By filing a brand-spanking new unbecoming conduct complaint against a "less than perfect" Unitarian Universalist minister who demonized and marginalized Republicans on her "less than anonymous" ministerial blog. . .
In keeping with UUA President Peter Morales' claims to want to have the most transparent and accountable UUA administration ever, here is the full text of the "electronic communication" aka email that I just sent to him -
Unbecoming Conduct Complaint Against Rev. Cynthia P. Cain
Monday, February 14, 2011 8:18 PM
From: "Robin Edgar" robinedgar59@yahoo.ca
To: pmorales@uua.org
Cc: dbrayden@uua.org, hlimpert@uua.org
National Standing On The Side Of Love Day
Monday, February 14, 2011
To: President Peter Morales
Unitarian Universalist Association Of Congregations
25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA
Dear President Morales,
You have publicly stated that it is wrong to demonize and marginalize people just because of who they are. You have also repeatedly stated that you want your UUA administration to be the most transparent and accountable UUA administration ever. I would like to celebrate the second observance of National Standing On The Side Of Love Day, and provide an opportunity for you to stand on the side of love for demonized and marginalized people, by calling to your attention the anti-Republican intolerance and bigotry of Lexington Kentucky Unitarian Universalist minister Rev. Cynthia P. Cain as very publicly posted to the World Wide Web on her Jersey Girl In Kentucky blog since Monday, September 3, 2008.
The blog title and following two lines can be readily perceived to be a fine example of blatant anti-Republican prejudice and bigotry.
The blog title says -
OMG! Mean people DO suck.
And Rev. Cynthia P. Cain continues on saying -
And I just heard from a whole bunch of really mean people.
Republicans.
It should be obvious that Rev. Cynthia P. Cain is publicly demonizing and marginalizing ALL Republicans, no doubt including the few Unitarian Universalist Republicans may remain within the Republican hostile UU religious community, as "really mean people".
The full text of Rev. Cynthia P. Cain's bigoted anti-Republican blog post may be read at the following URL -
http://ajerseygirlinkentucky.blogspot.com/2008/09/omg-mean-people-do-suck.htmlIt should be noted that Rev. Cynthia P. Cain seems to be totally unapologetic about her far from civil public attack on Republicans, even though several people objected to her demonizing and marginalizing blog post soon after it was posted to the internet.
If I had any confidence in the UUA and its all to aptly named Ministerial Fellowship Committee to respond to a formal unbecoming conduct complaint against Rev. Cynthia P. Cain in a manner that modeled UU principles and purposes rather than wantonly disregarding them and even outright betraying them I would have filed an unbecoming conduct complaint against Rev. Cynthia P. Cain in the fall of 2008. Because I had virtually no confidence in the UUA's readiness and willingness to responsibly handle such a complaint I decided to wait for a change in the UUA administration in general, and in the UUA and MFC staff handling clergy misconduct complaints. Both changes appear to have taken place in that you are now President of the UUA, and neither Rev. Dr. Tracey Robinson-Harris not Rev. Beth Miller are involved in handling clergy misconduct complaints.
I am formally asking you to take steps to personally ensure that my formal unbecoming conduct complaint against Rev. Cynthia P. Cain arising from her anti-Republican bigotry which demonizes and marginalizes ALL Republicans as "really mean people", and her other unbecoming conduct as posted to the interconnected web of the internet in her 'OMG Mean Peopl DO Suck' blog post, is handled in a manner that is very transparent and results in Rev. Cynthia P. Cain being subjected to some genuine and appropriate accountability for her conduct which is unbecoming of any minister, let alone a Unitarian Universalist minister.
I do not know what the UUA's current procedures for handling clergy misconduct complaints are, indeed they seem to be in a state of flux as a result of the change of administrations and other factors. I would urge you to directly pass on my unbecoming conduct complaint to the UUA's Ministerial Fellowship Committee as a whole, rather than passing it on to another individual UUA administrator for pre-screening since, in my own bitter experience, the pre-screening of clergy misconduct complaints by a single UUA staffer, or small group of UUA or MFC staff, results in unbecoming conduct complaints being unjustly, less than equitably, and far from compassionately dismissed or rejected out of hand.
Please respond to this email in a timely manner to inform me about how you intend to deal with this formal unbecoming conduct complaint against Rev. Cynthia P. Cain in a manner that genuinely honors and upholds your publicly stated commitment to UUA transparency and accountability, and which clearly and unequivocally stands on the side of love for Republicans and all of those people who have been unjustly demonized and marginalized by intolerant and bigoted, or otherwise hostile and abusive, Unitarian Universalist clergy.
Thank you,
Robin Edgar
Labels: Anti-Republican U*Us, Ministerial *Fellowship* Committee, Republicanphobic U*Us, Rev. Cynthia Cain, U*U bigotry, U*U clergy misconduct, U*U Hate, unbecoming conduct, UUA President Peter Morales
“we gave silent witness that we UUs stand against bigotry and intolerance, and stand on the side of love.”
May I suggest that the Standing On The Side Of Love campaign needs to give some less than silent witness, i.e. some vocal and publicly visible witness. . . that you stand against the various forms of bigotry and intolerance that “less than perfect” Unitarian Universalists engage in?
You can start by not censoring and suppressing this critical comment as you have censored and suppressed many if not most of my previous critical comments.
Thank you,
Robin Edgar
Thank you for not suppressing the above comment.
Let’s hope that it is a sign that the Standing On The Side Of Love campaign will remain open to comments that point out that Unitarian Universalists need to visibly stand on the side of love for people who are victims of diverse injustices and abuses that are perpetrated by Unitarian Universalists themselves. This includes, but is not limited to, clergy misconduct victims who are amongst the most abused and victimized people within the UU religious community. I myself have been subjected to anti-religious intolerance and bigotry by Unitarian Universalists, including an intolerant and abusive “fundamentalist atheist” UU minister, and I have seen plenty of evidence of anti-Christian and broader anti-religious intolerance and bigotry, including anti-pagan bigotry and anti-Muslim bigotry, occurring throughout the UU World.
Perhaps Unitarian Universalists need to responsibly acknowledge and condemn the intolerance and bigotry that occurs *within* the UU World before making a big public show of pointing the finger at the intolerance and bigotry that exists in the rest of the world if they don’t want to risk being perceived as hypocrites.