As announced in this week’s newsletter, the PSJ Group has prepared a formal comment for government on the proposed gun law changes. Brenda has been the driving force in this and is doing an excellent job. It looks like there will be a truncated select committee process to hear public submissions on the drafting of the bill. However, comments have already been called for by the PM and that is what we will be sending to government at this stage.
Continue reading Proposed Gun Law ChangesMaintaining Unitarian principles when we can’t agree on the facts
Read below, or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 31 March 2019
When I was about six (that would’ve been about 1955) something happened that had a profound effect on me. We were visiting for the summer with my grandparents. One evening at the dinner table, my grandfather (born in 1895) went into a tirade about anyone who was not a white straight person, using every reprehensible, but common smear to describe each. Since I had not learned what that hate language even meant yet, I was not shocked. What shocked me was the fury my mother (born in 1925) directed at her father. She made it perfectly clear he was never to use such language in front of her children again. I doubt if it changed his 19th century views, but it left an indelible mark on me.
Continue reading Maintaining Unitarian principles when we can’t agree on the factsDuffy Books – Role Model Assembly
On Friday, 29th March 2019, Gary and Brenda Bendall, Paul Henriques and Angela Wadham attended the Role Model Assembly at Glen Taylor School, Glendowie, on behalf of the church, and assisted in the Duffy presentation of books to pupils. It was a pleasure to be part of this school event, and our Church was thanked by students for our sponsorship.
Continue reading Duffy Books – Role Model AssemblyLoving Aotearoa / Hating Racism
Liberal religion in the public square
with Rev. Clay Nelson
Read below, or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 24 March 2019
I see Brian Tamaki of Destiny Church is having a tantrum again about New Zealand being a Christian nation. He objected to Jacinda’s call to Muslim prayer before a two-minute silence to remember the victims of the massacre of worshipping Muslims in Christchurch. He called it an abuse of her Prime Ministerial powers.
Continue reading Liberal religion in the public squareDoing the impossible: finding meaning in the senseless
Read below, or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 17 March 2019
Friday morning, I had today’s service and my talk all prepared. Friday evening, I had nothing to offer. The unthinkable, the unimaginable had happened. New Zealanders had been cast out of the Godzone with tears streaming down our face and our hearts broken. Our Muslim brothers and sisters lay dying and bloodied in a house of prayer. This couldn’t happen here, yet graphic news stories and social media told us otherwise. It has shaken us to our core even more than the earthquakes that had come from previously unknown fault lines in Christchurch. As traumatic as those were, they were natural acts. This act of hatred had not previously happened here. We didn’t think it could in spite of plenty of evidence that the deadly virus of white nationalism had become epidemic around the world. No house of prayer was safe if its worshippers were the marginalised or people of colour. Homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and racism has crawled out from the rocks they have been hiding under to be greeted as mainstream by right-wing political leaders and print and social media. But we thought we were better than that. We thought that was not who we are.
Continue reading Doing the impossible: finding meaning in the senselessA Message from our Minister, Clay Nelson
Like all New Zealanders, the Unitarian community is horrified and shocked by the terrorist attack in Christchurch against our Muslim brothers and sisters. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the 49 people who have died and to the dozens more who are wounded. We offer our unqualified support to the Muslim community in Auckland with whom we have built ties in any way that would be helpful.
As our Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has said this is New Zealand’s darkest day. It is one of those events that has shaken our understanding of who we are as a people. It will take some time to take stock and consider our future response to such deadly hate both personally and as a nation.
Auckland Unitarians will begin that process at our Sunday service at 10:30. All are welcome to join us as we remember and grieve for the victims and our loss of innocence.
As-Salaam-Alaikum,
Clay Nelson
And still they persist
with Rev. Clay Nelson
Read below, or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 10 March 2019
Last Friday was International Women’s Day. What better example of persistence is there than women resisting the dehumanising evils of patriarchy for over 5000 years?
As an example, I offer Senator Elizabeth Warren, a senator from Massachusetts who is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Two years ago, she was a fervent opponent of President Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama.
Continue reading And still they persistA Brief History of Tomorrow
with Rev. Clay Nelson
Read below, or download the PDF
Opening Words include Fate vs free will by A Thomas Hawkins
Clay Nelson © 3 March 2019
When recently selecting topics for my March talks I was intrigued by historian Yuval Harari’s subtitle to Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, the sequel to his book Homo Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. The downside is I would have to read it first in a hurry. I wasn’t disappointed as it ticked my boxes for a good read: it was well written, it was entertaining, I learned lots of things, and it made me think critically. What I wasn’t prepared for were the chilling possibilities he laid out for the future of human beings. To my mind it makes 1984 and Animal Farm larks in the park suitable for bedtime reading to children.
Continue reading A Brief History of TomorrowWe would be one
with Rev. Clay Nelson
Read below or download the PDF
Clay Nelson © 24 February 2019
This week a Royal Commission rolled out proposals to the Government to change the tax structure with the goal of addressing income and wealth inequality. Part of their overall recommendations was a capital gains tax on investment income. As I understand it distinguished and varied experts in these matters don’t think it would be the end of the world if unearned income was taxed at the same rate as earned income. I’m pretty sure you have heard about it. Even if you live under a rock the sound and fury expressed in the media’s megaphones has been deafening, presumably by those who have investment income and the power and privilege to have their grievances heard far and wide.
Continue reading We would be one