A few weeks ago, a congregation of my faith underwent a heinous attack where a man killed two people and shot several others as children performed a song. Tennessee Valley UU Church has a lot to work through over the next few months and years as they continue to show a public face of religious liberalism (the idea that revelation is continually unfolding and that the stories of all people are important).
The man went after the UU church, driving past 7 other churches, for a reason. In his house were books about the evils of liberalism and the man had gone through quite a change in the years after his divorce and unemployment - for he once attended a UU camp for a while.
And now, in Arkansas, we see another man shoot the Democratic Chairman of the Arkansas party. There are a number of issues to deal with. The first is that liberalism, because of Hanni-Coulter-Baugh and their ilk, is literally under attack. People see a world crumbling around them and are told vehemently day after day that it's the fault of liberals.
Books with titles such as, Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Ideas in Politics, Media, and Life and Deliver Us from Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Despotism, and Liberalism teach people to fight the things that they disagree with, instead of simply disagreeing with them.
Our churches, our leaders - people are now shooting them. We must do something before there's another attack.
And yet, there's yet another major issue to grapple with. And that is - there are a ton of problems for people in this country. Gas prices, unemployment, lack of health care access, lack of food...frustration is high and people are lashing out. We need to hear their concerns - and they need to be expressed correctly. The worst part is that they're taking it out on the liberals, because that's who they're told to blame, whereas the Republicans are the ones that have screwed this country. Case in point, David Adkisson, shooter of TVUUC, was frustrated at losing food stamps - but which party tries to extend benefits and which one limits them?
We have to do a better job of explaining who we are, of telling our narrative and not letting the conservatives define us. We need to do a better job of making this world better and to stop these vicious, mindless attacks by hurt, angry people.
We need to do a better job, to protect ourselves and our world.