Something more important than music.

Last Sunday, a coward with a strong case of hatred for liberals attacked the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, killing two members of the congregation and wounded six others. His reason for doing it was apparently political more than religious -- he'd made statements highly critical of Christians as well -- but it speaks to a dangerous undercurrent in our culture, a feeling it's OK to kill or harm certain people over politics, over race, over sexuality.

This sort of thinking should have been buried in the 19th century at the absolute latest. And maybe part of the reason it hasn't been is because those of us who take a progressive -- a liberal -- stance have allowed ourselves to be bullied into silence.

I'm a Unitarian Universalist, as is Sara at Crooks and Liars, who puts the feelings of many in our religion to words. We're a small religion, but we've had a great amount of influence in American society over the years, with the first six presidents linked to either Unitarianism or Universalism. (The two liberal Christian churches merged in the early 1960s to create one new religion whose members may or may not identify as Christians -- depends on the individual.)

You don't have to agree with my religion. I don't have to agree with yours. But if we can't agree that killing each other is a bit extreme, then what hope is there for our society? If we tear ourselves apart from the inside -- if we stand back and let others be oppressed -- then what hope do we have of standing against outside enemies?

In the words of Pastor Martin Niemöller:

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak up,
because I was a Protestant.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Throw the Unitarian Universalists in there and think on it. Who's next in the crosshairs of insanity?

Learn more about UUism at the site of the Unitarian Universalist Association, or at the 100 Questions Non-Members Ask About Unitarian Universalism site. If you're so moved, the UUA's Knoxville Relief Fund is taking donations for the victims of the July 27 attack.