Submission 422
Patty Stockdale
Prairie UU Society (Madison, WI) 8412
What is your suggestion or idea?
I have read and reread the proposed revisions to Article II and still have little clarity to their meaning. I know the basic definitions of all the values described, but am lost in the overall presentation and content. If I am to talk to others about UUism, the language needs to be direct, clear, and meaningful.
My preference is to stay with the current Principles and Sources statements. They are succinct and encompass what UUism means to me. I can read them and understand them. I do believe there is the need for updates in the principles and sources. Among those includes growing the sense of democratic process (principle 5) to be more inclusive and not the 51%-49% that often happens in our churches to leave 49% out. The fourth source should be explanded to include Buddhism, Hunduism, and Islam. What I didn’t know until recently, there is a proposed 8th principle which addresses racism, names beLOVEd, and refers to convenant and reads,“We, the member congregations of the UUA, convenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build diverse multural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” Here is a link for the background in creating this additional principle, Background — The 8th Principle of Unitarian Universalism
What is the reason for your amendment idea?
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
Yes, we had 2 sunday services on the topic as well a listserve discussion.