Standing on the side of love

Something happened in the UU world three weeks ago that I need to write about. On Sunday July 27^th a man walked into the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church with a shotgun and just started firing. He walked in during a children’s play and just fired at random. Two people, Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger, were killed and six others were seriously injured. There is a deep wound in my community that is healing slowly but it is healing.

I want to write about anger. Anger because someone committed a hate crime against people in my religious community. Anger because this story was pushed aside by many news networks or, in the case of Fox News, ardently defended as not being a hate crime because he was just shooting at liberals. UU churches welcome everybody regardless or race, creed or sexual orientation. To think that someone would want to kill people for being too loving boggles my mind. This man targeted a UU church because or our beliefs, that is in every way a hate crime; a senseless evil act.

Now I want to write about pride and love. I feel great pride for the people of the Tennessee Valley UUC, who decided not to close their doors or let their anger beget more negativity. Pride in the support given to TVUUC from UUs and people of every creed. Pride in the choice to stand on the side of love, not anger or despair.

The Unitarian Universalist Association bought a full page in the New York Times on week after these shootings. On this page Rev. William Sinkford, President of UUA, wrote:

“We will not give in to fear. We will meet hatred with love. We will continue to work for justice. Our hearts and the doors of more that 1,000 Unitarian Universalist congregations nationwide remain open. Unitarians Universalists stand on the side of love. We invite you to stand with us.”

I didn’t write this to bring anyone down and I didn’t really write this because I’m sad. I wrote this because of the love and the pride that I felt for this religion I’ve become a part of. I wrote this because I hope all groups of people can learn to respond to senseless violence with love. I wrote this because it’s difficult when something stirs up your world yet doesn’t affect the people around you. Thank you for reading this and sharing it with me.

standing on the side of love,

-D