Video Much Ado About Article II

Town Hall Reminder

We are providing a reminder that a Town Hall meeting is scheduled on March 27, 2024, at 8:00 PM to discuss the Article II amendments to be voted upon at the June virtual General Assembly. Pre-registration is required. Please review the other upcoming Town Hall Meetings. You can request to have this schedule emailed to you.

Four amendments have obtained support from 15 UU Congregations and will be on the agenda for the June 2024 General Assembly. Sponsors of those amendments will discuss their amendments, their journey, and the next steps. The Article II Study Commission has been invited to send a representative.

  • Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024
  • Time: 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Mountain, 5:00 PM Pacific
  • Duration: 75 – 90 minutes

Video – Much Ado About Article II

Why A Major Revision of UU’s Principles Was Predictable

When discussing Article II, it is important to understand that the proposed language is not a revision but a complete replacement of Article II.

We share another excellent Ken Ing video entitled Much Ado About Article II. This video tackles the unanswered question.

Why has Article II been completely rewritten?

It is vital to the democratic process that General Assembly delegates knowledgeably vote with a complete understanding of the reasons for the replacement of Article II and the impacts of the proposed changes.

Unfortunately, those reasons and impacts are only available to UUs with a detailed understanding of years of UUA reports and working group recommendations. The UUA’s 2020 report, Widening the Circle of Concern, for example, contains many insights into the motivation for the Article II replacement. Very, very few UUs have actually read this report. Fortunately, Ken shares his due diligence from his study of this report and other documents.

In a nutshell, the proposed changes are intended to transform Unitarian Universalism.

The proposed changes also begin the restructuring of systems of power. Not surprisingly, individuals and congregations are the losers in this power realignment and the Association grants itself new powers to establish covenants and accountability. The right to individual freedom of belief is abandoned. Removing from the Association’s primary purpose to “serve the needs of its member congregations” enables a redistribution of power and authority, threatening congregational autonomy.

Please take the time to watch this 58-minute video. You will find a Table of Contents in the YouTube video description.  Click …More to see this index to the video.

Two Important Things

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Terri
Terri
8 months ago

I love this video! Very clear and concise. And even though I feel fairly well-informed about the proposed Article rewrite, there was information I’d not heard before about the subject that will serve our goal of changing minds and hearts going forward. Thanks, Ken!

Melinda Lewis
Melinda Lewis
7 months ago

Truly outstanding presentation! I finally understand the proposed changes, and it really clarified why I have had an aversion to them ever since I first encountered them. I appreciated the linguistic analyses very much.