tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post115150562268247742..comments2024-02-14T11:04:27.663-05:00Comments on Free and Responsible Search: GA Journal -- Comments AcceptedDoug Muderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1152142347653139582006-07-05T19:32:00.000-04:002006-07-05T19:32:00.000-04:00Loved what you wrote, though.Loved what you wrote, though.PeaceBanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431551457505981195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1152022757174864832006-07-04T10:19:00.000-04:002006-07-04T10:19:00.000-04:00Kim -- Nothing yet.Kim -- Nothing yet.Doug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151895188588138862006-07-02T22:53:00.000-04:002006-07-02T22:53:00.000-04:00Has there been any response?Has there been any response?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151768642244635612006-07-01T11:44:00.000-04:002006-07-01T11:44:00.000-04:00PeaceBang,Glad to see you comment here. I think yo...PeaceBang,<BR/><BR/>Glad to see you comment here. I think you're probably right, but leaving a comment at Stember's blog was easy and painless. Besides, I've been looking for opportunities to try out my liberal/conservative distinction on a variety of people.<BR/><BR/>Here's what I said:<BR/><BR/>David,<BR/><BR/>I'm accepting your invitation to post here as a representative Unitarian. There is one fundamental difference between liberal religion and conservative religion: A conservative religion believes that the religion itself was created by God. But in liberal religion we believe that humankind creates religion in response to God.<BR/><BR/>We believe, in other words, that the Bible was written by people, and that it needs to be interpreted that way. It makes no sense to talk about "the Word of God" because words are human things. No words can contain the wisdom of God.<BR/><BR/>To interpret the Bible as the Word of God makes an idol out of it. Instead of showing the way to God, it stands between humanity and God, blocking the way.Doug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151727367642556342006-07-01T00:16:00.000-04:002006-07-01T00:16:00.000-04:00Doug, Mr. Stember posted the exact same question o...Doug, Mr. Stember posted the exact same question on my blog. I wouldn't bother. Anyone who isn't reading carefully enough not to know that we're not basing our teachings and doctrine on the Bible isn't more than a troll in my book, but I see you're more gracious than I.<BR/><BR/>LOVED your comments about Mary Oliver. I skipped the Ware Lecture, too, mostly because I've already heard M.O. do a poetry reading and also because inviting her strikes me as so incredibly lightweight and feel-good that I just couldn't take it either. As I suspected, it wasn't a lecture at all, but a poetry reading. What a wasted opportunity.<BR/><BR/>I also think her poetry has nosedived in quality over the past years, but I still adore her. Just not as the Ware lecturer.PeaceBanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431551457505981195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151553938801156532006-06-29T00:05:00.000-04:002006-06-29T00:05:00.000-04:00I just accepted David Stember's invitation to post...I just accepted David Stember's invitation to post to his thread on Unitarian Churches. I suspect it will turn out to be a waste of time, but you never know.Doug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151552983923576032006-06-28T23:49:00.000-04:002006-06-28T23:49:00.000-04:00The thing I like about the Osage story is that it ...The thing I like about the Osage story is that it underlines how easy it is -- even with the best of intentions -- to put your own cultural construction on a situation and not realize that the other people are putting a completely different construction on it. <BR/><BR/>I think the UUA showed respect for the Osage by accepting their answer and taking it back to GA. It would have been easy to gloss over their rejection or to find some other nearby tribe that wanted to bless our gathering.<BR/><BR/>The story didn't have a happy ending, but we told it anyway because it was a true story. That's what I was applauding: the honesty and humility of the people telling us the true story.Doug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151531202225131022006-06-28T17:46:00.000-04:002006-06-28T17:46:00.000-04:00Oh and whether you agree or not I do appreciate yo...Oh and whether you agree or not I do appreciate your mention on the official site!<BR/><BR/>Thank YouJamie Goodwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13024268765705070420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151531144572957732006-06-28T17:45:00.000-04:002006-06-28T17:45:00.000-04:00It's me.. the Trivium guy.. anywho about the Osage...It's me.. the Trivium guy.. anywho about the Osage. I guess my problem with them is not that they refused, it is the way they did it. <BR/><BR/>It wasn't "sorry, we have important work to do here." It wasn't "sorry, we disagree with you philosophically." <BR/><BR/>It was a group of people, approaching another asking to show them honor, and a chance to share their culture with another... and they looked us in the eye and sterotyped us.<BR/><BR/>Hey it's thier buisness, it's their time, more power to them, i just found it more than a little rude to put it the way it was put.. and we as a organization applaud them for it.Jamie Goodwinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13024268765705070420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151526939054215902006-06-28T16:35:00.000-04:002006-06-28T16:35:00.000-04:00David,I don't remember claiming to base my teachin...David,<BR/><BR/>I don't remember claiming to base my teachings and doctrine on the Bible. But if I did, why should I be any different than all the other Christians whose teachings directly contradict their Bible?<BR/><BR/>DougDoug Muderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04666144843949850394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151526684321883532006-06-28T16:31:00.000-04:002006-06-28T16:31:00.000-04:00Oops. No photo of Deb Weiner at left, right, or an...Oops. No photo of Deb Weiner at left, right, or anywhere. Blogger wouldn't take the image tag. But all is not lost. You can still <A HREF="http://www.uua.org/staff/dweiner.jpg" REL="nofollow">view Deb</A>, UUA director (doyenne?) of electronic communications and our heroine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13399254.post-1151526332621956772006-06-28T16:25:00.000-04:002006-06-28T16:25:00.000-04:00You did a great job at G.A., Doug. I ached to atte...You did a great job at G.A., Doug. I ached to attend fulltime this year, because an unfulfilled goal in my life is to spend the week with Deb Weiner & Crew <I>(Deb is shown at left)</I>. Next year in Portland?<BR/><BR/>As for <A HREF="http://www.blogger.com/profile/5205854" REL="nofollow">David M. Stember</A>, this is an old argument and a red herring. The Bible is open to interpretation. He might be surprised to learn of the pluralism of <A HREF="http://www.uua.org/aboutuua/principles.html" REL="nofollow">our UU faith sources</A> <I>(scroll down to "The living tradition which we share draws from many sources...")</I>, of which the Judeo-Christian tradition is just one. Yes, it's an important faith source to some of us.<BR/><BR/>Also, Mr. Stember, don't forget about the old American rural tradition of Universalism. Why pick on one "U" in our denomination without the other "U?" Are you some kind of religious bigot? ;)<BR/><BR/><B><I><A HREF="douglass.davidoff@gmail.com" REL="nofollow">My email link.</A></I></B>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com