September 2011
1 post
5 tags
August 2011
2 posts
Earth & Moon & Creation
I was reading this article and it referenced the creation of our moon. It said that our current moon was formed when a Mars-sized object crashed into Earth and send the huge debris that became our moon into orbit.
The first thing that came to my mind was the creation story, of how woman was created out of a part of man, and how people have traditionally associated the moon with women.
Of...
Loss
Tonight I was chatting with a friend and remarked to her how at peace I am in this moment and these past few months being the happiest that I can remember. She was a little surprised - how could I be? Last year we lost all of our belongings in a flood (including precious baby albums), I was arrested, my husband’s parents died within two months of each other, and my daughter and I lived...
May 2011
1 post
Welcome, Evangelicals, to the Universalist fold.... →
April 2011
4 posts
“I used to think the human brain was the most fascinating part of the body, and...”
– Emo Phillips
Socially Responsible Investing Made Easy -...
(Via Justmeans) Moxy Vote is a service that I use to help me make decisions about proxy voting for companies that I own shares in. Admittedly, I do not own many shares nor do I follow much what these companies are doing, so Moxy Vote makes it easy for me. An incredible resource for influencing companies to do the right thing and finding companies that are following ethical guidelines so you can...
“The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should transcend...”
– Albert Einstein
March 2011
1 post
I was in Japan on March 11th: A reflection.
I am 16 years old when Stacey falls back into my classroom. She had already left that morning to get her braces off, but came back to say one thing. “Turn on the television, D. Just do it.”
Television isn’t allowed this hour for students, but my teacher, D, turned on the tv without hesitation. A plane hit a tower in New York. Stunned, she turned to Stacey, who shrugged and...
January 2011
1 post
How I feel about my Arizona SB 1070 protest case...
My case dismissal has invoked many emotions. Initially, I am relieved that I do not have to go back to Arizona and risk jail time by pleading not guilty. In addition to my studies, I have a four year old son and a six year old daughter and an amazing partner who need me at home. And then I feel guilty, because I wonder if my skin color and affluence are a part of what allowed me to be arrested...
November 2010
5 posts
Run! It’s Muslim jihad sharia law!
Please, stop with the fear mongering. Grow up. I got forwarded an email, from a Unitarian Universalist no less, with a video of a stoning and a promise that this is what’s coming to the United States. (The UU claimed he didn’t read what he sent out and apologized.)
Just like forwarding videos of 9/11 and the Taliban declaring jihad...
Scintillating criticism
Foucault has a quote about the desire of scintillating criticism that touched me quite a bit. Not criticism that is destructive or petty, but the kind that makes one hunger for more. I’m hooked on discourse so radical that I feel like a tree in a hurricane.
The first time I felt this way was at seven years old. We had moved to this town a year prior. I knew that Omaha was south of us and...
religiousexcursions asked: Were you raised UU?
October 2010
5 posts
Unitarian formation in the United States
On my last post, I said that Unitarian Universalism in the US is not related to the Translyvanian Unitarianism. Some have asked what I mean by that so I’ll attempt to clarify.
The way it was explained to me (by Rev. Thom Belote) is it’s kind of like my surname of Foster. Just because there is another person or ancestor with my same last name doesn’t mean we are kin, though we...
Noise Pollution is Trivial
Sun Chips new biodegradable bags clock in at a decibel level louder than a subway, and wind turbines are louder than two people carrying on a merry conversation - making it hard to sleep at night. So people complain and undermine sustainable efforts.
Let’s think about what successful complaining accomplishes. In most instances biodegradable bags are worthless, as anyone can go to a...
Be as Wise as Serpents, and as Innocent as Doves →
I know American Unitarian Universalism isn’t technically related to the Unitarianism in Transylvania, but I still love looking at churches there. I did not know that the crest referred to this famous saying of Jesus! Click to view the whole set of Unitarian Church images taken at various famous churches in Transylvania.
Pro-life, Children, and Civics
Civic engagement is important and should be started early, so I brought my 3 year old to welcome Joe Biden, our Vice President. A pro-life person came with a 10ft graphic image of a dead fetus. That image, to me, is of a dead body - the same as if someone died on the operating table or in combat and had a picture taken immediately upon death. I asked him to turn the picture away from my son, and...
Sex education is a matter of life and death.
By now I assume you have heard of the four different child suicides because of harassment and bullying of their suspected sexual orientation. There have been deaths following this same pattern before now, and at even younger ages - 11 is the youngest I have heard of.
It is true that it is caused by bigotry and hatred of people with a minority sexual orientation. There must be more acceptance of...
September 2010
2 posts
OMAHANS! END JOB DESCRIMINATION TODAY!
As most of you already know, Ben Gray, had introduced an amendment to the City of Omaha’s employment non discrimination ordinance to include sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The ordinance will apply to all employers with more than 6 employees and any business who contracts with the City.
The testimony at the public hearing last week before the City Council could not...
Identity and Evil
Over the past two weeks I have been gone. My activities have ranged from doing self-care to overwhelming myself with “I have to order *how many* books in a week?”
At orientation for graduate school, at the women’s retreat and even my kayaking trip I have had too many experiences to relate well here. Waiting a few days to write about them has caused two things to keep nagging...
August 2010
6 posts
“The earnest spiritual aspirant, fearing sloth, advances like a fire, burning all...”
– from the Dhammapada. Stuck out at me since my official label is aspirant.
Building mosques and false controversy: what it...
It seems like such dumb thing to do. To blatantly be anti-constitutional, to blame billions of innocent Muslims for a radical sect’s act, to be against a mosque near ground zero when there are several even closer to it.
However, politically, it is a smart thing to do. The rise of the republicans after their loss in 2008 has been rather ugly. With no clear leader, weirdos like Sarah Palin...
Arrested in Arizona: How I felt
It is difficult to write about my experience in Arizona. Not about reporting what factually happened, but how I feel about it. I was arrested blocking an intersection in an attempt to block Joe Arpaio’s illegal and racist immigration raids by blocking the vans. I was in jail for 26 hours, humiliated and frightened in an overcrowded jail cell with no place to sit or sleep. There were no...
Unitarian Universalism is bigger than your...
(In response to John Katz’s article)Click Here
Look, it is fine to be proud of who you are and where you come from. You listen to NPR, drink fair trade coffee, shun popular music and television. You respect everyone, don’t discriminate against anyone, and do everything differently because you know the right way to act, don’t you?
“Damn right I don’t listen to music that...
Arrested in Arizona: Common Arguments
I was arrested in Arizona protesting SB 1070. It was kind of like giving birth in being the most painful yet joyful experience one can have. Humiliating, frightening, horrific at times, and yet listening to other prisoners, watching other’s strength and singing together hand in hand gives me fierce hope.
In discussing this with your friends, here are some helpful responses to common...
July 2010
15 posts
“Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is the numbers of people all over...”
– Howard Zinn (quote at the civil disobedience training at UU Congregation of Pheonix)
Glenn Beck says quit going to church. So maybe...
If he hates churches that must mean we are finally doing something right. According to Bold Faith Type(link here) he is advising anyone who goes to a church with a social or economic justice ministry to run away. Then he likens caring about the common good and humanity to the rise of Nazism and death camps.
As someone who served as social justice chair at my church for five years, I’m...
3 tags
E Pluribus Unum - A sermon delivered by Shawna...
Sermon I gave last week and I had the sanctuary decked out like a politician. Enjoy.
First I’d like to address the presence we have today of so many American flags. The first reason is practicality. It’s the 4th of July and the theme of today’s service is “Fire in the Sky” so I wanted something that looked like fireworks for everyone to have in their
hands to wave....
“People who talk about revolution and class struggle without referring explicitly...”
– raoul vaneigem (via quellequaintrelle, killersvanilla) (via lipstick-feminists)
“The United States leads the First World in the following categories: prison...”
– Every Teacher a Peace Teacher (via azspot) (via abcsoupdot) (via savagemike) (via lipstick-feminists)
Anonymous asked: your blog looks interesting but I hope you spend some time tweaking the look of it. I find the type is very small on the screen, and while I good zoom in on it to make it bigger (probably) that would have the effect of making type on every other web site much larger than i need it to be... Just a thought...
“As a chaplain, a woman flashed me and said: “I am a eucharistic minister...”
– Dirty Sexy Ministry, “I am not making this up” post today. Click on the link for more awesome stories. No, I will not show you where I keep my holy powers.
Winona LaDuke gives Ware Lecture →
The link here will take you to an hour long video that is totally worth watching if you have an hour. But even if you don’t, you should watch her anyway. Great speaker.
She’s been the running mate on the green party presidential ticket long before Sarah Palin and Hiliary Clinton decided to run and you can see why. The main takeaways I got from her lecture:
-Naming immortal places...
Illegal Immigration is a codeword for Slavery
A little background - our denomination was considering not having our next great meeting in Pheonix in 2012 and had a resolution to boycott it. That resolution morphed into it being a justice assembly, where we have our required by the by-law meeting but in a dynamically differently way. We would give as little money as possible to the state of Arizona but still meet there. We’d have our...
Decompress
I was under a forced semi-internet sabbatical while at GA (where Unitarian Universalists all over the nation get together) because of the nature of the awful reception and internet cost while in Minneapolis, MN. I got back Sunday night and have been extending this sabbatical a bit.
We’ve all been to conferences before. I’ve been to one for fundraising professionals and heard...
June 2010
2 posts
Chrisitians that affirm homosexuality from the...
6,195,000 = people in denominations that support LGBT.
1,379,300,000 = people in denominations that consider LGBT lifestyle as sin.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I looked up to see how many religious people view homosexuality as a sin. I was hoping that since half or more of the US population support gay marriage that there would be more denominations affirming their dignity...
Introductions?
Next week I’ll be at GA, meeting people and referring them to this site. I also have people following me here who perhaps aren’t sure what I am doing. To address all these different audiences, let me introduce myself.
I’m Shawna Foster, a Seminarian located in Omaha, Nebraska. I’m in aspirant status, which should take a year, then I’ll be a candidate for ministry,...
May 2010
7 posts
What Did Jesus Do? →
It’s a common assumption that a 2,000 year old religion knows everything that can be known about its leader, but there has been a lot of exciting discoveries about the historical Jesus recently. Which bits of the gospels are true, which are metaphor and how much is Christianity like what early Christians intended it to be? This article condenses thousands of pages of historical work and 30...
General Assembly needs to be in Arizona in 2012.
The answer to change is not the boycott of an entire state to the tune of $615,000 - how much it’ll cost to cancel contracts and move GA somewhere else.
Boycotts do work when they’re targeted and used correctly. To try to do that to an entire state won’t do much good. In the civil rights movement in the 60’s certain companies were boycotted but not the political system...
2 tags
Do Unitarian Universalists clergy still divorce a...
Now that I’m entering seminary I hear a lot of people tell me that clergy have high divorce rates. Wondering if this is an urban legend I looked up some statistics that say not only is this true, but it is particulary true for UU clergy: “The highest clergy divorce rate is found among the Unitarian Universalists (47% women, 44% men) with the other denominations in between.”
...
“You religious folk just can’t bear the thought that as my son emerges from...”
– Sharon Underwood “I’m the mother of a gay son and I’ve had enough of you people.”
h/t reddit, posted originally here in 2000 http://www.andrewtobias.com/newcolumns/000504.html