YES! I so wish I could have been there for this. This is one my biggest hot buttons and one that affects my own family in ways that are hard to navigate.
It's much larger than racism, the cultural problems that are faith is trying to address. It's across the board - classism, racism, feminism, and on and on. And I agree that we have an image problem and set unattainable goals - but we shouldn't stop trying!
I have a sneaking suspicion that this is rooted in our need to focus more heavily on our Universalist roots of Radical Hospitality. No, our faith isn't for everyone, but avoiding alienation at the door might keep people coming back.
7 comments:
I very much agree in radical hospitality. I tried to promote it heavily in my congregation with little success :(. But, like you say, I will keep trying b/c I really believe in its power to transform.
a place to start friends....
http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/mosaic/index.shtml
Paul Rasor's Berry Street Essay made one point well--we're achieving multi-racial goals at a glacial (pre-global warming) pace, if that. And, as he observed, we're not even trying to get the data to find out if we are.
My guess is that we'll achieve that more by accident and as a consequence of other things. Like the inescapable demographic shifts in the population of North America.
We've done ok and are doing better with regards to gender and sexual orientation. Why?
Probably because they're not so entangled in class... and something else. I've played the game the last few G.A.s--watch people and spot our people. And it's remarkable how much we can (not always, but quite often).
I think class is the real elephant in the room.
I've been feeling the pull to preach more about it... and more...
Oh I agree that it's the elephant in the room; along with elitism about being liberal, as if that imparts some moral superiority. (not always, but it happens - and believe me, there are UUs who identify as politically conservative but still need a faith home).
I have been highly aware of this classism in UU for a long time, but am frustrated at the lack of awareness about it, as well as the defensiveness around it, even in my own church, although with the economic downturn, there have been some changes in attitude which are heartening.
I absolutely have many sermons in my head about this issue ;)
Kari, thanks! This is great info; my beef is that it's much more prevalent than just race or ethnicity. Just like there is now an awareness of the role UUs played in the Ute society that was less than stellar, I think we have to have a broad awareness that our white privilege encompasses much more than race.
Check out The Sun this month; there is a great article on white privilege.
"I very much agree in radical hospitality. I tried to promote it heavily in my congregation with little success :("
Why am I not surprised?
Quite regrettably radical *hostility* still seems to be what too many God believing or "spiritual" people encounter in "fundamentalist atheist" dominated U*U "churches". The latest report about that (albeit relating events from three years ago) is found on Peacebang's blog. I sadly took note of the fact that some U*U pagans are reporting an increase of hostility in U*U congregations during plenary discussions of the now dead in the water new P&Ps although they did not specify that the source of that increased hostility is the "fundamentalist atheist" faction of U*U Humanists.
Oh and for the record. . .
Those intolerant and abusive U*Us who engage in radical hostility have no class. None whatsoever. . .
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