I just got the best news! I am the object of unmitigated hatred.

One of the cities in my county is having a bit of a tiff on the city council. It has to do with the hiring of a city employee. His contract passed 5-2, one would think the democratic process settled the matter right there....but no! The two in the minority are arch-conservative Republican, fundamentalist Christian whack jobs (well-funded). They are fighting the approved contract tooth and nail. They are using some semi-legitimate controversial background items (already addressed adequately) as an excuse, but the real reason is because the employee is a progressive politically and a liberal religiously. A life-long UU as a matter of fact.

So.

I'm sitting in church this morning learning more about the situation when the bomb is dropped on me. One of these two city council members has apparently gone off on me in public. A little perspective here. I've never met the woman. Not only have we never had any interaction whatsoever, I've never even heard her name before. I know very little about their politics because I do not live in this city (although my church is located there so bad on me).

By the way, when I say city it's a label only. This is a small town with a mayor and a "city council."

So.

Then I find out that not only is this city councilwoman consigning me to hell, but I have two county commissioners and a school board chair who think I am the archangel of Satan's Liberal Minion Army.

Does it get any better than this? Penny ante politicians with delusions of grandeur have decided a part-time minister at a UU church is worthy of devoting time and energy into frothing at the mouth over. Sweet!

:pals:

BushChristians are actually worshipping Satan and his works. That differentiates them from actual Christians.

But avoid the stake with the fire under it! It's a fine line, in small towns :evilgrin:

:yourock:

Have a good laugh about it when the dust settles.

are they a liberal-theology church?

the Universal Unitarian church.

From Wikipedia:
Unitarian Universalism (UUism) is a theologically liberal religious movement characterized by its support of a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." Unitarian Universalists do not share a creed; rather they are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth. Unitarian Universalists draw on many different sources and have a wide range of beliefs and practices.

In other words, they hate America. :sarcasm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism

ON EDIT: TahitiNut beat me to it by a few seconds. :hi:

I'm not one, but had always heard they were about peace, love, and tolerance; so I can see why they are "Satan's Liberal Minions" according to a wingnut.

Check it out: http://www.uua.org/visitors/index.shtml

Welcome!
If you're searching for a religious home that is guided by a quest for truth and meaning, not by a set creed or dogma, we invite you to discover Unitarian Universalism. We are a caring, open-minded religious community that encourages you to seek your own spiritual path. Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations are places where people gather to nurture their spirits and put their faith into action by helping to make our communities—and the world—a better place.
Explore our website, visit a congregation near you and discover Unitarian Universalism.

...at least the people who think Unitarianism is an invention of New Age hippies or something. My sister's church in Massachussets was founded in 1769.

Our mother about rofl'd when a Mormon lady she met after moving to Utah inquired of her religious persuasion, and when informed that Mom was a Unitarian yawped, "Oh they're the worst kind!!1!"

Enjoy the links in the other posts.

Hekate

:yourock:

how could you NOT be the spawn of Satan?

:P:P:P


(Just kidding, of course.)

when someone in my Sunday School class made a horrible anti-Semitic remark. I stood up, told him that thinking like that caused the Holocaust, walked out, and never went back. Intolerance and hatred have no place in a church. Stand tall and realize that by their works they will be known.

Cause the stakes are so small.

Oy.

Julie

I'll grant you a small town mayor or council will screw up fewer lives than big cities, states or the feds - but they can inflict an incredible damage to the lives they can screw up - and collectively the numbers can really add up.

for just one example, I ask you - how many young black men have spent decades upon decades in prison because of small town institutionized racism?

And even if the numbers don't add up - for the person who's life is utterly destroyed by a crooked or incompetant government official - the stakes to that person are very high.

I should have been more clear that I was speaking in terms of territory and how long of a reach these local small town officials tend to have (very short).

Julie

There are clergy here who won't attend our ministerial association because I do. What really pisses 'em off in my case is that I have the audacity to call myself "Christian". Really. One guy told me he could understand if I were "Unitarian, or Muslim, or something". But I keep inisisting Jesus loves everyone, and that is just NOT acceptable.

I was also once denounced from a Baptist pulpit, by name, as being a Hindu. Why would anyone mistake me for a Hindu, you quite reasonably ask? Obviously, because I practice yoga. So, this guy tells his congregation that I'm dangerous because I don't worship the right God. All I wanted to do was keep my back muscles flexible!!

All of this kind of BS is inspired by fear. Mostly by fear that people will lose their positions of privilege, but also a fear that chaos will ensue if we question the established order. Don't let the bastards get you down.

Besides, it makes a body feel pretty damn powerful don't it, Satan's Archangel?

Damn! There's a lot of Hindus in the US all of a sudden! :dunce:

And all those seniors who gather every morning in assisted living dining halls to do Tai Chi--Taoists, every damn one of 'em. They can call themselves Methodists or Lutherans if they want, but they're not foolin' anyone!

Clearly they hate America; make room in Gitmo! :sarcasm:

:shrug:

I was surprised to learn of this because it apparently dates back to something that transpired in our county two years ago! Their influence is minimal to none and reflects on me in no negative way whatsoever. At least not with any person or group I grant any sort of respect.

I agree with you. It's fear based. I was talking about this today with my sister and a few other folks. Every single one responded with, "wow, it doesn't take much to feel threatened when in their shoes, does it?!"

that the most interesting people would be in hell, so that's where she was planning to go.

I think she would have become a UU if she had ever heard of it in her short, 53-year-life. I've been a UU for 24 years.

Mormon, but thought they unmitigated jerks. I bet UU would have appealed to him, if there'd been one near him.

or something of that sort.

Usually attributed to Mark Twain.

--IMM

are the UU and the UCofC (formerly the Congregationalists, of which my dear g-grandmother was a devoted member).

If they even think they have the best of you, they will be relentless.

If I'm just learning about their mutual hatred society now they obviously have got minimal, if any, influence over my life. The seed of this goes back two years!

You can drop it at any time, but you can also use it to get rich quick.

In any case, it should just shut Mrs. City Council the fuck up. Religious bigotry has no place in government and there's nothing like a very nasty letter from a lawyer followed up by a notice of suit from a process server to get that point across.

Hatred that spills over into hate speech at official functions has its uses. You get to fuck with their heads and you might even get to collect.

Go for it. Have some fun. Take 'em down. :rofl:

I might even go as far as taking a little pride in it.

I'm quite serious when I say I consider this good news.

Stand proud!

now i drive an old suburban that is even worse. i have a big ole "honk for impeachment" across the back end. much as i love the honks, what really makes my day is the people who get up next to me, lean on the horn, and flip me off. i just know that i ruined their whole day. it makes mine.
i am also a thorn in the side of the local freeper nutbloggers. i love it when their blogs are all about me.

congratulations on your infamy.

...driving a vehicle like the one shown, with all that crap all over it, will only make you look like a kook. That is how the vast majority of people will perceive you. You'd be smarter to just have one or two, very legible and concise, bumper stickers.

the bumpersticker police? thanks for making my day.

The surprising thing is--you thought your contribution was SOOO important you took the time to post it. Mom's calling and breakfast has been on the table for an hour... :rofl:

approach to the Constitution - one which asserts your freedom to select your means of worship is not a litmus test to hold office. What a wonderful opportunity to paint these religious bigots as the anti-American, anti-Constitution scum that they really are. . .and a chance to ask the public how many taxes their "churches" pay to afford them such right to use their own chosen religious beliefs to attack other free citizens.

But stressful nonetheless. Have you considered confronting the biddy. Sometimes, little meddling hens like her go find other people to mess with when directly confronted.

It has affected me in no way whatsoever that I am aware of. I just learned of this yesterday and I apparently made their list of people to detest about two years ago. I have no desire to ever meet this woman. I certainly don't want her thinking she has any more importance or influence than she already thinks she has. I care naught what she and her cronies have to say about me.

The fact that you allow pagans to worship as they see fit and even welcome polys with barely an askance view. If I were ever to darken another churches door, it would be UU, for sure.

If I'm not mistaken, Keith Olbermann was raised UU.

Sitting back and doing nothing only encourages more of the same. This doesn't just affect you. If assholes, like the one you describe, aren't fought, they will continue. Blowing it off is a mistake, in my view.

:thumbsup::patriot::thumbsup:

I really enjoyed reading that response.

:patriot:

nt

Small city politics is pretty predictable. The powers that be love their tiny kingdoms. They don't like the boat rocked, and if you rock it, they will try to get you to shut up.

An attack on your religion, sexual orientation, family members, or even appearance is not surprising.

When I went up against our local city council a couple of years ago over a school funding issue, one of them went around town telling people that I was an atheist. I was a little shocked that he would be such a wimp as to try to fight me by hurting my reputation, rather than just going head to head on the merits of the issue. I was naive then. Now I know that's the way the ALWAYS do it.

I didn't confront him. I didn't think he was worth it. But months later, on our city's internet forum, some posts showed up that brought it up again. The kicker was that the anonymous poster (who I suspect was this councilman) said he had discovered our family's "secret" by looking at my (then 12 year old) son's My Space page! Well, I went off on him. I posted under my real name and called him out by name for starting the rumor and being creepy enough to internet stalk my child for information about my family.

That was the end of it. This is a very small city, our kids go to the same schools, and I see him all the time. He has never been able to look me in the eye again. The little pissant.

I didn't mean to hijack. Just wanted to say, don't let them get by with cowardly bullying behavior.