On Saturday, December 11, about 25 UU’s from area
congregations stood in a crowd of about 200 to oppose the hate speech
delivered by members of the Westboro (KS) Baptist church. Westboro
protesters were in Raleigh to disrupt the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards.
Despite chilly weather, by Raleigh standards, and a steady downpour,
people gathered in support of the grace and dignity exemplified by Elizabeth Edwards and in opposition to the negative and hateful accusations voiced by the Westboro group.
On
Friday afternoon, the Rev. Deborah Cayer, minister of the Eno River UU
Fellowship sent out a Call for Action of Immediate Witness to the UUCCNC
(the cluster of UU congregations in central North Carolina) inviting
congregations to join other religious liberals and conservatives who
were forming a “line of love” to stand between the protesters and the
church where the funeral was to be held. Despite the short notice and
heavy rain, UU’s from five area congregations gathered behind the
“Standing on the Side of Love” banner in quiet witness to the power of
love over hate. Congregations represented were the Eno River UU
Fellowship (Durham), All Souls UU Church (Durham), the UU Congregation of Hillsborough, the Community
Church of Chapel Hill-UU, the UU Fellowship of Raleigh, and UU PEACE
Fellowship (North Raleigh). Joining the group were ministers Ruth
Gibson, Patty Hanneman, and Tom Rhodes. The Revs. Gibson and Hanneman
observed that we were indeed active participants in “the separation of
church and hate.”
Submitted by Carole Stephens, UU PEACE Fellowship, Raleigh
Photo by Susan Holahan, UU PEACE Fellowship
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