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Hello Jim, Well, think of all of those southern slave owners who found the comments from abolitionists to be distressing and hurtful. Should have the abolitionists not spoken? UUs have always been pluralistic, and if one finds oneself to be distressed by contrary opinions too easily, the open mind concept of idea exchange will break down pretty quickly...one person's "hurtful" speech is often another's "speaking truth to power". John Stowe

I am thinking that NAUA is its own grassroots organization, however, I am not at all comparing it to, or suggesting that UUSE move away from the UUA. The NAUA could be an additional resource for liberal religion as well some day. I would love to have an in-depth conversation around it at some point after the discernment. In the meantime, I have been checking information from NAUA's website, however, have not fact-checked all that is out there: https://naunitarians.org/ I will also hold off on any further comments for now. Helping Liberal Religion Thrive North American Unitarian Associationis a member service organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the practice of liberal religion by embracing freedom, reason, and tolerance—rooted in our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and all peoples. About NAUA is a growing Association of Unitarians, Universalists, and other religious liberals. We are working together to support one another in our individual and congregational efforts to make our world happier and more just through the practice and promotion of our shared values.

Jim - you may be misinformed about the NAUA. While Eklof is one of the founders, he is not the entire NAUA. While there are some facets that NAUA does not agree with UUA on, it is not indicating that NAUA is in opposition to the entire UUA and NAUA frequently tells people they can belong to UUA and NAUA. It is not an either-or decision. NAUA has some very good liberal religious focus. I am now a member of both, the NAUA as an individual and the UUA via our congregation UUSE.

I've known about the NAUA for some time, and I was reading through some of the newsletters that you have linked on this forum. I think we all understand why the NAUA came about and who it appeals to. While I think the idea of this forum is a good thing, I'm concerned about timing. I don't want this to become something that conflicts with our planned Discernment Process, so I'm going to hold off on further comments for now.

Thank you to the committee for the work you're doing. I don't have an official role on a committee that warrants my official response about the changes, but I would like to say that the ever evolving side-by-side comparison is confusing and much too hard to follow. It includes some color coding (?) and all the "UUA changes or language" (some are yellow, the last one is not), and the far right columns with the old point/counterpoint comments, etc. Maybe this version is just for committee folks to review, but the congregation will need something much clearer if they are expected to understand the proposed changes. Again, thank you for all you're doing. I would be glad to discuss my concerns further in person or by phone if you wish.

Just a reminder that the NAUA is an organization that was started in opposition to the current direction and leadership of the UUA. Its founder, Dr Ecklof, continues to denounce UUism under the UUA as being a cult, with indoctrinated ministers, and need for "saner leadership". I will continue to support the UUA and will have nothing to do with this alternative organization.

Jim I agree. I'm honestly not sure why information about NAUA is being posted here under Denominational Affairs. It seems an inappropriate location to post. I may be wrong, but I thought denominational affairs referred to, from the UUA "The primary responsibility of the denominational affairs committee is to provide a liaison between the congregation and both the Unitarian Universalist Association and the region. The committee meets to discuss issues of denominational concern. It promotes education on Unitarian Universalist General Assembly social justice statements in collaboration with other committees. It fosters an understanding of, and a commitment to, what it means to be a responsible member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Through these efforts, the denominational affairs committee prepares a pool of people in the congregation to be delegates to the General Assembly and to district meetings." Perhaps it would make sense to create another category for the Forum - ?

Me too Jim. The more I read, the more concerned I am about the appropriateness of this information being shared here on our website. It is heavily biased and feels based more on opinion rather than fact. Truly disturbing.

Thank you so much for compiling this information! So interesting.

As the NAUA is not a denomination, and whose sole purpose is to rattle off all the perceived failures of the UUA, I'm not sure why discussion of NAUA is housed in this forum.

Agreed!