On Sunday I had the privilege of giving the reflection at my church in Ft. Worth, Westside Unitarian Universalist...reflection is UU for sermon there, BTW. In it, I invited people to try a 30-day experiment - to put their UU values in action consciously at least once a day. My action for Sunday is easy to identify. Monday? I hired a man who needs the money probably more than he has the skills specific to the task (but if I can paint, anyone can). Todays conscious choice is to refer folks to the HuffPost Religion interview with their Religion editor, Paul Raushenbush, on Fred Phelps imminent death. For those who dont know Phelps name, he is the founder of Westboro Baptist Church, the God Hates Fags church whose members picket the funerals of gay men and military personnel (still) - because America is too accepting of sodomites, aka fags. huffingtonpost/rreligion is the link. Ironically, Fred was excommunicated from his church last year. Some have suggested its because he has come out as gay, some believe he had become soft on standards, not hate-filled enough. Irony knows no bounds. In any case, the Raushenbush interview grapples with the question of whether it is ever good to celebrate someones death. (If Phelps isnt divisive enough, think of Hitler or Pol Pot or the leaaders of the Inquisition.) I stake my flag with Raushenbushs: to celebrate Phelps death is to mirror the hatred he fueled...and thats not who or how I want to be. I also believe in accountability; it is important not to forget the damage he and Westboro have done to so many, in so many ways. Yet another of lifes both-ands....
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 17:29:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015