Submission 120
William J Parkhurst
UU Congregation of the Shoals (Florence, AL)
What is your suggestion or idea?
I’ll make this short and sweet. I do not approve of the changes proposed by the A2SC. I request that you leave the 7 Principles as they are.
What is the reason for your amendment idea?
The recommended changes are not an improvement on the existing 7 Principles, in fact, the meaning of the ““7 Values”” is subject to wide interpretation and, therefore, may be confusing. The existing 7 Principles are much more succinct.
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
Yes, the 7 Principles and the proposed ““7 Values”” - among other issues with the UUA - were the subject of a recent sermon given by one of our long-time members. In the following discussion our UU Congregation members expressed their desire to leave the 7 Principles unchanged and to reassess our membership in the UUA if the UUA continues to focus on a narrow, undemocratic path towards radical, top-down congregationalism.