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"I found a religion to fit me" - a UUA web ad

I'm going to Boston this weekend for the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. I've never been to Boston and I'm really excited. I plan to attend a service at one of downtown Boston's many UU churches. I was on the Arlington Street Church's website when I came across a banner ad linking to the UUA website. The ad reads: "Instead of me fitting a religion I found a religion to fit me." It has a picture of a smiling woman's face on the side.

I'd never seen this banner ad before. It is similar to a lot of other ads I've seen, though. I get the general idea and think it's laudable, but I have some concerns about it. The message is supposed to be that if you've had negative experiences with religion before, or have found it too constricting or uncomfortable, Unitarian Universalism is for you. It also conveys the idea that Unitarian Universalism is a customizable religion to some extent.

My problem with it is this: since when is religion supposed to be comfortable? What good is religion if we just conveniently fit it to our existing beliefs and behavior? How will that make us more kind, more loving, more fair, more actively engaged in bettering the world? Again, I appreciate the idea of the ad and don't doubt that it will find an interested audience, but doesn't it kind of feed the idea that Unitarian Universalism is just a religion where you can believe and do whatever you want?

My point is that I don't think it is that kind of religion. I'm challenged every Sunday to be better and do better. If I could just make it "fit me" every Sunday, I wouldn't go. Yes, I attend a UU church because it fits me in a way. It's a place where my thoughts, beliefs, and values are shared by others. But it's also a place where those thoughts, beliefs, and values are challenged and questioned and where I'm encouraged to put them into practice.

Can we have ads that convey that message?

McCain getting dirty with three months to go

John McCain is running an increasingly negative campaign, and it's nut just those nutty left-wing bloggers who are noticing. A NY Times editorial laments that McCain is taking the low road:

Mr. Obama has distorted Mr. McCain’s record at times, but Mr. McCain’s false charges have been more frequent: that Mr. Obama opposes “innovation” on energy policy; that he voted 94 times for “higher taxes”; and that Mr. Obama is personally responsible for rising gasoline prices.

And Mr. McCain has not stopped there. Taking a page straight from Mr. Bush and Mr. Rove, Mr. McCain has been trying to distract voters from his support for an unending war in Iraq by portraying Mr. Obama as unpatriotic and weak. This line of attack reached a crescendo last week when Mr. McCain fumed and fussed and went to places with European-sounding names while Mr. Obama traveled abroad.

Mr. McCain repeatedly said Mr. Obama “would rather lose a war to win a political campaign” and that he “does not understand” what is at stake in Iraq. He also accused Mr. Obama of canceling a visit to wounded American troops in a German military hospital because news cameras were not allowed. That’s a false account of what occurred — and Mr. McCain ignored Mr. Obama’s unheralded visit to a combat hospital in Baghdad.

That criticism from the McCain camp about Obama not visiting a military hospital Germany fuels a ridiculous new ad (an ad that ends with footage of Obama playing basketball in front of cheering troops!). The Washington Post has taken the air right out of it, saying that it simply doesn't hold up.

Tom Engelhart really sums up McCain's style of late:

While Obama was wowing the Europeans, McCain managed to get an offshore-oil photo-op in the Gulf of Mexico wiped out by a somehow overlooked advancing hurricane. Instead, he ventured into a grocery store aisle in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, prepped on rising food prices, where he met a "shopper planted by the local Republican Party" and experienced an unfortunate "applesauce avalanche." (The Daily Show version of this is not to be missed.) Not surprisingly, by week's end he was decisively skipping the "issues" and heading for "values" -- that is, directly for the throat in the style which Republicans have, in recent years, made their own.

Earlier in the week, he had practically declared his opponent treasonous for supposedly putting his political campaign ahead of victory in Iraq--"It seems to me that Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign…"--and launched a classic Republican campaign attack on Obama's "character." His latest ad, which attacks Obama for supposedly going to the gym rather than visiting wounded American soldiers in Germany, typically ends: "McCain, country first." (Versus… uh… Obama, country last?)

It's not exactly surprising that candidate McCain headed for what he hoped was potential "values" and "character" pay dirt (emphasis on "dirt") in tough times. As Ira Chernus -- canny TomDispatch regular and author of Monsters to Destroy: The Neoconservative War on Terror and Sin -- points out in his latest, "War Meets Values on Campaign Trail," it may be McCain's only chance. The question is: Will it work?

I don't think it will work this time. But obviously McCain thinks it might. He is getting nastier and nastier, seemingly more desperate by the day, churning out negative ad after negative ad, running the kind of campaign he said he wouldn't. Campaign statements and ads try to paint Obama as merely an empty celebrity, devoid of love of country, weak, and unprincipled (no joke about the celebrity bit - a new McCain ad has images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears mixed in with images of Obama).

The more I listen to McCain, the more I realize that he just doesn't have a plan for our hurting nation. He hopes to win by tainting his opponent's character. He gives vague and sometimes incoherent answers to questions in interviews. He repeatedly makes serious gaffes that make one wonder how well he really knows his stuff, especially on foreign policy, which is supposed be his strength.

So much for this promise from the McCain campaign back in March:

It is critical, as we prepare to face off with whomever the Democrats select as their nominee, that we all follow John's lead and run a respectful campaign focused on the issues and values that are important to the American people. Throughout the primary election we saw John McCain reject the type of politics that degrade our civics, and this will not change as he prepares to run head-to-head against the Democratic nominee.

We simply can't let this man be our next President.

Another update on the Knoxville UU tragedy

It almost doesn't even sound true. From knoxnews.com, we learn what police found when they searched the home of Jim David Adkisson, the shooter:

Inside the house, officers found "Liberalism is a Mental Health Disorder" by radio talk show host Michael Savage, "Let Freedom Ring" by talk show host Sean Hannity, and "The O'Reilly Factor," by television talk show host Bill O'Reilly.

Now, I think there's been some overreaction by liberal bloggers, as well as some thoughtful responses. I think we ought to remember that this man obviously had some serious problems, and it appears that liberals became something of a scapegoat for him. He carried his anger to action in the most tragic way possible.

I don't think Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, and Bill O'Reilly are to blame. That's far too simplistic. Paul Helmke from the Brady Campaign has something to say about that, namely, how ridiculously easy it is to get a gun in our country. He reminds us that this is the fourth church shooting in the U.S. in the last year and a half. Nonetheless, it's still troubling to think that the hatred and lies spilling from the pages of those books may have influenced Adkisson and helped him fixate on "the liberal movement" and ultimately choose to walk into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church last Sunday and open fire.

UPDATE:

I found a couple thought-provoking pieces at Religion Dispatches about the UU shooting.

Update on Knoxville UU shooting

From a new AP release:

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Knoxville's police chief says the man accused of a shooting that killed two people at a Tennessee church targeted the congregation because of its liberal social stance.

Chief Sterling Owen IV said Monday that police found a letter in Jim D. Adkisson's car. Owen said Adkisson was apparently frustrated over being out of work and had a "stated hatred of the liberal movement."

Adkisson is charged with first-degree murder. Police say a gunman entered the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church during a children's performance Sunday. No children were hurt.

The church is known for advocating women's and gay rights and founding an American Civil Liberties Union chapter.

So, it appears to have not been a random choice on the part of the shooter, but a deliberate decision to target a liberal church.

Two church members were interviewed on the Today Show this morning. It just sounds like a horrible nightmare, especially a place of worship that is meant to be peaceful and safe.

UPDATE: I found another article, this one at knoxnews.com, with more information about why the shooter targeted a UU church.

Tragedy in Knoxville at a UU church

I was skimming over the "rec list" at Daily Kos and came across this post from a member of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville. I didn't even believe it at first. A man entered the church this morning and opened fire, killing two and injuring seven others. There was a youth performance going on at the time. An AP article has more details.

The Daily Kos blogger happened to not attend the service this morning, as he had out-of-town guests. But he has kept up on the situation carefully. Greg McKendry, a longtime church member, died from being shot while standing in front of the gunman to protect others.

It's unclear whether it was a hate crime directed at UUs specifically - the FBI has been involved just in case.

My heart is heavy tonight as I contemplate this almost unfathomable event. My thoughts go out to those affected by this tragedy. I'm sure that UUs around the country are mourning and feeling affected by this. With just over 1,000 congregations in the country, we certainly all feel it.

Reverend Sinkford, UUA president, released a statement today:

I am shocked and sorrowed by the terrible shootings in the sanctuary of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. My heart is heavy and my prayers are with our injured sisters and brothers in Knoxville. While many details of this tragedy remain unclear, our Association will do all we can to support Unitarian Universalists in Knoxville in the hard days to come.

A tragedy such as this makes us acutely conscious of the beauty and fragility of our lives and those of our loved ones. I am especially saddened by this intrusion of violence into a worship service involving children and youth. I know that many people, both in Knoxville and around the country, are struggling with shock and grief right now. I pray that those so affected will find strength and comfort.

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry are on their way to Knoxville to offer additional ministry to the congregation as it grieves. And Unitarian Universalists around the world are sending love and prayers to the Tennessee Valley congregation to tell them they are not alone on this dark day.

Is John McCain getting desperate?

Let's review some of the things John McCain has done or said in the last couple weeks:

• He suggested that Obama "would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." Never mind the over simplistic talk about "winning" or "losing" in Iraq, didn't John McCain just accuse Obama of not just being unpatriotic, but practically seditious?
  
• He ran an ad claiming that Obama is to blame for rising gas prices because he opposes off-shore drilling. OK, first of all, how does Obama have enough power to do that all by himself? Second, experts agree that it wouldn't have an impact on gas prices for years and years, and environmentalists are concerned about that impact on that front. Can you say getting nasty?
• He put out a web ad making fun of the media's crush on Obama, while at one point it was (and probably still is) believed that the media was kind of in love with McCain. Here's a great Nation article about it. After all, McCain used to joke that the media was his "base." And remember that cozy BBQ he had for members of the media?
• He has another new web ad trying to link Obama to Fidel Castro. WTF?
  

OK, enough with the desperation moves. What about the gaffes? Oh, yes, the gaffes. And there's been plenty of them. At what point does a set of "gaffes" become something more? I think my favorite one was during a recent interview in which he referred to the Iraq-Pakistan border. Can I see a map, please?

And to top it all off:

Despite the press crowd around Obama, McCain's avail today was the one with more promise to make news:

He hasn't explained what he meant by juggling the timeline on the surge and Awakening (though his staff did the best salvage job possible); whether he meant that Obama was deliberately selling out the country; whether he shares his campaign's grievance with the press; or what he thinks of his staff's genocide-themed attack.

And now he's canceled the avail.

While it's not too early to call the race and write off McCain, it's certainly looking like the junior Senator from Illinois will be our next President. Even some member of the MSM are starting to think so, even though the official line will continue to be that it's too close to call. And these state-by-state polling numbers have got to be encouraging.

Unitarian Universalism, Mormonism, and McDonald's

Last week we were on vacation in Williamsburg, VA. We visited Colonial Williamsburg, went to the beach at Chesapeake Bay, drove on the beautiful Colonial Parkway that connects Williamsburg to historic Jamestown and Yorktown, and generally just chilled. We had a nice time.

On the Sunday we were there, I attended a service at the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists. They meet in a lovely little white building with a peaceful and cozy sanctuary. It was essentially my first time attending a UU service at a church other than my own in State College. I went to the Joseph Priestly District conference in Bethesda, MD earlier this year, but did not attend the Sunday service (I had to get back for Obama's rally in State College that day). I was really excited to see what it would be like. I'd heard that UU churches can vary widely, depending on its location, its history, and whether it was Unitarian or Universalist prior to the merger. I'd heard that some are more Christian than others, some more ritualistic than others, and so on.

I felt right at home there, to tell you the truth. The service felt much like the services I've grown accustomed to here in State College. If there was one thing that was different, it might be that the word "God" wasn't a no-no as it sometimes seems to be at my congregation. There seemed to be a bit more openness on that front, which I actually appreciate despite my personal beliefs. All in all, though, it felt comfortable and familiar. I felt home. A guest minister spoke about "learning to fall," or dealing with grief, tragedy, and obstacles in our lives in the right way.

One of the remarkable things about Mormonism is that you can walk into practically any Sunday service anywhere in the country and it will feel, sound, and look the same as any other one. This is true to a lesser extent in other countries because of language and cultural differences, as well as the fact that the cookie-cutter Mormon meetinghouses aren't as prevalent elsewhere. No doubt this striking similarity across Mormon congregations is the product of a highly centralized organizational structure, strict rules about how meetings are to be conducted, and a strong Mormon sub-culture. \

I've always said that this aspect of Mormonism makes it a bit like McDonald's. You know you walk into any McDonald's in the world and see the same greasy menu, the same uniforms and colors, and the same big arch logo.

But what about Unitarian Universalism? Doesn't it pride diversity? Congregational autonomy? Uniqueness? I'd answer yes to these questions, but then point out that we UUs are not nearly as diverse as we'd probably like to be. I think I felt comfortable with those Williamsburg UUs because I have quite a bit in common with them. UUs tend to be well-educated, white, and fairly well-off financially (well, that last one doesn't apply to me right now). We represent a tiny sliver of the American religious landscape. Where you probably get tremendous diversity from congregation to congregation in American religion is in mainline Protestantism. Mainline churches can be found in every area of the country. They can rural or urban. They can be all-white or all-black, or something in between. They can lean conservative or lean liberal, depending on where they are and who attends.

I'm not saying that there isn't diversity among UUs, but I am saying that for a variety of reasons, there's just not that much. That's probably why I felt so comfortable the other Sunday.

I'm all for increasing diversity in our UU churches, but it's easier said than done.

In the meantime, I look forward to visiting other UU churches. I'll be visiting Boston in a couple weeks for a conference and plan to attend a service there.

Patriotism

This is my belated Independence Day post. With the incessant debate about which presidential candidate loves America more and has a bigger flag pin, and the coming and going of the 4th of July, patriotism has been on mind lately. I think my idea of patriotism has probably changed and evolved over time. I had been preparing to write something much longer about it, but yesterday at church we sang a beautiful hymn that really summed it for me and said it better than I ever could. The text was written by Lloyd Stone and is set to Jean Sibelius' gorgeous Finlandia hymn:

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine;
this is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine:
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine:
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.

This is my idea of patriotism.

McCrushed? McCained?

I don't quite share this guy's level of optimism about the election in November, but I sure enjoyed reading this. Hilarious. An excerpt:

Call it whatever you want: arrogance, a jinx -- but let's be honest with ourselves -- this thing is over. I know, I know. "A lot can happen between now and November." I know that we Democrats are used to scurrying around like we're on Meerkat Manor, with a sky full of Neocon hawks overhead. I know that we've perfected the art of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. But can't you feel it in the smog-kissed air? Feel that this year is different? This year, we've got a candidate who refuses to cower in the face of the old Rove/Atwater/Dobson line of attack. A candidate who understands that you can't change the world unless you win, and that you don't have to sell your soul to do it. And despite some bruises, we've got a Democratic Party on its way toward unprecedented unity and energy.

I don't care if footage of Obama snorting coke off Scarlett Johansson's boobs surfaces in late October. All it will do is bolster his standing with white males. I don't care if McCain is introduced by a resurrected Jesus Christ at the convention. All it will do is piss off Joe Lieberman. McCain won't just be defeated, he'll be crushed. And not just Bob Dole crushed, but crushed in a way that redefines the political map for the next 25 years.

He'll be crushed so decidedly, that bartenders will coin a new drink called "The McCrush" -- vodka and Orange Crush over crushed ice, served in a hollow flip-flop with a sprig of pandering. The networks will switch over to infomercials at 10pm on Election Night, because they'll have nothing left to cover after Obama's victory speech. Webster's will add the word "McCained" to its thesaurus entry for "crushed." Gamers will start taunting each other with new words like "Obampwnd!" and "McNoob!." Somewhere, out there in the everlasting ether of death, Barry Goldwater will feel better about himself.