I am not amused. (Warning: rant.)

Picture: from Wikipedia Commons/Prairie Home Companion's website (http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/about/press/index.html#photos).

I just read Garrison Keillor's latest piece on Salon.com. You can read it at this link.

I was not amused.

I have been told for years that when Garrison Keillor does his "bits" on "Unitarians" (as he calls us), he's not laughing with us; he's laughing at us. And yet, I thought the pieces were mostly amusing, pointing out some truths about our tradition in a way that was mostly funny.

But I find his latest editorial downright offensive. There's anti-Semitism, for one thing. It has me so shocked, I'm not even sure what to say about it just yet.

And as for his comments on "Unitarians"... first, let me say that I don't always like the tinkering we do with the lyrics to traditionally Christian hymns, either. We should be mindful when we change the words of these sacred songs.

Having said that... Both the Unitarians and the Universalists come out of the liberal Protestant tradition. Christmas is as much a part of our own heritage as anyone else's. I believe we have the right to celebrate Christmas in our own way, just as various Christian denominations have slightly different ways of doing things. In our religious tradition, using language that is not gender inclusive (to give one example) is offensive; and so we have the right to change lyrics to make them in alignment with our religious beliefs. That's my opinion.

If he doesn't like the lyrics of our Unitarian Universalist tradition, he has every right to worship in a place that uses the original lyrics. There are many such places. I just wonder if he realizes that the lyrics were written by fallible human beings, not by God. The lyrics were not written by Jesus, either. They were written by people, just like you and me, from another era. In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, it is accepted practice to make the lyrics match our present times. In fact, we have even changed the lyrics to "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear", which was written by a Unitarian (and yes, Edmund Sears was a Unitarian, before the Unitarian Universalist merger).

And that reminds me. I'm tired of Keillor calling us "Unitarians". I'm not a Unitarian. I was born in 1968, after the 1961 merger of the Unitarians and Universalists. I know it's a mouthful -- and I know he constantly makes fun of how many "U's" are in our name -- but I wish he'd get our name right. I've been a Unitarian Universalist all my life. Actually, I feel closer to the Universalist part of our tradition most days.

I wouldn't normally complain about something petty like that, but Keillor's piece put me in a foul mood. If we can't change lyrics, he can't change our name.

And if we Unitarian Universalists don't have the right to choose our own lyrics out of respect for the original Christian lyrics, then what right does Keillor (a non-UU, clearly) have to mock us constantly?

He has lost me as a fan. It's true: he's not laughing with us; he's laughing at us. But I'm no longer laughing at all.

Chalica: Day 7

Here we are at the final day of Chalica. This is the day to think about our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle and how to affirm and promote "the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part".

Since the UUA adopted the seven principles in the 80s, the first principle (the inherent worth and dignity of every person) has been central to our identity. It still is. But I would say that in the past 5 to 10 years, there has been a shift toward the seventh principle as our central identity. (There's even been talk by some of making the seventh principle the first one.) I think this is a healthy shift. The seventh principle is the one most often associated with ecological concerns. But it's so much more than that, to me. For me, the seventh principle points to Divinity.

This was my first year to celebrate Chalica (I did this at home, not at church). I have to say, even if the holiday is a bit tongue-in-cheek, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Cheery Chalica!

Chalica: Day 6

Today is Day 6 of Chalica (see posts below for a basic explanation, especially "Chalica: Day 1"). On this day, we think of our sixth Unitarian Universalist principle, that we will affirm and promote "the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all". That's a pretty lofty goal.

When I hear "liberty and justice for all", I think of the last line of our U.S. "Pledge of Allegiance" (I'm guessing most U.S. residents do, too). So the sixth principle notably talks about "world community and peace" as an ideal in addition to our U.S. cultural tradition of talking about "liberty and justice for all" as an ideal.

So on this day, and at this time in history, I think it's important for Unitarian Universalists to think about world community and peace in particular. How can we work toward this in our congregations? What can you do to promote world community and peace today?

Happy Hanukkah! And Chalica: Day 5

This picture of a menorah on the first night of Hanukkah comes from http://perchedonawhim.com, which seems to be a sweet blog...

At sundown tonight, Hanukkah began. Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish sisters and brothers and to all who celebrate this holiday!

Continuing in my "Chalica" series, this is Day 5 of Chalica. On this day, we think about how to affirm and promote our fifth Unitarian Universalist principle, "the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large."

I must confess, it is late as I type this, and I find that the words are not coming. So I'll take the easy way out tonight and link to this piece on congregational governance in light of the fifth principle.