houston as a UUA congregation, handle this weekend's U*U fiasco caused by the highly questionable words of Rev. Bossen's partner Sade Perkins, which make a TOTAL mockery of most if not all of the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism, as well as "JETPIG" with "love at the center".
At present, it seems FUUCH is resorting to the usual Unitarian Universalist suppression of debate about Sade Perkins questionable, and indeed highly offensive and abusive, words about Texas flood victims by closing commenting on its Facebook page and allegedly deleting some comments.