2017-18 Common Reads: Centering; Daring Democracy

In 2010, the Unitarian Universalist Association began selecting an annual Common Read. "A Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations."

For 2017-18, two Common Read books have been selected:

1. Mitra Rahnema, Ed. Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry. CLICK HERE.

This anthology, a joint project of the UU Ministers Association's Committee for Antiracism, Anti-oppression, and Multiculturalism (UUMA-CARAOMC) and Skinner House Books, is the first book to center the stories, analysis, and insight of Unitarian Universalist religious leaders of color as they explore how racial identity is made both visible and invisible in Unitarian Universalist communities.

In October 2015, a group of distinguished UU religious professionals of color gathered together in Chicago, sponsored by UUMA-CARAOMC, to embark on a radical project. The conference worked from the premise that discussions of race in Unitarian Universalism have too often presupposed a White audience and prioritized the needs, education, and emotions of the White majority. The goal was to reframe UU anti-oppression work by putting the voices, experiences and learnings of people of color at the center of the conversation. The resulting book captures the papers that were presented and the rich dialogue from the conference to share personal stories and address the challenges that religious leaders of color face in exercising power, agency, and authority in a culturally White denomination.

The editor, Rev. Mitra Rahnema, is a biracial Iranian American lifelong Unitarian Universalist. She is currently offering her ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Long Beach, California. Prior to Long Beach she served communities in Grosse Point, Michigan; Mission Viejo, California; and Kansas City, Kansas. She is currently a member of the UUMA-CARAOMC. She has dedicated her life toward building vibrant and engaged anti-oppressive communities.

STUDY GUIDE (28 pp.)

2. Frances Moore Lappé and Adam Eichen, Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning, and Connection for the America We Want. CLICK HERE.

This optimistic book on the importance of democracy itself examines the anti-democracy movement that led to the Trump presidency, then offers a vision and call to action to save the democracy we thought we had and to take our civic life to a place it has never been. What do we do now?
Organize and fight to protect and expand our democracy.

With our democracy in crisis, many Americans are frightened and uncertain. So, the legendary activist Frances Moore Lappé, and organizer-scholar Adam Eichen teamed up to tell the underreported story of a "movement of movements" arising to tackle the roots of the crisis. The authors view the Trump presidency as a symptom of a shocking anti-democracy movement and expose the events that drove us to this crisis. But their focus is on solutions: how people from all backgrounds, committed to an array of social-justice causes, are creating a canopy of hope, what Lappé and Eichen call the "democracy movement." The arising democracy movement's innovative and inspiring strategies are enabling millions of Americans to feel part of something big, historic, and positive.

Democracy is not only possible but essential to meet the most basic human needs for power, meaning, and connection; joining the democracy movement is thus a daring and noble undertaking calling each of us.

STUDY GUIDE (31 pp.)

For past Common Reads, 2010-11 through 2016-17: CLICK HERE

Common Reads: 2010-17

In 2010, the Unitarian Universalist Association began selecting an annual Common Read. "A Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations."

The UUA Common Reads, 2010-11 through 2016-17:

2016-17: William Barber, The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear. CLICK HERE.

At a time when divide-and-conquer politics are exacerbating racial strife and economic inequality, Rev. Barber offers an impassioned, historically grounded argument that Moral Mondays are hard evidence of an embryonic Third Reconstruction in America.

The first Reconstruction briefly flourished after Emancipation, and the second Reconstruction ushered in meaningful progress in the civil rights era. But both were met by ferocious reactionary measures that severely curtailed, and in many cases rolled back, racial and economic progress. This Third Reconstruction is a profoundly moral awakening of justice-loving people united in a fusion coalition powerful enough to reclaim the possibility of democracy-even in the face of corporate-financed extremism.

In this memoir of how Rev. Barber and allies as diverse as progressive Christians, union members, and immigration-rights activists came together to build a coalition, he offers a trenchant analysis of race-based inequality and a hopeful message for a nation grappling with persistent racial and economic injustice. Rev. Barber writes movingly-and pragmatically-about how he laid the groundwork for a state-by-state movement that unites black, white, and brown, rich and poor, employed and unemployed, gay and straight, documented and undocumented, religious and secular. Only such a diverse fusion movement, Rev. Barber argues, can heal our nation's wounds and produce public policy that is morally defensible, constitutionally consistent, and economically sane. The Third Reconstruction is both a blueprint for movement building and an inspiring call to action from the twenty-first century's most effective grassroots organizer.

Drawing on the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, while making room for other sources of truth, the book challenges us to ground our justice work in moral dissent, even when there is no reasonable expectation of political success, and to do the hard work of coalition building in a society that is fractured and polarized.

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2015-16: Bryan Stephenson, Just Mercy. CLICK HERE.

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice -- from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Rev. Meredith Garmon's sermon, "Just Mercy": CLICK HERE.

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2014-15: Paul Rasor, Reclaiming Prophetic Witness. CLICK HERE.

In Reclaiming Prophetic Witness, Rasor argues that conservative Christianity is not the only valid religious  voice in our national social policy. His book invites Unitarian Universalists to explore and claim our c ontribution, as religious liberals, to the pressing moral and ethical debates of our contemporary world.

This year's selection is an elegantly written, 105-page gem. Rasor observes that many liberals are uncomfortable with talking about our faith as the well from which spring our social justice commitments. The book includes insights from our theological heritage and our history that have bearing for us today, and calls us to prophetic, faith-based justice work.

In Reclaiming Prophetic Witness, Rasor argues that conservative Christianity is not the only valid religious voice in our national social policy. His book invites Unitarian Universalists to explore and claim our contribution, as religious liberals, to the pressing moral and ethical debates of our contemporary world. This elegantly written, 105-page book, is a gem. Rasor observes that many liberals are uncomfortable with talking about our faith as the well from which spring our social justice commitments. The book includes insights from our theological heritage and our history that have bearing for us today, and calls us to prophetic, faith-based justice work.

Rev. Meredith Garmon's sermon, "Reclaiming Prophetic Witness": CLICK HERE.

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2013-14: Saru Jayaraman, Behind the Kitchen Door. CLICK HERE.

Behind the Kitchen Door "reveals how restaurant workers live on some of the lowest wages in America and how poor working conditions—discriminatory labor practices, exploitation, and unsanitary kitchens—affect the meals that arrive at our restaurant tables. The author, who launched a national restaurant workers organization after 9/11, tells the stories of ten restaurant workers in cities across the United States as she explores the political, economic, and moral implications of eating out: What’s at stake when we choose a restaurant is not only our own health or “foodie” experience but also the health and well-being of the second largest private sector workforce—10 million people, many immigrants, many people of color, who bring passion, tenacity, and insight into the American dining experience.

"Behind the Kitchen Door invites Unitarian Universalists to intentionally consider their practices in restaurant dining. It makes visible the lives of people who are subject to discrimination and oppression based on economic status, race, ethnicity, gender, and/or immigration status. Common Read groups are encouraged to let Behind the Kitchen Door inspire follow-up action, such as advocacy for just working conditions for restaurant workers, as part of a commitment to ethical eating. Use the UUA's economic justice resources to learn about minimum wage campaign and actions you and your congregation can take to help." (UUA Website).

Rev. Meredith Garmon's sermon, "Behind the Kitchen Door": CLICK HERE.

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2012-13: Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow CLICK HERE.

Once in a great while a book comes along that changes the way we see the world and helps to fuel a nationwide social movement. The New Jim Crow is such a book. Praised by Harvard Law professor Lani Guinier as "brave and bold," this book directly challenges the notion that the election of Barack Obama signals a new era of colorblindness. With dazzling candor, legal scholar Michelle Alexander argues that "we have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it." By targeting black men through the War on Drugs and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control — relegating millions to a permanent second-class status — even as it formally adheres to the principle of colorblindness. In the words of Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, this book is a "call to action."

Called "stunning" by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David Levering Lewis, "invaluable" by the Daily Kos, "explosive" by Kirkus, and "profoundly necessary" by the Miami Herald, this updated and revised paperback edition of The New Jim Crow, now with a foreword by Cornel West, is a must-read for all people of conscience.

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2011-12: Eboo Patel, Acts of Faith. CLICK HERE.

Acts of Faith is a remarkable account of growing up Muslim in America and coming to believe in religious pluralism, from one of the most prominent faith leaders in the United States. Eboo Patel’s story is a hopeful and moving testament to the power and passion of young people — and of the world-changing potential of an interfaith youth movement.

Patel, a former Rhodes scholar with a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford, is the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that unites young people of different religions to perform community service and explore their common values. Patel argues that such work is essential, manifesting the faith line that will define the 21st century. Patel's own story is more powerful than the exhaustive examples he provides of how mainstream faith failed to reach young people like Osama bin Laden and Yighal Amir, the assassin of Yitzhak Rabin. With honesty, Patel relates how he suffered the racist taunts of fellow youth, and, in response, alternately rebelled against and absorbed the religion of his parents — Islam — but in his own way. Meanwhile, he continued to pursue interfaith work with vigor, not quite knowing his end goal but always feeling in his gut that interfaith understanding was the key. This autobiography of a young activist captures how an angry youth can be transformed—by faith, by the community and, most of all, by himself — into a profound leader for the cause of peace.

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2010-11: Margaret Regan, The Death of Josseline. CLICK HERE.

Dispatches from Arizona—the front line of a massive human migration—including the voices of migrants, Border Patrol, ranchers, activists, and others

For the last decade, Margaret Regan has reported on the escalating chaos along the Arizona-Mexico border, ground zero for immigration since 2000. Undocumented migrants cross into Arizona in overwhelming numbers, a state whose anti-immigrant laws are the most stringent in the nation. And Arizona has the highest number of migrant deaths. Fourteen-year-old Josseline, a young girl from El Salvador who was left to die alone on the migrant trail, was just one of thousands to perish in its deserts and mountains.

With a sweeping perspective and vivid on-the-ground reportage, Regan tells the stories of the people caught up in this international tragedy. Traveling back and forth across the border, she visits migrants stranded in Mexican shelters and rides shotgun with Border Patrol agents in Arizona, hiking with them for hours in the scorching desert; she camps out in the thorny wilderness with No More Deaths activists and meets with angry ranchers and vigilantes. Using Arizona as a microcosm, Regan explores a host of urgent issues: the border militarization that threatens the rights of U.S. citizens, the environmental damage wrought by the border wall, the desperation that compels migrants to come north, and the human tragedy of the unidentified dead in Arizona’s morgues.

Class on the 2014-15 "Common Read"

All Westchester Unitarian Universalists are invited to participate in a discussion class on the UU "Common Read."

The class will be facilitated by Rev. Meredith Garmon (of Community Unitarian Church at White Plains) and Rev. Peggy Clarke (of First Unitarian Society of Westchester; in Hastings).

The class is offered twice -- choose the time and place most convenient for you:

Tue Feb 24, 7:30p
Community Unitarian Church
468 Rosedale Ave
White Plains, NY 10605

and

Wed Feb 25, 11:00a
First Unitarian Society of Westchester
25 Old Jackson Highway
Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706

No need to register. Just show up!

The Unitarian Universalist "Common Read" for 2014-15 is: Paul Rasor, Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square

About the UUA Common Read: A selection committee including both headquarters and field staff of the UUA is charged each year to discern the most useful and appealing offering for congregations and individual Unitarian Universalists. Last summer, the committee thoughtfully considered the 14 books nominated for the 2014-15 Common Read. Last Aug, they announced their choice.

In Reclaiming Prophetic Witness, Rasor argues that conservative Christianity is not the only valid religious voice in our national social policy. His book invites Unitarian Universalists to explore and claim our contribution, as religious liberals, to the pressing moral and ethical debates of our contemporary world. This elegantly written, 105-page book, is a gem. Rasor observes that many liberals are uncomfortable with talking about our faith as the well from which spring our social justice commitments. The book includes insights from our theological heritage and our history that have bearing for us today, and calls us to prophetic, faith-based justice work.

To read Rev. Meredith Garmon's sermon, "Reclaiming Prophetic Witness": CLICK HERE.

The UUA Common Read began as part of long-range preparation for the 2012 “Justice” General Assembly.

Past years' Common Reads:
2010-11: Margaret Regan, The Death of Josseline
2011-12: Eboo Patel, Acts of Faith
2012-13: Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow
2013-14: Saru Jayaraman, Behind the Kitchen Door

Order your copy from the UUA Bookstore: CLICK HERE
Or from Amazon: CLICK HERE

2014-15 Common Read: Reclaiming Prophetic Witness

The Unitarian Universalist "Common Read" for 2014-15 is:

Paul Rasor, Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square

The selection committee met during the summer, thoughtfully considered the 14 books nominated for the 2014-15 Common Read, and, on Aug 5 announced their choice.

In Reclaiming Prophetic Witness, Rasor argues that conservative Christianity is not the only valid religious  voice in our national social policy. His book invites Unitarian Universalists to explore and claim our c ontribution, as religious liberals, to the pressing moral and ethical debates of our contemporary world.

Th e UUA Common Read began as part of long-range preparation for the 2012 “Justice” General Assembly.

Past years' Common Reads:
2010-11: Margaret Regan, The Death of Josseline
2011-12: Eboo Patel, Acts of Faith
2012-13: Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow
2013-14: Saru Jayaraman, Behind the Kitchen Door

The selection committee includes both headquarters and field staff of the UUA, charged each year to discern the most useful and appealing offering for congregations and individual Unitarian Universalists. This year's selection is an elegantly written, 105-page book is a gem. Rasor observes that many liberals are uncomfortable with talking about our faith as the well from which spring our social justice commitments. The book includes insights from our theological heritage and our history that have bearing for us today, and calls us to prophetic, faith-based justice work.

Order your copy from the UUA Bookstore: CLICK HERE
Or from Amazon: CLICK HERE

Books for a Well-Grounded UU Faith

Twenty Books Toward a Well-Grounded Unitarian Universalist Faith
Assembled by Rev. Meredith Garmon

WHERE WE COME FROM: FIRST OVERVIEW
Start with these two, which lay the foundation. If you were to only read two books about UU, and you needed them to be fairly short, these are the two I'd recommend.

1. Conrad Wright, Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism: Channing, Emerson, Parker (Skinner House, 1994). 160pp. Includes the three absolutely essential statements from which everything else in Unitarian history grew: William Ellery Channing, “Unitarian Christianity” (1819), Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Divinity School Address” (1838), and Theodor Parker, “The Transient and the Permanent in Christianity” (1841). Conrad Wright’s extensive introduction is most helpful.

2. David Bumbaugh, Unitarian Universalism: A Narrative History (Meadville-Lombard, 2001). 226pp. A short, easy-to-read overview of our story. The only flaw is that Bumbaugh neglects to mention the Iowa Sisterhood, a cadre of women Unitarian ministers in the late 1800s who led churches out on the prairie frontier. This gap will be filled when you get to book #12 (below). Otherwise, this is a breezy and easily digestible book for beginning to get a handle on what UU is all about.

INTRODUCING UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST THEOLOGY
With the basics of our history under your belt, turn to our theology: our spiritual teachings and the grounding of our values.

3. Forrest Church and John A. Buehrens, A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism (Beacon, 1994). 240pp. The 240 pages are small. This interesting book is organized around the six sources of our UU living tradition, with one essay by Church and one by Buehrens on each of our sources. Buehrens and Church reference our history by discussing how our historical background is playing out in our churches today. A marvelous and important way of getting the grasp on what we are all about. At this stage, the grounding of your UU faith will be deepening, enriched by the heritage and thought of this tradition.

4. Edward A. Frost, Ed. With Purpose and Principle: Essays About the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism (Skinner House, 1998). 128pp. This little book offers a short history the seven UU Principles (adopted in 1985) followed by essays from John Buehrens, Marilyn Sewell, Earl Holt, and Barbara Merritt, and others exploring the meaning and significance of each principle.

FOCUS: UNIVERSALISM
Let’s now really focus on the Universalism side. The history here is rich and in itself offers us resources for living our faith today. Here, and in the next section on Unitarianism, the books offer diverse perspectives that will strengthen and expand the grasp on our story that you began to get from Bumbaugh (above). This section also includes exploration of Universalism's meaning today.

5. Charles A. Howe, The Larger Faith: A Short History of American Universalism (Skinner House, 1993). 168pp. Howe condenses Russell Miller’s massive two-volume study, The Larger Hope, vol 1: The First Century of the Universalist Church in America, 1770-1870 and The Larger Hope, vol. 2: The Second Century of the Universalist Church in America, 1870-1970.

6. George Hunston Williams, American Universalism, 4th ed. (Skinner House, 2002). 136pp. This began as Williams's keynote address to the 1970 UUA General Assembly, expanded into this classic study of Universalist theological positions. Examines the richness of American Universalism and its many expressions in American life and thought. Williams considers the social reform efforts of Horace Greeley and Quillen Shinn, the ordination of women, the temperance movement and more.

7. Ernest Cassara, Editor. Universalism in America: A Documentary History of a Liberal Faith(Skinner House, 1997). 304pp. Selected writings from some of the most influential persons in Universalism, 1741 to 1961, plus incisive commentaries. Sketches the fascinating course of Universalism, stressing trends in thought and in American society.

How is this Universalist background continuing as a vital and alive source of our identity and growth today? See:

8. Forrest Church, The Cathedral of the World: A Universalist Theology (Beacon, 2010). 216pp. The last book from UU minister Forrest Church, who died of cancer in 2009. This collection of sermons, essays and speeches lays out a framework for a 21st-century universalist faith. Contrary to popular opinion, he says, universalism is the most morally rigorous of theologies because of its call to respect and even embrace otherness, rather than merely to tolerate or, even worse, dismiss it.

FOCUS: UNITARIANISM

We delve more deeply into our European roots and our American development. We’ll then examine two important chapters in Unitarian history: the first wave of women in our ministry, and the emergence of the Humanist movement.

9. Charles A. Howe, For Faith and Freedom: A Short History of Unitarianism in Europe (Skinner House, 1997). 232pp. Howe condenses and makes more readable Earl Morse Wilbur’s magisterial (though some have said "ponderous") two-volume history of Unitarianism in Europe.

10. Conrad Wright, Ed. A Stream of Light: A Short History of American Unitarianism (Skinner House, 2001). 192pp. Five authors, writing one chapter each, provide a survey of Unitarian thought in the US from 1805 to 1961.

11. Cynthia Grant Tucker, Prophetic Sisterhood: Liberal Women Ministers of the Frontier, 1880-1930 (Authors Choice, 1990, 2000). 312pp. Tucker, an English Professor, has written a powerful history of the women of the “Iowa Sisterhood”: Unitarian ministers in the late 1800s on the prairie frontier who broke through boundaries of gender and brought to Unitarianism a more family-centered and relational style of congregational life.

12. Mason Olds, American Religious Humanism (Religious Humanists, 1996). 237pp. In the 1920s and 1930s, influential Unitarian ministers John Dietrich, Curtis Reese, and others turned Unitarianism into a home for humanism. This is the story of how that happened.

OUR POLITY
“Polity” refers to how we govern ourselves. Our history of church autonomy says a lot – ultimately everything – about who we are.

13. Conrad Wright, Walking Together: Polity and Participation in Unitarian Universalist Churches (UUA, 1989). 166pp. The insistence that we shall have no popes, bishops, or church hierarchy -- no authority beyond each other, coming together in autonomous congregations -- has radical spiritual implications. Our polity embodies our religious approach in which we have only each other: right here, face to face, walking together as we seek a wiser love and a kinder world.

DIGGING DEEPER INTO OUR GROUNDING

14. George Kimmel Beach, Ed. The Essential James Luther Adams: Selected Essays and Addresses (Skinner House, 1997), 240pp. James Luther Adams (1901 – 1996) was the most important Unitarian theologian of the 20th Century. This little book collects essays spanning Adams’ long career.

15. Paul Rasor, Faith Without Certainty: Liberal Theology in the 21st Century (Skinner House, 2005). 256pp. Paul Rasor, a UU minister, further develops the tradition of James Luther Adams. His clear-eyed yet hopeful analysis explores the dynamic tensions of liberal theology, committed to individual freedom on the one hand and community on the other.

16. Rebecca Ann Parker, Blessing the World: What Can Save Us Now (Skinner House, 2006). 169pp. Rebecca Parker, president and professor of theology at the UU seminary, Starr King School for the Ministry, is moving, original, and heartfelt in the eloquence with which she draws upon and recasts theological resources that direct us away from violence and toward the forces that repair broken life.

OUR SOCIAL JUSTICE WORK

17. Richard S. Gilbert, The Prophetic Imperative: Social Gospel in Theory and Practice, 2nd Ed. (Skinner House, 1989, 2000). 191pp. Richard Gilbert, a UU minister, explores the connections between spirituality and social action. The book’s two parts, "Theoretical Foundations" and "Social Gospel in Practice," contain vital advice and models for congregational mobilization for justice work

18. Sharon Welch, A Feminist Ethic of Risk (Augsberg Fortress, 1989). 208 pp. Sharon Welch, Provost and Professor of Religion and Society at the Unitarian Universalist seminary, Meadville Lombard Theological School, proposes a new model for ethics and new life orientation for social justice. In this book, Welch directly addresses American and European "middle-class despair" over issues and challenges seemingly too large to tackle, such as environmental destruction or racism. Her ethic uproots classical assumptions and opens up the possibility of a strong religious vision or "theology of resistance and hope."

19. John Gibb Millspaugh, Ed. A People So Bold: Theology and Ministry for Unitarian Universalists (Skinner House, 2009). Twenty-two prominent ministers, lay leaders and theologians discuss the future of Unitarian Universalist social justice work. Their thoughts and hopes for the future are captured in this inspiring collection of essays. Grounding this mission in an historical context, these voices address questions like: How does our faith hold brokenness, injustice and suffering? and How do we develop a prophetic voice?

OUR HISTORY AGAIN: A NEW LOOK BACK
This self-guided study course concludes with this new book which will reward the work of your reading up to this point, and offer vital and important additional perspectives on who we are, how we got this way, and where we go from here.

20. John A. Buehrens, Universalists and Unitarians in America: A People’s History (Skinner House, 2011). John Buehrens begins his new history with the observation that "Religion is people." While previous accounts of Universalism and Unitarianism have focused on a few great men, this history shines a light on the contributions of many, both exalted and obscure, whose stories illustrate the texture of lived religion. Both faiths are chronicled in parallel development through their consolidation in 1961. Buehrens weaves a historical tapestry rich in color and meaning.

Epilogue: In the light of all you’ve studied, come full circle and now re-read the Channing, Emerson, and Parker addresses in book #1, above. Much indeed has grown from those roots!

Shermer: "The Science of Good and Evil"

The "Science and Spirituality" group meets at CUC every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.
11:30a - 1:00p

On Thu Jan 23, the group will be concluding its read of:

 Michael Shermer, The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule (2004).

For Jan 23, the focus will be on the concluding two chapters -- chaps 7 and 8.

About the book:

'From bestselling author Michael Shermer, an investigation of the evolution of morality that is "a paragon of popularized science and philosophy" The Sun (Baltimore)

'A century and a half after Darwin first proposed an "evolutionary ethics," science has begun to tackle the roots of morality. Just as evolutionary biologists study why we are hungry (to motivate us to eat) or why sex is enjoyable (to motivate us to procreate), they are now searching for the very nature of humanity.

'In The Science of Good and Evil, science historian Michael Shermer explores how humans evolved from social primates to moral primates; how and why morality motivates the human animal; and how the foundation of moral principles can be built upon empirical evidence.

Along the way he explains the implications of scientific findings for fate and free will, the existence of pure good and pure evil, and the development of early moral sentiments among the first humans. As he closes the divide between science and morality, Shermer draws on stories from the Yanamamö, infamously known as the "fierce people" of the tropical rain forest, to the Stanford studies on jailers' behavior in prisons. The Science of Good and Evil is ultimately a profound look at the moral animal, belief, and the scientific pursuit of truth.'

Join us!

In The Spirit of Truth with Stuart Perrin: Sun Feb 2

Stuart Perrin writes:

"In 1992, with my colleague Kristina Jones, I co­founded a safe house in Kathmandu, Nepal. We ran this organization from 1992 to 1996. The goal was to find children that were prime targets for the sex trafficking industry and convince their parents to place the children in the safe house instead of selling them to traffickers. We worked closely with doctors and NGO’s to find these children. But, this wasn’t easy. People living in the hinterlands of Nepal earned about $15 to $20 a year. A girl had less value than a water buffalo. If she didn’t get married, she was a disgrace to her family. To marry her, the family had to give a sizeable dowry. When a trafficker offered $200.00 (in rupees) to a family, it was a virtual fortune. Each family had between four and twelve children. They were told that the girl would work as a nanny or as a factory hand in Bombay. She would be able to send money home. Of course, this wasn’t true. The child was sold to a brothel in Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta or somewhere else in India and never heard from again. Kristina and I also had women and children in the safe house that had escaped from or were thrown out of Bombay brothels because they had AIDS. At the time, there were about twenty girls living in the safe house. Today there are many more.

"In 1996, because of personal illness, Krisitna had to leave Nepal. She and I spoke with Dr. Aruna Uprety who ran RHEST (Rural Health and Educational Trust of Nepal) and asked her if they could incorporate their organization (called Bahini) under the auspices of RHEST. Aruna agreed to do this. Bahini was the first organization of its kind every started in Nepal. About a year and a half ago, Aruna telephoned Kristina and I, and told us, that because we started the Bahini Foundation it had saved the lives of about 10,000 Nepalese children.

"The stories I heard from women who had lived in Bombay brothels were so dark and inhuman they forced me to write my book titled “Little Sisters.” I wanted people to see what actually happens to innocent twelve­year old children when they are sold to brothels; I wanted people to see how they are stripped of their souls and transformed into machines that service a score of men a day. If I tried to make a documentary film like this, I would probably have gotten myself killed. Fiction was the only means I could use to get at the truth. If people actually see what goes on in a dramatic and digestible way, I believed that laws would change and more attention would be paid to the problem. Little Sisters was published about eight months ago. Members of the FBI and police detectives I have done panel events with in New York and other cities have told me that what I wrote about in my book is a mirror image of what goes on in the United States.

"Suggested reading: “LITTLE SISTERS” by Stuart Perrin (available from Amazon.com in kindle and print formats; also available from Apple e­store, Sony e­reader; Nook, Smashwords, etc. in a digital format). If your local bookstore doesn’t have it in stock, it can be ordered from their distributor.

"A Brief Synopsis: “Little Sisters” is a multicultural family and love story that’s set in New York City, Nepal and Mumbai, India. The underlying theme is child trafficking into prostitution. It takes you on a journey from the world of vast New York City wealth to the hinterlands of extreme poverty in Nepal to brothels in Mumbai, India. Gita, an extremely beautiful Nepalese dancer is married to Daniel Gold, an A­list lawyer who was born to parents that are fabulously wealthy. They plan a trip to the hinterlands of Nepal to see Gita’s family, a second honeymoon of sorts that eventually leads them into the heart of darkness. Though set in New York and Asia, the plot line of Little Sisters has a strong influence from classical tragedy. The most sophisticated characters turn out to be the most innocent and the darkest characters become tragic heroes. A Saga­like family story, Little Sisters takes the reader on an incredible journey.

"Bio: I have spent much of my life teaching meditation at centers I helped to form around the world. In 1992, I opened a meditation center in Kathmandu. That’s how Kristina Jones and I discovered the sex­slave industry in Nepal. The Bahini Foundation (safe house) was an outgrowth of our spiritual practice. It was a way that we could give something back to the world."

On Sun Feb 2, in the Fellowship Hall after the service (11:45 - 1:15p), Stuart will join the In The Spirit of Truth gathering to share his experiences and passion. Don't miss it!

For the Amazon page for Stuart Perrin's novel, Little Sisters, CLICK HERE.