A message from Rev. Andrew Moeller regarding the violence at our nation’s Capitol, written Jan. 7, 2021:
Dear UUSB Members and Friends,
Like many of you, I watched the unfolding of yesterday at our nation’s Capitol with a whole jumble of emotions from raging anger at those who incited that violence to deep sadness at the loss of life and bodily harm inflicted on over a dozen people. There was also some frustration and disbelief to see a symbol of our nation’s democracy trashed by an angry mob.
This is one of those times when it’s hard to be a UU because we love the individual right to the search of truth and meaning, AND the democratic process with peace and justice for all. While we hold those values as a central and dear to our faith, we must draw the line at individual rights when it threatens the standard safety and common good.
The people who engaged in their riotous acts yesterday and other places in our country during the past four years need to be held accountable for their actions. People are entitled to freedom of speech, but they are not entitled to bully, intimidate, or coerce others into their way of believing with violence.
While we believe in freedom of thought, we also add “the free and RESPONSIBLE search for truth and meaning.”
These conspiracy theories that have no support in evidence from any credible source are not responsible way engaging in the democratic process.
There is a part of me that wishes to understand others why people continue to follow these theories when there is no shred of evidence in their reality. The reality is that try as we might understand this perspective, we might never know the why. We know that violence like we saw yesterday at our nation’s Capitol is not acceptable for our society’s betterment. I hope and pray that the people captured on cameras and surveillance footage are held accountable; I hope they receive better treatment than they gave to the people they harmed.
I also want a serious looking into why the security levels at our nation’s Capitol were so low. The people who stormed the Capitol allowed much greater leniency than protestors at last year’s Black Lives Matter rally in D.C. and in many other cities across our country. This is yet another blatant example of how institutional racism in policing and security continue to be a scourge and violation of democratic and religious values.
So dear friends, let us continue to speak out against violence and intimidation anywhere we find it, and let us hope and pray that in the next 13 days and beyond, the transference of power at the Federal level of our nation’s government goes smoothly without violence.
And let us remember that dictators and bullies rarely give up their power (or perceived power) without a fight.
Spirit hold our nation and allow cooler heads to prevail. In the meantime, let us hold and help each other as we move through this painful time of transition. Things I believe, will get better. Hopefully, we have hit our rock bottom, and now we can continue an upward trend to peace, love, and informed “awokeness,” for many days to come.
In love and compassion,
Rev. Drew
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