<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><font size="4">That's a good question, Chris, and I appreciate your asking it.  There has been a "Great Dechurching" in America which has hit all denominations, people are simply losing interest in belonging to a religious congregation or getting a religious education for their children, although they often say they are "spiritual".  The UU churches should be attractive to people who are skeptical of traditional dogmas, but who still want a community of like minded people concerned with spiritual issues.  But we haven't been very successful in attracting such people, especially young adults and youth.  The crusade against "white supremacy culture" hasn't attracted nonwhite membership as was hoped, and getting in touch with our use of "microaggressions" gets tiresome when there are so many macroaggressions going on in the world.  I've posted some book reviews in Confluence that go into these topics in more depth and they are still available, e.g., <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oI9ZSJHyLHIqWguL8_GwkxwV-CKPVEvmLJ6GbAfXR0U/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> Preachers in Purgatory</a>  and  <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-s75GLBFkzXcVVS1K2HGmjUDDpobwmfScKdItm5cH-8/edit?usp=sharing">Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism</a>.  These are the serious issues the UU movement as a whole needs to be discussing rather than tedious debates over the wording of bylaws that are seldom read.  Perhaps the most relevant of my book reviews is the following which I'll paste in: </font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><font size="4"><br></font></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:georgia,serif"><span id="m_667395474602822585gmail-docs-internal-guid-d218ae6c-7fff-a7a0-423e-3914134339fc"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,229,153);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Book Review: </span><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,229,153);font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The Great Dechurching</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:13pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(255,229,153);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">by Jim Davis and Michael Graham</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;text-align:center;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">reviewed by Ted Goertzel</span></p><br><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">Davis and Graham report that “more people have left the church in the last twenty-five years than all the new people who became Christians from the First Great Awakening, Second Great Awakening, and Billy Graham crusades combined.” They ask “Who’s Leaving, Why are they Leaving, and What Can Be Done About It?” They report results from a survey of those they call the “dechurched." These aren’t apostates, they haven’t lost belief, they just don't go to church. In this review I highlight some of the findings relevant to liberal religions such as the UUs. For a detailed summary I recommend </span><a href="https://religionnews.com/2023/09/07/the-great-dechurching-explores-americas-religious-exodus/" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">'The Great Dechurching' explores America's religious exodus</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> on <a href="http://religionnews.com" target="_blank">religionnews.com</a>.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The dechurching is taking place across all major denominations including mainstream and evangelical Christianity. Most of the research is on Christians, but it affects other groups as well. The people who leave church say they still believe, the authors report that “it was disorienting to realize how orthodox the dechurched still are in their beliefs.” They report that “it appears fewer people are asking, “Is Jesus true?” and more are asking, “Is Jesus good?” and “Is Jesus beautiful?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> It seems to me that people may still say they believe but they are taking religious doctrines with a grain of salt. If it works for them, that’s what counts. Many find that “physically going to a church in our consumerist digital age has become inconvenient … they have other priorities for their time and money.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> This means the masses of the dechurched aren’t looking for a church with an alternative theology, they just don’t find church services the best use of their free time. Many people are turned off because of interpersonal and doctrinal conflicts in the church, a lack of supportive community, and ideological haranguing. UU churches are not immune from these problems.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">The authors urge pastors to focus more on spiritual matters and building a loving community and less on political advocacy. They try to find answers in Biblical texts that don't, in my opinion, really address the problem. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">While the main group this book focuses on isn’t rushing toward the liberal churches, there are some smaller trends that may be helpful. There are some young people who are serious about religion but are “deconstructing” Christianity and questioning the conservatism of the denominations they have been raised in, especially the treatment of women, minorities and the LGBTQ in some denominations. These are a small proportion of the dechurching, but they may be the most likely recruits to UU churches. For an essay that discusses this, based on a survey of </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">NewYork Times</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"> readers, I recommend </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rWDzpx1m4ljIYQJSQ6J4g9HussROPcVX1GYSth7o3y8/edit?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline">The Largest and Fastest Religious Shift in America Is Well Underway</span></a><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline">, by Jesica Grose.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><br></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.2;text-indent:18pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-variant-alternates:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><br></span></p></span><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, Jan 25, 2024 at 10:13 AM Chris Hoke <<a href="mailto:hokeca72@gmail.com" target="_blank">hokeca72@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div lang="EN-US"><div><p class="MsoNormal">Td:<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">What do you see as the real problems within the UU community?<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">Thanks for your input.<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal">Chris Hoke<u></u><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div style="border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:none;border-top:1pt solid rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in"><p class="MsoNormal"><b>From:</b> Fuusm-l <<a href="mailto:fuusm-l-bounces@fuusm.org" target="_blank">fuusm-l-bounces@fuusm.org</a>> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Maggie & Steve Meyer via Fuusm-l<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, January 24, 2024 9:44 PM<br><b>To:</b> Ted Goertzel <<a href="mailto:tedgoertzel@gmail.com" target="_blank">tedgoertzel@gmail.com</a>><br><b>Cc:</b> UU Members & Friends <<a href="mailto:fuusm-l@fuusm.org" target="_blank">fuusm-l@fuusm.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Fuusm-l] Proposed Article II revisions<u></u><u></u></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:blue">I agree with Ted.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:blue">Maggie Meyer<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">On Wed, Jan 24, 2024 at 6:48 PM Ted Goertzel via Fuusm-l <<a href="mailto:fuusm-l@fuusm.org" target="_blank">fuusm-l@fuusm.org</a>> wrote:<u></u><u></u></p></div><blockquote style="border-top:none;border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:1pt solid rgb(204,204,204);padding:0in 0in 0in 6pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in"><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Georgia,serif">I personally don't feel at all enthusiastic about these changes.  Both the new and the old language are sterile, but the old less so.  Putting energy into this is mostly a way of avoiding dealing with the real problem in the UU movement and in most religions today, declining participation, especially among youth.  I'm not sure how to deal with the real problems, but wasting time on these bylaw revisions isn't likely to help.  Will more people join because they like the new statement better?  I think it's just as well we ignore it.</span><span style="font-family:Georgia,serif"><u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p><div><div><p class="MsoNormal">On Wed, Jan 24, 2024 at 5:31 PM Rebecca Phillips via Fuusm-l <<a href="mailto:fuusm-l@fuusm.org" target="_blank">fuusm-l@fuusm.org</a>> wrote:<u></u><u></u></p></div><blockquote style="border-top:none;border-right:none;border-bottom:none;border-left:1pt solid rgb(204,204,204);padding:0in 0in 0in 6pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in"><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Hello, all<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">As you may know, a study commission has proposed revisions to Article II of the UUA bylaws, the section that includes principles and purposes. The revised language can be found at the following link; it is also attached.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><a href="https://www.uua.org/files/2023-10/a2_final_line_num_10312023.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.uua.org/files/2023-10/a2_final_line_num_10312023.pdf</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black;background:white"> In addition, there have been a number of amendments proposed to the revision. They are availabl</span><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">e at this link:</span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black;background:white"> <a href="https://discuss.uua.org/t/article-ii-amendments-needing-congregational-support-to-move-forward/1447" target="_blank">https://discuss.uua.org/t/article-ii-amendments-needing-congregational-support-to-move-forward/1447</a></span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><div style="margin-top:12pt;margin-bottom:12pt;min-width:424px" id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824LPBorder_GTaHR0cHM6Ly9kaXNjdXNzLnV1YS5vcmcvdC9hcnRpY2xlLWlpLWFtZW5kbWVudHMtbmVlZGluZy1jb25ncmVnYXRpb25hbC1zdXBwb3J0LXRvLW1vdmUtZm9yd2FyZC8xNDQ3"><table border="1" cellpadding="0" width="100%" style="width:100%;border:1pt solid rgb(200,200,200)"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="border:none;padding:9pt 27pt 9pt 9pt"><div style="margin-right:9pt;overflow:hidden" id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824LPImageContainer735531"><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://discuss.uua.org/t/article-ii-amendments-needing-congregational-support-to-move-forward/1447" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="125" height="160" style="width: 1.302in; height: 1.6666in;" id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334_x0000_i1025" src="https://global.discourse-cdn.com/standard14/uploads/uua/original/1X/d5df80975312ec3167b9cf544e092f6bcae1be87.png"></span></a><u></u><u></u></p></div></td><td width="100%" valign="top" style="width:100%;border:none;padding:9pt 27pt 9pt 9pt"><div style="margin-right:6pt;margin-bottom:9pt" id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824LPTitle735531"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:16pt;font-family:"Segoe UI Light",sans-serif"><a href="https://discuss.uua.org/t/article-ii-amendments-needing-congregational-support-to-move-forward/1447" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration:none">Article II Amendments Needing Congregational Support to Move Forward</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div style="margin-right:6pt;margin-bottom:9pt;max-height:100px;overflow:hidden" id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824LPDescription735531"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:rgb(102,102,102)">In this section, you’ll find submitted amendments which still need support to move forward in the process. Please contact the person who submitted the amendment via the email address provided.<u></u><u></u></span></p></div><div id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824LPMetadata735531"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:rgb(166,166,166)"><a href="http://discuss.uua.org" target="_blank">discuss.uua.org</a><u></u><u></u></span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">FUUSM is late to this process, unless I have missed something. If our congregation wishes to support any of the amendments for presentation at General Assembly 2024 (and if I understand the process), our board would need to contact the amendment's proposer before February 1 to join as a congregational supporter. </span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Rebecca</span><u></u><u></u></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div><div id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824Signature"><div id="m_667395474602822585m_-6807954575803975334m_634189477850744684m_-3351445669203676824divtagdefaultwrapper"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."-- Cicero<u></u><u></u></span></p></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal">_______________________________________________<br>Fuusm-l mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Fuusm-l@fuusm.org" target="_blank">Fuusm-l@fuusm.org</a><br><a href="http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/fuusm-l_fuusm.org" target="_blank">http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/fuusm-l_fuusm.org</a><u></u><u></u></p></div></blockquote></div><p class="MsoNormal">_______________________________________________<br>Fuusm-l mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Fuusm-l@fuusm.org" target="_blank">Fuusm-l@fuusm.org</a><br><a href="http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/fuusm-l_fuusm.org" target="_blank">http://fuusm.org/mailman/listinfo/fuusm-l_fuusm.org</a><u></u><u></u></p></blockquote></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br clear="all"><br><span>-- </span><u></u><u></u></p><div><p class="MsoNormal">Cell: 740-706-1741<br>Home: 740-374-4262<u></u><u></u></p></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div>