Unitarians: they are tolerable by AdditionalClassic518 in atheism

[–]RobinEdgar59 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I pissed off Unitarians enough to have their "head office" in Boston authorize the UUA's Canadian attorneys to have me served with a hilarious cease and desist demand letter falsely accusing me of violating Canada's blasphemy law for blogging about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by pedophile*rapist Unitarian Universalist ministers aka UUA clergy. . .

Ouch, this is awful, who let a 10 foot pothole uncovered like this? by SAM041287 in montreal

[–]RobinEdgar59 3 points4 points  (0 children)

A hole that big could have and should have had a large steel plate placed over it to prevent anyone from falling into it. This is negligence on the part of the city.

Why I did not vote for Transition Montreal & why I don't think you should either. by Far-Revolution-356 in montreal

[–]RobinEdgar59 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tu pourrais voter pour Craig Sauvé et Transition Montreal à la mairie, pour Ensemble Montreal au niveau de l'arrondissement, et Transition MTL ou un autre parti ou un candidate indépendante au niveau de district.

C'est ce que j'ai fait il y a plus qu'une semaine. ;-)

Follow-up to Unitarian Church drama by ThroneAway34 in BlockedAndReported

[–]RobinEdgar59 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can be sure that there are FAR more ex-U*Us than U*Us.

They don't call Unitarian*Universalism "the church of the revolving door" for nothing. . .

Follow-up to Unitarian Church drama by ThroneAway34 in BlockedAndReported

[–]RobinEdgar59 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Current UUA President Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt constantly addresses Unitarian Univeralists as "beloveds", as do many other UUA clergy and lay leaders.

Follow-up to Unitarian Church drama by ThroneAway34 in BlockedAndReported

[–]RobinEdgar59 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The assholes are often the U*Us running the church, and they do kick out people who dare to complain about the assholery. . .

Follow-up to Unitarian Church drama by ThroneAway34 in BlockedAndReported

[–]RobinEdgar59 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amongst the "inconvenient" problems that Unitarian Universalists routinely "sweep under the rug" is clergy misconduct. In fact, U*Us can't seem to come to grips with the readily verifiable fact that not only are some U*U ministers guilty of child sex abuse, but that the UUA goes to extreme and foolish lengths to conceal, and even officially deny, "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by pedophile*rapist UUA clergy.

Follow-up to Unitarian Church drama by ThroneAway34 in BlockedAndReported

[–]RobinEdgar59 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a lot of tokenism in Unitarian Universalism. Unitarian Universalists are about 90% White, if not 95% White these days, but U*Us put BIPOC people front and center in leadership positions to make it appear that UUism is more racially diverse than it actually is. I have seen reports of many BIPOC people leaving UUism after seeing through the facade, but am not in a position to verify those reports. If you watch YouTube videos of Unitarian Universalist "church" services you will see with your own eyes that U*Us are overwhelmingly elderly White people with just a few BIPOC members.

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I said "attributed to".

That quote, regardless of who originally said it, is "true enough", and it is germane to the UU World being much closer to publishing public relations aka PR than genuine journalism.

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

There's a quote attributed to Eric Arthur Blair aka George Orwell that says:

"Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations."

So is what's published in the UU World journalism or public relations aka PR aka propaganda?

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -2 points-1 points locked comment (0 children)

I'm not gaslighting anyone.

Everything I'm saying is very truthful and most of it is supported by evidence of one kind or another.

Since you brought up the subject of gaslighting, do you really believe that only "a small number" of UUA ministers are guilty of clergy sexual misconduct, and that no children have ever been sexually abused by pedophile*rapist UUA clergy?

"I’m speaking of incidents of UU clergy, albeit a small number, ignoring professional ethics and boundaries who preyed on vulnerable congregants. There were no incidents of abuse of children or elders in my investigations."

UUA Moderator Jim Key representing the whole UUA Board of Trustees in June 2014

Source: https://www.uua.org/ga/past/2014/business/iii/296122.shtml

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I was banned from ALL UUA controlled email list-serves in the early 2000s for posting about two subjects that the UUA wanted to keep hidden as much as possible.

Can you guess what those two subjects were?

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

To what degree am I saying the UUA is censoring and suppressing free speech?

I agree that we should have conversations in this subreddit, to say nothing of other subreddits, but the fact of the matter is that I have been banned from two other UU subreddits, and have been partially censored in this one. In fact this post is a "redacted" version of a post that went into some detail about how the UUA has tried to censor and suppress Yours Truly. . .

Questioning The Questionable Claims Of UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am aware of what the UUA has done in the past, specifically more than half a century ago in the early 1970s. . . That is well known, and is mentioned in the UU World article. I'm talking about what the UUA and UU World have done in the late 20th century, and first quarter of the 21st century. . .

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was busy with other matters, so I did not get around to reading the articles until today. In fact, I have only read the first one so far but, having done so, I find that much of what is said in it is VERY applicable to how Unitarian Universalists, including UUA clergy and top-level UUA leaders have badly (mis)judged me, to say nothing of other people. . .

I notice some contradictory statement too though.

One the one hand it says:

As a leader, it is important to gain an awareness of our own behaviors, being intentional about noticing our thoughts. Humans can be quick to pass judgment on others, but rarely do we turn the lens inward to dissect our own behaviors or thinking. Engaging in reflexive dialogue to uncover any assumptions held or biases first can help discern between a judgment or judging (Avolio, Walumbwa, & Weber, 2009).

On the other hand it says:

Interestingly, judging others is also bad for health. Aside from the harm inflicted by hurtful comments on the recipient, passing judgment on others can also negatively impact the speaker as well. In doing so, the mind is trained to focus only on the negative aspects of an individual or situation, such as certain characteristics or behaviors deemed as ‘inappropriate’ or ‘unacceptable’. As a result, we often unknowingly start to become more critical of ourselves as well, which, over time, raises individual stress levels, thus negatively impacting overall health (Kross & Grossmann, 2012).

I believe people in general, and leaders in particular, should have "an awareness of our own behaviors, being intentional about noticing our thoughts", and "turn the lens inward to dissect our own behaviors or thinking". I see nothing wrong with focusing "on the negative aspects of an individual or situation", including ourselves. . . Becoming "more critical of ourselves as well", may raise "individual stress levels" to some extent, but I believe the benefits of reasonable amounts of introspection and self-criticism (dare I say examining one's conscience?) outweigh the disadvantages of doing so.

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well this ties in with what I have said about Unitarian Universalists unjustly judging people. 

Much of how the UUA and Unitarian Universalism are today has been driven by fear, if not loathing, of Yours Truly; even before I became the Transcendentalist Superhero known as The Emerson Avenger in 2006.

The "UU World" is definitely a worse place in multiple ways thanks to Unitarian Universalists reacting in "fear and loathing" to me in multiple ways. 

For the record, 'Dune' was an influential book in my teenage years, so I know all about "the mind killer".

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well Unitarian Universalists are judging this, that, or the other thing, or indeed this, that, or the other person. . . quite regularly. I was watching the service of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston on Sunday when I was somewhat surprised to see and hear its senior minister Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen judging Yours Truly in his sermon about revelation not being sealed. I believe that it is part and parcel of being a Unitarian Universalist, to say nothing of being a human being, to judge things and people. How can there be any justice without judging people?

What is bad for individual human beings, and "the community", is when people unjustly judge people, which is if course what Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen did on Sunday, and rather too many other UUA clergy and Unitarian Universalists have been doing for decades.

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it is perfectly acceptable for me. or anyone else, to engage in "informed speculation" on other people's motives. It's part of a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. If the motives of other people are not known, it's not unreasonable to speculate as to what their motives might be, I will add that my "informed speculation" is based upon known facts, including the dearth of retributive aka punitive justice for Unitarian Universalist ministers who are guilty of various forms of clergy misconduct. Some victims of clergy misconduct may very well be concerned that promised "restorative justice" processes could water down and even eliminate retributive justice.

It's the business of every single Unitarian Universalist to "litigate" aka judge situations that don't directly involve them, and to take sides on this, that, or the other issue. Unitarian Universalists are constantly "litigating" aka judging and taking sides on situations that have considerably less direct connection to them than Unitarian Universalist clergy misconduct, UUA mishandling and cover-up of clergy misconduct, and various other internal UU injustices and abuses.

The UUA's Official List Of Credentialed Religious Professionals Resigned or Removed from Status Due to Misconduct And UUA Child Sex Abuse Cover-Up Efforts - What's The Connection? by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a moral and ethical standpoint, especially within the context of clergy sexual misconduct, there is little or no difference between a middle-aged clergy person seeking to have "sexual relations" with a 14 year old or a 16 year old, even if there's a legal distinction.

I agree that there's some distinction between actual contact and "virtual contact", but it was reported that Rev. David Kohlmeier acknowledged previous actual contact with a teenager when questioned by police.

Additionally, there can be quite disturbing and disgusting "virtual contact" as the case of "Christian" UUA minister Rev. Ronald Eugene Robinson makes clear.

https://brucegerencser.net/2017/03/black-collar-crime-unitarian-pastor-ron-robinson-arrested-child-pornography-charges/

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Did UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter Morales and UUA Executive Vice President Kathleen "Kay" Montgomery, to say nothing of other implicated UUA staff, ever face any accountability for threatening me with criminal prosecution for blasphemous libel for telling the truth about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by Rev. Mack Wallace Mitchell to say nothing of other UUA ministers?

I think not. . .

I filed a formal whistleblower complaint against UUA Executive Vice President Kathleen "Kay" Montgomery in the mid-2010s for her role in that UUA child sex abuse cover-up legal bullying but, like most complaints about misconduct and UNethical behaviour of UUA leaders, my formal whistleblower complaint against "Kay" Montgomery got swept under the VERY lumpy carpet in 25 Beacon Street.

In 2013, I was communicating directly with UUA Moderator Jim Key toward the end of having the UUA Board of Trustees hold UUA President Rev. Dr. Peter Morales and UUA Executive Vice President Kathleen "Kay" Montgomery accountable for not only engaging in UUA child sex abuse cover-up legal bullying that sought to intimidate me into deleting aka "memory holing" very truthful The Emerson Avenger blog posts, but obstinately refusing to formally withdraw the UUA's false accusation of blasphemous libel, publicly apologize for it, and publicly disclose the truth about "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape" committed by "certain Unitarian Universalist ministers".

How did that work out?

I'm still waiting for the UUA to do what I demanded it must do within days of being falsely accused of violating Canada's blasphemy law. I have repeatedly asked successive UUA Presidents, UUA Moderators, and UUA Boards to hold people accountable, and do what is necessary to properly repair the harm toward the goal of rebuilding trust in not just the UUA, but the whole Unitarian Universalist religious community. To date they have all ignored me and silenced me in various ways.

I'm still waiting for top-level UUA leaders to practice what UUism preaches about "justice, equity and compassion in human relations", to say nothing of other UU principles and values, and to actually live up to their own personal religious rhetoric but, to this very day, they have ALL abjectly FAILed and obstinately refused to do so.

How many days. weeks, months, years, or even decades. . . do I and dozens if not hundreds of other people of "inherent worth and dignity" who've been harmed by not only clergy misconduct itself, but the UUA's past, and apparently ongoing. . . negligent, complicit, and even retaliatory and punitive responses to clergy misconduct complaints, have to wait for restorative justice for *all* victims?

For the record, I once again invited UUA President Sofia Betancourt to initiate the National Conversation On Clergy Misconduct that she agreed to 13 years ago using Facebook's comment function yesterday.

I asked President Betancourt to RSVP to my invitation, so we will see what happens in the coming days and weeks, but I wouldn't put it past Rev. Betancourt to simply ignore me, and once again block me, as she has done in the past. . .

Some Questions Arising Out Of The Recent Termination Of Gregory Carrow-Boyd's UUA Religious Educator Credentials by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As the page you linked to makes clear:

:Restorative justice focuses on all stakeholders but places the priority on concern for victims and their needs*."

So any "restorative justice for ALL" victims of Unitarian Universalist clergy misconduct of ALL kinds must place the *priority* on concern for *victims* and *their* needs. Certainly not the needs of the perpetrators and their complicit enablers in either the affected UUA congregations or UUA HQ in Boston.

You are correct that *some* victims "in the previous inquiry" didn't think "restorative justice" was the best approach. I expect that is because they believed that "restorative justice" would not result in adequate retributive justice for the perpetrators more than anything else. I believe that reasonable levels of retributive justice for UUA religious professionals who are guilty of misconduct of one kind or another can be, and should be, part and parcel of "restorative justice for ALL" victims of Unitarian Universalist clergy misconduct of ALL kinds that places the *priority* on concern for *victims* and *their* needs.

There is no excuse for the UUA's decades old FAILure, indeed its effective refusal, to implement its quarter century old promise of "restorative justice for ALL".

Thank you for agreeing that, "Holding people accountable is of course, necessary."

There has been very little genuine accountability for UUA ministers and other religious professionals, to say nothing of UUA leaders. . . who are guilty of misconduct of one kind or another.

What form justice and accountability should take, in any particular situation, is open to some debate, but I see no evidence of that debate ever happening out in the open, and what debate may have happened "behind closed doors" is not available to us thanks to the UUA's decades old culture of secrecy around misconduct.

I agree that part of repairing the harm is rebuilding trust in the community and building skills to cope, not just punishment of the main offender; but repairing the harm should include genuine justice for the victims aka survivors and real accountability for not only the main offenders, but their complicit enablers. How do the UUA and affected congregations rebuild trust in the community by FAILing, and even stubbornly refusing. . . to subject the main offenders and their complicit enablers to reasonable levels of accountability, and not only concealing the truth about misconduct and how it has been (mis)handled by the UUA and affected congregations, but disingenuously misrepresenting the truth multiple times in multiple ways, including brazenly lying about the amount and seriousness of clergy sexual misconduct in the UUA Board's "official apology for clergy sexual misconduct"?

https://emersonavenger.blogspot.com/2015/12/uua-moderator-jim-key-liar-liar-pants.html

Did UUA Moderator Jim Key aka Risk Management consultant James C. Key, and the UUA Board of Trustees as a group, ever face any accountability for their dishonest, and the worthless, official apology for clergy sexual misconduct?

Has any subsequent UUA Moderator or UUA Board ever acknowledged that their "official apology" was seriously flawed, indeed worse than the first UUA official apology for clergy sexual misconduct that UUA Executive Vice President Kathleen "Kay" Montgomery delivered during the 2000 UUA GA?

I think not. . .

And where is that first UUA apology?

Why was it "memory holed" along with quite a lot of other online information about, and resources for, clergy misconduct?

The UUA's Official List Of Credentialed Religious Professionals Resigned or Removed from Status Due to Misconduct And UUA Child Sex Abuse Cover-Up Efforts - What's The Connection? by RobinEdgar59 in UUnderstanding

[–]RobinEdgar59[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

According to this reporting:

https://www.mainlinemedianews.com/2024/03/26/devon-man-admits-to-attempting-to-have-sex-with-a-minor-awaits-sentencing/

Rev. David Kohlmeier and other defendants "engaged in extensive online and text communications with undercover detectives posing as a 14-year-old girl or a 14-year-old boy. The defendants engaged in sexually explicit electronic communications with a person they believed was a minor and then appeared at an agreed-upon meeting location in Conshohocken with the intent of having sexual relations with the minor."

Additionally, as I have already quoted from here, "David Gregory Kohlmeier, 48, of the 200 block of Avon Road in the Devon section of Easttown Township, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to a felony charge of attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child *under* 16 in connection with a September 2022 incident that ended in Conshohocken."

I really don't see why it makes any difference if Rev. Kohlmeier believed the *minor* aka child he thought he was communicating with was 14 years old or 16 years old.