By Rev. Clay Nelson & Jonathan Mason
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No text this week.
War against peace hidden in Panama Papers
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 24 April 2016
Introduction – The White Poppy.
Tomorrow is the 100th observance of ANZAC Day. The first was one year after 2779 New Zealanders, 8500 Australians, 44,000 from France and Britain and their empires, and 87,000 Turks died at Gallipoli. It is a day of remembrance for those sacrificed on foreign soil for “King and Country.” It is as popular as it ever was. Thousands will rise early to attend the Dawn Parade. They will hear prayers, sing Lest we forget, listen to Laurence Binyon’s fourth verse from his poem For the Fallen:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
I hope a few of those stirred to tears during the playing of The Last Post will also remember those 2600 brave souls who in the face of tremendous public scorn opposed the folly of war. Conscientious objectors paid a high price. They lost their civil rights, including being denied voting rights for 10 years and being barred from working for government or local bodies. At least 273 were imprisoned for failing to serve, some of them Unitarians. Continue reading War against peace hidden in Panama Papers
The Trumpocalypse: How did we get here?
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 17 April 2016
UK prime minister Harold Wilson famously said, “A week is a long time in politics.” Well, it has been two weeks since I expressed my concern that Donald Trump was not being taken seriously enough and that IF he got the nomination his particular set of gifts and the current mood of the electorate could possibly end with him winning in a landslide against Hillary Clinton.
One news site that sends me a daily email has been measuring the likelihood of Trump becoming president in terms of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Two weeks ago they were giving it one and a half horsemen. Today they are giving it only one. What has changed? Continue reading The Trumpocalypse: How did we get here?
The Future of Work
By Rachel Mackintosh
Vice President of the NZ Council of Trade Unions and National Director of Organising for E tū, NZ’s largest private union.
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Rachel Mackintosh © 10 April 2016
When I was 10, I saw a terrifying programme on TV. I recall a scene outside a secondary school, kids milling around, in school uniform, jumpers, schoolbags, looking normal, waiting for their buses … kids living their lives, friendships, fears, jealousies, exams, misunderstandings, understandings, learning, growing up.
The programme was about how these kids, unlike their parents — who would have been in a scene pretty much the same at the same age — could expect to have trouble finding work when they left school. It was predicting unemployment. Continue reading The Future of Work
Is New Zealand Safe From Trumpism?
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 3 April 2016
Sixteen years ago there was an episode of The Simpsons where Bart is shown his life 30 years in the future. Not surprisingly he learns he will become a beer-swilling bum. On the other hand Lisa is shown behind the desk in the Oval Office as the “first straight female President” telling her staff “As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump. How bad is it? The country is broke.”
It turns out that Dan Greaney who wrote the episode may have only been about six years off in his prediction. Continue reading Is New Zealand Safe From Trumpism?
Reality versus Illusion: How do we know which is which?
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 27 March 2016
One of the few difficulties I’ve had as a refugee from the Northern Hemisphere is celebrating Easter with autumn’s chrysanthemums and not spring’s lilies. It was ingrained into me that Easter had to be a spring holiday. After all, Easter takes its name from the Saxon Mother Goddess, Eostre, which means spring. But recently I read about the northern autumn festival celebrated by Hindus, Divali. It changed my perspective. As with Easter, Divali’s date is determined by the moon. It is a great festival of light—burning candles set floating out on the water along the banks of rivers and candles in people’s homes and in temples, dazzling fireworks, gaily coloured greeting cards, family visits, the giving of gifts. On Divali Eve, Laksmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune is said to ride across the land astride a giant owl just at dusk, scattering her gifts to all who deserve them. To us Divali seems to be a strange admixture of Christmas (lights and gifts), Guy Fawkes (fireworks), and Halloween (flying witches and owls). To the Hindu it is a celebration of the victory of good over evil, light over darkness, of humanity’s never ceasing effort to achieve a true and harmonious relationship to ultimate reality.
Continue reading Reality versus Illusion: How do we know which is which?
Mark Twain visits Auckland Unitarians
Mark Twain toured New Zealand in 1895 as part of his world speaking tour. At that time, he was one of the most readily recognized personalities on the world stage. His programmes brought his social comment to audiences using wit, sarcasm, irony and straight humor. This Sunday, member David Rohe reprises his role as Samuel Clemens sharing some of Twain’s observations of the human condition that speak to us today.
This monologue is an edited version of Hal Holbrook’s “Mark Twain tonight.”
Are You a Mystic?
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 13 March 2016
The title of this sermon is really a ruse. I’m not really asking you if you are a mystic. I’m really asking if I am. I’m not sure yet why it would matter if I am or not. How is it possible to really know? Is it even desirable, especially if you are a minister to a group of Unitarians, many of whom are humanist in their perspective? Is being a mystic something that you are born to be or is it something you can become? What difference would discovering I am a mystic make for others or me? Continue reading Are You a Mystic?
Creeds and Deeds: Mixing Religion and Politics
By Rev. Clay Nelson
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https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/podcast/20160306RevClayNelson_CreedsAndDeeds.mp3″]
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Rev. Clay Nelson © 6 March 2016
Recently Rachel and I were at a wedding breakfast as compensation for my officiating at the wedding. This wasn’t a particularly new experience. I have pronounced at least 500 couples to be husband and wife or wife and wife or husband and husband. The reception is not the most comfortable part of a wedding for me as an introvert. Most of the time the only people I know are the bride and groom and they are a little busy on such occasions to spend time chatting with me. Such occasions are even more challenging for Rachel, also an introvert, who usually only knows me, but ever the supportive partner, she goes so I have someone to talk to. Continue reading Creeds and Deeds: Mixing Religion and Politics
From Lisa to Elijah: Transition & Transcendence
The second of 2 Sundays this month devoted to Gender Identity and Transgender Issues.
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Speakers
Rev. Clay Nelson.
Elijah Luke Michel is a face-to-face Counsellor at OUTLine NZ and is a qualified Chaplain of no fixed faith.
Clay concluded with a meditation from Lenore Lux – What is Transgender?