The paradox of tolerance suggests that extending tolerance to the intolerant risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance. It challenges UUs’ commitment to justice, equity, and compassion. How do we manage the tension between openness and resisting hate in an era of rising divisiveness?

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Ted Zorn

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Ted Zorn © 6 July 2025

Reading

Before my talk, I’d like to read something I wrote for this service. It is a poem in progress. It’s about my topic today,

The Paradox of Tolerance

I believe you can believe what you believe and I can believe what I believe and that we can still live together in community.

Usually.

You can think that what I think is wrong and I can think what you think is wrong, and it’s okay.

Usually.

You deem one thing to be best and I deem another thing to be best, and we can both be redeemed.

Usually.

You value some things, and I value different things, but we both have value.

Always.

But what if what you think is that someone who thinks like me is unacceptable?

What if you believe that someone who believes what I believe has no place in our community?

What if you deem that people like me are less than people like you?

What if you value some people, but not people with my values?

Hmm. Now we have a problem.

Speaker:- Ibrahim Omer
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

This service will celebrate the only indigenous holiday in Aotearoa.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

Speaker:- Maria Hayward
Worship Leader:- Ted Zorn

June 20 is World Refugee Day. This is an international day of celebration of the resilience of survivors of war or other conditions that force individuals to flee their home countries. It’s an opportunity to learn about the causes of forced flight, the NZ refugee resettlement programme and the truths and myths about refugees. For us as UU’s it’s also an opportunity to expand our compassion for displaced and oppressed people everywhere.

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Maria Hayward © 15 June 2025

June 20^th is World Refugee Day. It’s a day for remembering the plight of refugees around the world and for celebrating their resilience.

I would like to begin today’s talk with some definitions. A Refugee 101, if you like.

Firstly, I’ll explain the difference between: a refugee, a displaced person and an asylum seeker; and then the difference between a quota refugee and a convention refugee.

Systematic Extremes of Poverty and Wealth

Speaker:- Ruth Irwin
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

The rate of economic growth is set at 2-3%. Its a finely calibrated complex system of moving parts. As brand new money gushes out of private banks in the form of ex nihilo credit, it pools in “reservoirs of value.” This results in the rich getting extremely rich, and the poor losing the value of their labour to inflation. The economic growth model is exponential. It systematically produces extremes in wealth and poverty.

The engine of economic growth and climate change

Speaker:- Ruth Irwin
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

“Banks create credit ‛ex nihilo’ which means ‛out of nothing’. This brand new credit is the engine that forces economic growth into the system. Technological efficiencies are all absorbed and exceeded by growth. That means that new technology does not result in a reduction in climate emissions. Instead, there is an exponential increase in resource consumption. Understanding the banking industry is vital to begin to unwind the economic growth model, and its production of climate change.”

22 May is the U.N. International Day for Biological Diversity

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Kate Lewis

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Kate Lewis © 25 May 2025

Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the U.S. It is traditionally a day to remember fallen soldiers. But this year, it feels like a memorial for something more: for a vision of the U.S. that, just six months ago, held more hope than it does today. It feels, to some, like a kind of death. Also I want to honour the many people around the world who are dying because of the actions of the current administration. I hope people in the U.S. will use it as a time for inspiration and call to action.

But today, I want to turn our attention not to political change, but to something even older and more enduring: the natural world. Today we are thinking about the importance and wonder of our interconnected web of life.

I struggled to write this talk because once I decided to write about biodiversity I convinced myself that I was writing about nature in general. I’ve been thinking for weeks that somehow I needed to convey all the wonders of nature and bring you onboard with me in 12 minutes. How can I talk about biodiversity without talking about all the animals and plants and fungi that I love? And then I heard Clay’s voice – when people are new to preaching the most common mistake is to do too much. You can do another talk. Keep each one focused and keep to the point.

So today we are talking about biodiversity because Thursday was the International Day for Biological Diversity, the day founded by the United Nations to promote not only nature in general but specifically biological diversity. Our seventh principle is Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This principle doesn’t just invite us to care for nature generally. It calls us to recognize, celebrate, and protect the diversity of life—the intricate systems that support the very possibility of existence.

Speaker:- Maria Hayward
Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh

A more in-depth look at sexist and racist language and a brief examination of affirming language for other minority groups such as refugees, neuro diverse and disabled communities. Reference to UU values will be made (again!)..

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Maria Hayward © 11 May 2025

This is part 2 of the conversation on the language of reverence. You may recall from my first talk on this topic, I suggested that reverence may exist both in the feeling of respect that we have towards others, as well as in the language we choose to adopt. I also suggested that reverence might include the welcoming of Te Reo in our kōrero and in the acceptance of changes in language – such as the change to non-sexist or non-racist terms. And I mentioned that learning about reverence in language needs to mostly be about minority and marginalised groups such as the rainbow community – (they are the most vulnerable and anyway, the majority already know how to revere their own group or tribe).