Oak Cliff UU members continue to share what Standing on the Side of Love means to them. It’s not too late for you to share your thoughts as well. Send .txt .doc or .docx to Outreach@OakCliffUU.org, and we’ll add it to the blog.
When my Mom quizzed me recently on my fairly new Unitarian Universalist faith, I told her about the emphasis on compassion and the inherent worth and dignity of every human being. She insisted that the Catholic Church teaches the same thing. Well maybe they do espouse the same thing because they teach, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” But when it comes right down to it, I find many Catholics on the side against immigrant’ rights, against gays’ and lesbians’ rights and against women’s rights.
The meaning of “Standing on the Side of Love” is changing constantly for me—it is expanding. I am beginning to realize that no one can be left out—not even the cows, pigs and chickens. The people of Haiti deserve the same inalienable rights as we Americans. Everyone belongs to our family. There is no “other.”
It upsets me when I see emails that suggest that we as Americans deserve what we were born into and our neighbors from Mexico don’t. After I became the mother of a biracial child, I began to notice that many Caucasians feel they are better than African Americans by virtue of the color of their skin. I have never thought of myself as prejudiced, but my daughter has really opened my eyes. I know now in my heart that no one is on any higher plane than anyone else—not because of money, status, or power. We are all God’s children and he loves us all equally. He didn’t love Jesus any more than he loves me! I hope to grow to live that love more every day. I hope to grow in compassion as my heart opens more and more to all my brothers and sisters—even those who are misguided.
You responded…