Many of the ministers, chaplains and minsterial students in the Ohio-Meadville District crafted the following statement concernng the DVD’s of the film “Obsession” that are currently blanketing cities in the so-called presidential “battleground” states.
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September 30, 2008
We, the undersigned Unitarian Universalists ministers, chaplains and student ministers of the Ohio-Meadville District, wish to express our shock and dismay at the recent distribution of the inflammatory DVD “Obsession” in the newspapers and mailboxes of those of us living in Ohio, Pennsylvania and other so-called “battleground” states in this election year.
The kind of propaganda and hate speech found in this anti-Islamic DVD incites fear of an insidious nature. The weak disclaimers with which the film begins and ends, that peaceful Muslims are excluded from condemnation, does nothing to counter its violent images, the web of untruths woven around those images, or its fantastic and illogical claims of links between Nazism and Islam. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim sisters and brothers to protest the indiscriminate distribution of malicious propaganda. We reject the politics of hate and fear.
Unitarian Universalists are well acquainted with the harmful effects hate speech can have on some members of our society. On Sunday, July 27 of this year, an unfortunately mentally ill individual was prompted by common forms of media hate speech to develop a belief that liberals, including religious liberals were destroying our country. Inspired by this belief, he opened fire on a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Knoxville on Sunday morning during a children’s musical performance, killing two adults, wounding many others and traumatizing an entire congregation and its children. While the shooter was certainly mentally ill, the violent acting-out of his illness was aided and abetted by the proliferation of hate speech in our society.
With such a recent memory of the effects of hate speech in our society, as Unitarian Universalists we are compelled to question why these DVDs are being distributed to residents in the so called “battleground” states during this presidential campaign. Why these places? Why now? At this obviously anxious time in our collective lives as Americans, we strongly object to this overt attempt to influence voters.
We Unitarian Universalists have long upheld the values of tolerance and inclusivity. We consider diversity to be a genuine blessing! Our core principles call us to honor the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We believe that honoring that worth and dignity includes honoring our diverse religious beliefs.
Nearly 500 years ago, a Unitarian reformation theologian, Francis David, articulated it well when he said “We do not need to think alike to love alike.” And the Hadith of Bukhari 2:6 states “None of you has faith unless he loves for his brother [or sister] what he loves for himself.”
It is our hope and prayer that all Americans may learn to live in the spirit of these words.
Rev. Lynn Acquafondata
Rev. Wayne Arnason
Rev. Steve Aschmann
Rev. Mark Belletini
Rev. Colin Bossen
Rev. George Buchanan
Rev. Daniel Budd
Ellen Carvill-Ziemer, student minister
Rev. Melissa Carvill-Ziemer
Rev. Peggy C. Clason
Rev. Rose Edington
Jeremy Elliott, chaplain
Kathleen Fowler, chaplain
Rev. Cynthia Heilman
Rev. David Herndon
Rev. Mel Hoover
Rev. Christine Jones-Leavy
Lori Lerner, ministerial intern
John Henry Martin, Jr., ministerial intern
Suzan McCrystal, chaplain
Rev. Greg McGonigle
Rev. Eric H. Meter
Rev. Mary Moore
Rev. Chris Neilson
Rev. Michael D. O’Kelly
Renee Zimelis Ruchotzke, student minister
Rev. Arthur G. Severance
Rev. Elizabeth Schuerman
Rev. V. Elaine Strawn
Rev. Rod Thompson
Rev. Joan M. Van Becelaere, district executive
Rev. Kenneth Watts
Rev. Maurine (Renee)Waun
Evan Young, student minister