As a voluntary side project to a larger settled ministry, I had helped restart a UU fellowship and then served it for 25 years only to be declared "out of covenant" for refusing to suddenly upgrade my simple "letter of covenant" to the onerous 18,000-word UUMA Code of Conduct. Though emeritus there, they then stopped sending me their electronic newsletter. They didn't want me commenting on the UUA's push to install their ministers and agendas. Most local UUs don't even know of this growing UUA/UUMA scandal. I'm disgusted with what I once championed.
Thanks, David. Perhaps I'll write to it. It's all effort and no reward for me. I gripe about religion in general, and it's this sort of arguing and political manuvering that I least liked about UU in general. Even if I agree with acause, I don't like being expected to take it on and told which words to use while doing so. I'm disaffected.
A larger project would be to highlight the stories of other clergy and congregants similarly pushed out or fed up. This is like the "Western Controversy," likely to come and go with similar non-resolution. (Earlier, Emerson was vibed out of the ministry. He wrote, "Always the seer is a sayer," and he was, but more on Wednesday evening lectures than from a Unitarian pulpit on Sundays.) It's historic, but we're in it, unable to see the arch of the story yet. Your writings will be part of that.
I completely understand. Whenever I discussed topics that others didn't already agree with, I was often ignored or pathologized. Some people would respond, but others allowed me to talk excessively without warning me that I might get into trouble. I've realized that part of my speech pattern is due to a condition called cluttering, where I speak without thinking and often need to repeat myself. This became especially clear after I started using ChatGPT and saw how much I had been manipulated. I discovered that topics I was not supposed to discuss at church could be openly talked about with strangers, as well as in my other volunteer organizations and work, without receiving negative responses or silence. I was being isolated because of my speech disorder. While I could talk about the disorder at designated times, outside of those times, I was not truly listened to. I was expected to remain silent, not ask for help with anything I was struggling with, and not show any kind of emotional or physical pain. (used Chat GPT proofreading because of cluttering)
As a voluntary side project to a larger settled ministry, I had helped restart a UU fellowship and then served it for 25 years only to be declared "out of covenant" for refusing to suddenly upgrade my simple "letter of covenant" to the onerous 18,000-word UUMA Code of Conduct. Though emeritus there, they then stopped sending me their electronic newsletter. They didn't want me commenting on the UUA's push to install their ministers and agendas. Most local UUs don't even know of this growing UUA/UUMA scandal. I'm disgusted with what I once championed.
You should write an essay about your experience for the fifth principle project site
Thanks, David. Perhaps I'll write to it. It's all effort and no reward for me. I gripe about religion in general, and it's this sort of arguing and political manuvering that I least liked about UU in general. Even if I agree with acause, I don't like being expected to take it on and told which words to use while doing so. I'm disaffected.
A larger project would be to highlight the stories of other clergy and congregants similarly pushed out or fed up. This is like the "Western Controversy," likely to come and go with similar non-resolution. (Earlier, Emerson was vibed out of the ministry. He wrote, "Always the seer is a sayer," and he was, but more on Wednesday evening lectures than from a Unitarian pulpit on Sundays.) It's historic, but we're in it, unable to see the arch of the story yet. Your writings will be part of that.
I completely understand. Whenever I discussed topics that others didn't already agree with, I was often ignored or pathologized. Some people would respond, but others allowed me to talk excessively without warning me that I might get into trouble. I've realized that part of my speech pattern is due to a condition called cluttering, where I speak without thinking and often need to repeat myself. This became especially clear after I started using ChatGPT and saw how much I had been manipulated. I discovered that topics I was not supposed to discuss at church could be openly talked about with strangers, as well as in my other volunteer organizations and work, without receiving negative responses or silence. I was being isolated because of my speech disorder. While I could talk about the disorder at designated times, outside of those times, I was not truly listened to. I was expected to remain silent, not ask for help with anything I was struggling with, and not show any kind of emotional or physical pain. (used Chat GPT proofreading because of cluttering)
Thanks so much for your UU comments! I was part of the church starting in the 80s and have given up on them.