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On Sunday morning, July 20, 2014, the sacred time and space of an historic New Orleans congregation was violated. As congregants of First Unitarian Universalist Church, founded in 1833, held a moment of silent prayer to grieve a young woman of the church who had died the previous week protestors from Operation Save America began to harangue the minister and spew words of hate to and at the congregation. In shock, but with increasing pain as these diatribes continued, the congregation listened quietly as protestors vilified and insulted them. Soon, though, the protestors were ushered out of the church.
As this was happening the sanctuary other protesters, holding grotesque images, massed around the windows of the church nursery, screaming at the babies and toddlers. Youth were told they were “going to hell” and that their family members were suffering from illness due to their sins. The church members responded by singing words of love, justice, and freedom to counteract this hateful rhetoric.
For religious communities in the United States, the freedom to worship is a deeply cherished right. Whatever our faith, whenever we worship, the right to worship as we choose was fought for by our ancestors and is vital to all today. Along with this freedom comes the right to disagree, which is one part of the pluralism created by our religious freedom.
But all of us agree that no one has the right to desecrate the sacred worship time and space in order to express their disagreement. The undersigned people of faith do not agree on everything. In fact, some of us only agree that we have the right to disagree. But that is enough. No congregation, whatever their views may be, should have their sacred worship time and space violated. Not ever. Not by anybody.
We (38 local religious leaders, please check the link) call on the larger community to stand with us, with hearts joined on the side of love and in opposition to religious terrorism. Rev. Jim VanderWeele And also: Rev. William Barnwell Rev. Paul Beedle Rev. Claire Vonk Brooks Rev. Gary Brooks Pat Bryant, Co-Moderator, Justice and Beyond Rev. Callie Winn Crawford Rabbi Edward Paul Cohn Rev. Jeff Conner The Rev. Rob Courtney Rev. Don Frampton Rev. Lauren Frazier-McGuin Rev. Joann M. Garma Vanessa Gueringer, VP, A Community Voice Michael G. Hackett, Deacon, Diocese of Louisiana The Very Rev. AJ Heine The Rev. Henry L. Hudson Rev. Eronica C. King Rabbi Ethan Linden Rabbi Robert H. Loewy Rev. Dr. Jane Mauldin Rev. Herbert McGuin, III Rabbi Barbara Metzger Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger Max Niedzwiecki, Convener Tom Paine, Pastor Rev. Fred Powell, III Fr. Tony Rigoli, OMI Rev. Darcy Roake Minister Norbert Rome The Rev. Mitchell Smith Dr. William Soileau The Rev. William H. Terry Rev. William Thiele, Ph.D. Rev. Jennie Thomas Rev. Ron Unger Rev. Jim VanderWeele Rev. Deanna Vandiver Rev. Dwight Webster, Ph. D.
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