Hatred Lives

As a Unitarian Universalist, I was horrified to hear about a man walking into a UU church in Tennessee yesterday and opening fire with a shotgun. I first heard the news from a fellow UUer, whose mother attends that congregation and was there at the time (she was not hurt).

Anne and I were discussing it last night, and she mentioned that it had crossed her mind before that the church (as in, the UU church as an institution) could be a magnet for someone who is unstable and looking to cause some trouble. I kind of brushed it off, thinking that there must have been some other motivation.

Today the AP confirmed that the liberal views of the Unitarian Universalists were indeed the target of this man. According to the article, "An unemployed man accused of opening fire with a shotgun and killing two people at a Unitarian church apparently targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal social policies, police said Monday." Also, "It appears that what brought him to this horrible event was his lack of being able to obtain a job, his frustration over that and his stated hatred of the liberal movement."

This is obviously very disturbing to hear that your views are so offensive to some people that they are willing to commit murder over them, but I'm more angry than distraught. The AP article has this to say about UU: "Unitarians have roots in a movement that rejected Puritan orthodoxy in New England. Although the outlook and beliefs of individual Unitarian churches can vary dramatically, most congregations retain a deep commitment to social justice, which has led them to embrace liberal positions over the years. Unitarians were among the first to ordain women, support the civil rights movement and back gay rights."

Yes, we're clearly on the wrong side of history here.

Why should I worry about gunmen in my church, while churches who proudly advertise their "homosexuality treatment camps" walk around with heads held high? How are our views somehow more offensive than churches who picket funerals of gay soldiers with signs that read "God Hates Fags!!!" or churches that work to Christianize the science that we teach our children, thus making us less competitive in the global market?

Today I'm frustrated, and my thoughts are with those Tennessee UUers.

Late Update: Here's a post from someone who can actually write on this issue. (Thanks to Dan for this link)