Social Responsibility

On July 28, 1996, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie approved the following statement and its distribution to our elected officials, to other religious bodies, and to the local media:

Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and we advocate justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
Part of the stated mission of the UU Congregation of Erie is to create a loving, joyful, welcoming community to which adults and children can come for spiritual, intellectual, and social fulfillment.
As people of faith, our UU Congregation has a tradition of speaking out on public policy issues involving moral and ethical matters, or where intolerant views of one religion might be imposed by government fiat on
people of different religious persuasions. We are deeply concerned by the recent campaign to hurriedly pass
legislation that would ban marriage between two people of the same gender.
We are now urging our legislators in Harrisburg and in Washington, DC, to not vote on such legislation without a thoughtful debate about its purpose and justification. There are valid arguments for same-sex marriages, and
potential detriment to the state if such marriages are banned.
Marriage is one of society's most fundamental institutions. It starts with either a civil or a religious ceremony; the formalities (age, blood test, etc.) and legal consequences (social security benefits and various laws affecting property rights, taxes, estates, and divorce) of the union are determined by the state. To bar any class of adults from marrying as they choose is a major deprivation, not a trivial disenfranchisement. We believe no discernible state interest would be served by banning same-sex marriages. Such legislation would be self-righteous and
uncharitable at best, hateful and vicious at worst. Excluding homosexuals from the privileged status of marriage is an exercise in homophobia, infringes on civil rights, and is without any societal justification.
What are the legitimate interests of the state in the institution of marriage?

(1) Traditionally, most married couples conceived and nurtured children, and the state had a self-interest in encouraging population growth. In modern times many couples have no children, either by choice or because
one of the partners is sterile. There are more than 6,000,000 childless heterosexual marriages in the U.S., far more than the potential number of same-sex marriages. Neither a promise to procreate nor the ability to do
so has ever been a prerequisite to obtaining a license to marry in any of the 50 states. There is growing awareness that unabated population growth has adverse environmental impact and leads to problems of hunger, poor health and child poverty, and these matters should also be concerns of the state. The prospect of being childless is no reason to withhold the benefits of marriage to a committed couple.

(2) Marriage can have a stabilizing or settling effect on the partners. Married men are more likely than unmarried men to stay at home and out of trouble as a goal desired by the state. One of the main benefits of
publicly recognized marriage is that it binds couples together not only in their own eyes but also in the eyes of society at large. Around the partners is woven a web of expectations that they will spend their lives together off
the streets and at home. The domesticating effect that marriage brings to both parties in a loving, committed relationship, whether straight or gay, should be encouraged by the state. It is certainly better than the closet-gay culture and courting a series of different partners.

(3) If marriage has any meaning at all, it is that, when you are beset with a physical, emotional or mental problem, there will be someone to care for and comfort you. The care giving rationale for marriage applies
equally to homosexuals. One of the first things many people worry about when coming to terms with their homosexuality is: Who will take care of me when I'm ailing or old? Society needs to care about this, too, as the AIDS crisis has made horribly clear. If that crisis has shown anything, it is that no institution can begin to match the care of a devoted partner. Legally speaking, marriage creates kin. Surely society's interest in kin-creation is
strongest of all for people who are unlikely to be supported by children in old age and who may well be rejected by their own parents in youth. Care giving is much better served by marriage that is, by one-to-one
lifelong commitment rather than by any other institution. The power of marriage is not just legal but social. It seals its promise with the smiles and tears of family and friends. The marriage ceremony and investment tend to deter casual commitment and to make bailing out embarrassing. Marriage is a compact between a couple and society, not just between two people: society recognizes the sanctity and autonomy of the pair-bond, and in exchange each spouse commits to being the other's nurse, social worker, and policeman of first resort. The bills that would ban same-sex marriages in Pennsylvania (S.1558 and HB.2604) are reactive pieces of legislation. How can such marriages be a threat to traditional two-sex marriages? The real purposes of these bills are to engender prejudice and to gain political ground by playing on fear and ignorance. It would be shameful for our state government to sanction such an intolerant, partisan agenda by enacting this ill-conceived legislation. If two adults of the same gender are committed to one another and prepared to abide by the marriage compact, and if a ceremony of marriage were duly conducted by an authorized clergy or state official, it is wrong for the state to either forbid or refuse recognition of such a marriage. The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie supports legal recognition for marriage between two consenting, committed people of the same gender. For the reasons expressed above, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania would be wise to do so also.

We are a Welcoming Congregation

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Erie was recognized on April 30, 2001 by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a "Welcoming Congregation"

A Welcoming Congregation is inclusive and expressive of the concerns of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender persons at every level of congregational life - in worship, in program, and in social occasions, welcoming not only their presence but the unique gifts and particularities of their lives as well.

To achieve welcoming Congregation status an extensive process of actions in education, congregational life and community outreach along with a unanimous vote at a congregational meeting have been completed.

As part of being a Welcoming Congregation, our Social Responsibility Committee and congregation strongly support the addition of "sexual orientation" as a protected category in Erie County's Human Relations Code, such addition to be voted on in the near future by the Erie County Council.

Rev. Terry Kime, the congregation's minister for the past 12 years, said: "As a Welcoming Congregation we are honoring the first covenant of our faith tradition - to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person." She added: "We support the courageous efforts of Rev. Russell Shuluga And Rev. Sally Jo Snyder to urge members of the larger community to respond with love to all people in their wholeness."

The congregation celebrates the lives of all people and the ways of expressing their love for each other. Its stated vision is to be an "open, caring congregation in the liberal religious tradition, dedicated to the challenges of personal growth, spiritual development, and social justice."

Nuclear Free Zone Statement

This resolution has been passed at a special congregation meeting on March 23, 1986.

Whereas, the detonation of even a single nuclear weapon could set in motion a nuclear holocaust that would incinerate or lethally contaminate masses of human beings;

Whereas, the continued production, testing, and stockpiling of nuclear weapons significantly increases the risk of a human or mechanical error that could trigger a detonation, as well as increasing the risk of a nuclear action by a terrorist group;

Whereas, we want our children to be free of this shadow of death and destruction;

Whereas, we believe that the use or the threatened use of nuclear weapons is moral and physical crime against life on this planet;

Whereas, spending for the nuclear arms race has contributed to the record federal budget deficits which seriously threaten our nations economic stability and continues to divert resources from programs that would provide needed services and assistance to people and communities;

WHEREAS, tacit approval of nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms race is inconsistent with our mutual bond to practice morality and religion;

WHEREAS, we are responsible for assuring that the property owned by our religious community shall be used for socially constructive purposes,

THEREFORE in solidarity with the people of Erie County, who voted overwhelmingly in a special county-wide referendum to freeze the production of nuclear weapons, and with all the people of the world who wish to live in peace and safety, the First Unitarian Society of Erie, 7180 New Perry Highway, Erie, Pennsylvania,

DECLARES (a) our property to be a NUCLEAR FREE ZONE, within which no nuclear weapon nor any component thereof shall be made, tested, stored, transported, disposed of, nor permitted in any fashion, (b) we renounce the right to be defended by the use or threatened use of nuclear weapons, (c) we offer our friendship and partnership with others to dismantle nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons systems, (d) we will post this declaration in a permanent and prominent location inside our meeting place and post a "Nuclear Free Zone" sign near the entrance to our property, (e) we will share copies of this declaration with other religious organizations in and beyond the Erie community and urge them to adopt similar resolutions.

Economic Justice was rated as the top issue in our survey of the Erie Congregation and the national UUA has adopted more than 24 resolutions related to economic justice since the 1960’s. It is also the social justice focus for the UUA’s largest church, Portland Oregon.

Economic Justice means equitable access to economic opportunities for all citizens and that benefits the entire society. EC deals with issues such as minimum wage, living wage, a full employment policy and labor laws that protect workers. EC can also speak to the broad issues of health care and a progressive income tax system that does not favor the very rich. It also address the concentration of corporate ownership and “corporate personhood.” Finally, it speaks to equitable funding of public education without regard to local tax base and economic conditions and child poverty.[1]

Wages have not kept pace with a growing economy. Between 2000 and 2005 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 12.5% and worker output grew 16.6%, but the median income “is still 2.7% below its level in 2000 and the poverty rate, at 12.6% remains above it 11.3% level of 2000.[2]

The gap between rich and poor grows. In 1962 the top 1% of American Households had an average net worth of $5.6 million dollars, while the 40% of Americans on the bottom had an average net worth of $900. By 2004, the average top 1% was worth $14.7 million and the bottom 40% have an average net worth of $2,200. [3] Over the same time period (1962-2004) the middle class (the 40% below the top ten percent) saw their net worth double ($158,000 to $325,000). Thus the middle class sees improvement, but nothing like that of the top 1%’s three-fold increase.

Highlighting the difference is the ratio of average CEO pay to the average pay of a production worker which was 431-to-1 in 2004, up from 301-to-1 in 2003, according to "Executive Excess," a report by United for a Fair Economy and the Institute for Policy Studies. And the richest 1% of Americans own 36.9% of all common stock and 49.1% of non-equity financial assets. By contrast, the bottom 80% of America owns 9.4% of all common stock and 9.1% of non-equity financial assets. Even in housing, the bottom 80% only owns 34.6%. If you are black, you are even worse off, averaging 20% of white wealth and more than twice as likely to have a negative net worth as a white.

In Erie, according the Economic Policy Institute’s family budget calculator, two parents with one child need an income of $33,612 per year. If you’re a single parent with two children you will need $34,992 for a living in Erie. Twenty-three percent of Pennsylvanians live below a “living wage.” [4] They can’t afford to live here!

As the 2006 elections showed, these disparities were widely felt. Minimum Wage laws were on six state ballots (including Ohio) and all passed. More than 70 localities have adopted “living wage’ ordinances.

What can we do? Short Term solutions means our continued participation in the living wage campaign, Habitat for Humanity and the local Food Bank. Additionally we could:

However, these steps ignore the question of why there is poverty in America and why 46.6 million Americans cannot afford healthcare. So, we must speak to the issue of public policy! For this we recommend establishing an EJ Task Force to direct activities and focus concerns among the suggested alternatives. The steps might include:

[1] See also Articles 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.” And Article 25..

[2] Economic Policy Institute, “Income Picture” by Jared Bernstein and Elise Gould, August 29, 2006

[3] Table 5.9 from the Economic Policy Institute’s State of Working America 2006/2007, available at www.epi.org.

[4] See “Basic Family Budget Calculator” at www.epinet.org/calcoutput.cfm

WHEREAS, the current American administration continues to increase pressure on Iran, including declining negotiations [see Endnote 1], declaring the Military forces of Iran "supporters of Terrorism," and

WHEREAS, we interpret our religious traditional and values as requiring us to work for peace through non-violent means and members often participated in local and national anti-war actions, and

WHEREAS: Congress has passed resolutions which the current administration may use to justify pre-emptive attacks on Iran.

THEREFORE; The Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Erie goes on record as opposing any pre-emptive attack on the sovereign nation of Iran. In furtherance of this resolution, we authorize the following steps be taken on behalf of the entire congregation:
* Convey the sense of this resolution to our congressional representatives and the President of the United States on UUCE letterhead, to be signed by the Minister and the president of the Board of Trustees on behalf of the congregation.
* Convey the sense of this resolution to our fellow congregations in the Ohio-Meadville District on UUCE letterhead, to be signed by the Minister and the president of the Board of Trustees on behalf of the congregation.
* Support a Newspaper Ad "If you like war in Iraq, You'll love war on Iran" developed by The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation by devoting a Sunday Collection to that end with clear notice to those present the purpose of the collection.
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Endnote 1: "The Secret History of the Impending War with Iran that the White House Doesn't Want You to Know," by John Richardson, Esquire Magazine, October 18, 2007.

Approved November 4, 2007, by a vote of 29 Yes; 7 No; 0 Abstain