I read that the "Values Voter Summit" recently took place in Washington. I went to the web site and looked at the list of speakers. Of the 73 speakers listed, only 13 were women. Only a tiny handful could be described as people of color. Even more amazing in a political gathering in 2012, I found only one Hispanic surname. One. ¡Dios mÃo! Take a look for yourself: valuevotersummit.org.
White. Male. Politically ultra conservative. Religiously fundamentalist evangelical. This is a summit of angry white reactionary men. Is this what passes for "values" voting in America? Whose values are being advanced here? And whose values are being rejected?
These people attempt to portray themselves as representing values of religious people. The reality is that the opposite is true. Most religious people do not share the values of the extreme right. As a former parish minister and as the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I have worked closely with religious leaders of many religious groups. I have worked with Christians who belong to evangelical movements, with Protestants of the mainline denominations and with Catholics. My work brings me into regular collaboration with Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs.
We are all values voters. Our values come from the core teachings of our various religious traditions. We -- Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs (and others, too) -- share a core set of religious beliefs and values that should guide our votes in this election and in every election.
Here is a list of beliefs and values taught by all the great religious traditions:
Compassion -- Every religion I know teaches that we should treat one another with compassion. Literally, we should feel one another's pain and seek to ease that pain.
Everyone matters -- I think of Jesus telling his followers that to help the most humble person ("the least of these") is the moral equivalent of helping Jesus himself.
Acceptance -- If we are to be compassionate and if every person matters, then it follows that we should accept one another. For me, that means I need to accept you as you are, whether gay or straight, white or brown, male or female, smart or simple, able bodied or handicapped, Arab or Chinese or African or Indian.
Generosity -- All religions teach that we should share. They also teach that avarice is bad.
Peace -- If we all matter, then we should live together in peace. And this peace is a lot more than the absence of war. We only have peace when we have some level of mutual respect, understanding and acceptance.
Stewardship of the earth -- The great religions teach responsibility across the generations. I have long wondered why many people who believe that every unfertilized human egg is precious are so indifferent to the destruction of the natural environment that sustains all our lives.
As I decide which candidates to vote for (and to support financially), I want to take my religious values to heart. These are decisions to be made prayerfully. As you and I prepare to vote, let us take our deepest religious values seriously. Let us ask which candidates are committed to building a world that is more compassionate. Which candidate will work to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and dignity? Which one will seek peace among all people? Which one is committed to protect our natural environment?
The real values voters summit takes place on Nov. 6. I plan to be there. I plan to vote my religious values. Join me.
Follow Rev. Peter Morales on Twitter: www.twitter.com/uua
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 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Just who are these "many people who believe that every unfertilized human egg is precious"?
I am of course aware that many "Pro-Life" people believe that human life begins at conception, and thus would probably consider human eggs that have actually been fertilized by a human spermatozoon as being precious; however, I am not aware of many "Pro-Lifers" or indeed many other people believing that every *unfertilized* human egg is precious.
Your rather questionable assertion about "people who believe that every unfertilized human egg is precious" makes me wonder about what Unitarian*Universalists actually teach U*U Youth in Our Whole Lives aka OWL sexuality education classes.
I dare say that a good number of your rather questionable assertions here and elsewhere are just a tad "precious" themselves. . .
For *example* isn't it somewhat "precious" on your part to assert that,
"We only have peace when we have some level of mutual respect, understanding and acceptance."
after having dismissively, and apparently even somewhat angrily. . . written off the "Values Voters Summit" as being nothing but "a summit of angry white reactionary men"?
Where is the "mutual respect, understanding and acceptance" in that self-righteous ad hominem attack on the participants in the "Values Voters Summit" Peter?
Talk about inhaling and exhaling at the same time!
Apparently you have conveniently forgotten that another of the beliefs and values taught by most if not all of the great religious traditions is that hypocrisy sucks. . .
Peter, has it not occurred to you that those "White. Male. Politically ultra conservative. Religiously fundamentalist evangelical. . . angry white reactionary men" you are criticizing here actually do take *their* deepest religious values seriously?
Just asking. . .
BTW I don't see a whole lot of evidence of you being committed to building a world that is more compassionate, or working to ensure that *everyone* is treated with respect and dignity. . .
I *could* be mistaken but, as a quite devout atheist, I am pretty sure that UUA President Peter Morales wouldn't know Jesus of Nazareth aka Jesus Christ if He delivered pizza to 25 Beacon Street in Boston. . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcnQbhoz15M
It was the information on this YouTube link my previous comment was referring to. I realize now that Edgar has made a career of libeling UUs.
I am not surprised my previous comment is still pending. I honestly do not know whether giving him another opportunity to spread his misinformation is better than just ignoring it.
I am willing to abide by whatever the moderators decide.
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No, we really don't.
First, there are lots and lots of Americans who have no religious beliefs at all.
Second, very often the beliefs of one religion are entirely contradictory to those of another.
And third, Americans don't share a core set of values with one another. That should be obvious to anyone following the news these days.
Here is a recent public statement of President Morales gleaned from his ironically titled 'Beyond Belief' blog that might shed some light on his questionably Truthful words here. . .
"I don’t even know if Romney truly believes what he said. Candidates tend to tailor their remarks to the audience."
Need I point out that *President* Morales was himself a candidate when he ran for president of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations?
Has it occurred to you that the "tiny, declining, fringe religion"* known as Unitarian Universalism is itself skewed toward one set of ideals and *that* is one of the reasons, albeit not the only one. . . why U*Us have their own fair share of strife, bigotry (most notably anti-Christian bigotry, broader anti-religious bigotry, and of course anti-Republican bigotry), and why "some people" in The U*U Movement are even denied what not only "ought to be their rights" but what actually are commonly accepted human rights and freedoms?
The fact of the matter is that Rev. Morales all but totally trashed "other religions" if not "ALL religions" other than Unitarian Universalism in his 'A Religion For Our Time' sermon which was first delivered at Jefferson Unitarian Church. Peter is constantly saying things that are either not very well supported by facts or are completely contradicted by his other words and actions. He also engages in a fair bit of "pot calling the kettle black" when he criticizes other groups for problems and failings that Unitarian Universalism suffers from itself. I mean, let's be honest here, in saying -
"Only a tiny handful could be described as people of color."
Couldn't Rev. Morales be describing the predominantly white Unitarian Universalist religious community itself?
* Most ironically it was Rev. Peter Morales himself who quite truthfully and accurately described Unitarian Universalism as "a tiny, declining, fringe religion" is his "stump speech" announcing his candidacy for UUA President.
"You must show that a man is wrong before you start explaining why he is wrong. The modern method is to assume without discussion that he is wrong and then distract his attention from this (the only real issue) by busily explaining how he became so silly. In the course of the last fifteen years I have found this vice so common that I have had to invent a name for it. I call it "Bulverism". Some day I am going to write the biography of its imaginary inventor, Ezekiel Bulver, whose destiny was determined at the age of five when he heard his mother say to his father — who had been maintaining that two sides of a triangle were together greater than a third — "Oh you say that because you are a man." "At that moment", E. Bulver assures us, "there flashed across my opening mind the great truth that refutation is no necessary part of argument. Assume that your opponent is wrong, and explain his error, and the world will be at your feet. Attempt to prove that he is wrong or (worse still) try to find out whether he is wrong or right, and the national dynamism of our age will thrust you to the wall." That is how Bulver became one of the makers of the Twentieth Century."
But apparently not if you are. . . "White. Male. Politically ultra conservative. Religiously fundamentalist evangelical" aka "angry white reactionary men".
Right Peter?
So what about the extreme left Peter? How many religious people share the values of what The Oregonian described as "The Church Of The Far Left" when it reported on the 2007 UUA GA in Portland Oregon?
"We -- Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs (and others, too) -- share a core set of religious beliefs and values that should guide our votes in this election and in every election."
As I recall Peter, in your 'A Religion For Our Time' sermon which did double duty as your "stump speech" announcing your candidacy for president of the UUA you quite dogmatically asserted that Judaism, Christianity, Islam and any number of other "old religions" were "obsolete religions created for another time" that "contribute to the darkness" of "hatred, injustice, prejudice, ignorance" and "lead to tribalism, violence, suspicion, hatred, and oppression". . .
Right?
So what exactly have you done as President of the UUA work to ensure that *everyone*, including each and *every* victim of UU clergy misconduct. . . is treated with respect and dignity? What are you doing to seek peace among ALL people? Not a whole lot as far as I can see and I can see plenty. . .
I believe most Americans, those who subscribe to a religion as well as those who do not, rally behind these real, American, human values. Only when we accept the truth and reality of "others" - and gratefully accept the contribution each of those persons makes to our country - do we really get to call ourselves "united" and move into the future as one nation.
The only part of your comment that I personally take issue with is that these are "real, American, human values." I believe that these are real human values outside of the U.S. as well.