July 8, 2009 - With the celebration of our country's Independence Day just a few days ago, we thought we would bring light once more to a growing problem in America; hate and the effect that it has upon an individual's peace, freedom, liberty and independence from public persecution.
The Congress of the United States is proposing a Hate Crimes Bill which we support 100%. It is time to atone for the sins of the past and the sons of Hate must realize that just as the Nazi's used flags and hate speech to persecute Jews, Homosexuals and people with mental illness; it would be wrong for any state with a large German population to incorporate the Nazi flag into a state flag in this country. There are those who suggest that the stars and bars of the rebel confederate states are a symbol of American heritage; but there is no heritage seen by the sons and daughters of slaves who were rounded up, hung, worked and sexually used. We have come a long way to allow a black man to occupy the White House which blacks built. We believe that speech transcends refusing to allow a child of God, who by nature is gay, to not speak his truth as to his creation. We believe that right-wing radio is at times not much different than the propaganda radio of Nazi Germany or the lies spread about Southern Heritage.
This continuum of hate transcends to the pulpits who host the most segregated hour of air time on Sunday mornings pitting one religion against another, single parents against two-parented families and non-believers against believers. Such is the elitism of a church that frightens children into believing that they will be sent to Hell and burned forever if they refuse to accept the dogma found on our public airwaves. Hate speech as well as pornography belongs on cable, not on the people's FCC controlled airwaves. One cannot be sent to Hell without certification that Hell exists. A lie is a lie, and as the 19th Century writer Thomas Carlyle said, "Nature admits no lie."
Some time ago we proposed a similar course of action to stop all hate speech originating from such organizations as the Aryan Nation, KKK, and White Citizens Council etc...
In September 2000, the Neo-Nazi Hate Group, Aryan Nation of Hayden Lake, ID was forced to pay damages of $6.3 million to a mother and young son who were attacked by members of the hate group. Lacking the liquidity, the Aryan Nation was forced to hand over all of its property, both physical and intellectual. This included many writings and publications. The plaintiffs gained exclusive rights to the group's hate literature and memorabilia, ending their publishing and sale.
The sons and daughters of slaves should collectively sue for ownership of the Confederate flag, thereby preventing the use or sale of its image without their explicit permission. Ownership of the flag is clear and it should be argued that, being the property of the Confederate States of America who sanctioned the systematic rape and lynching of thousands of black folk in the South and cost the United States more blood than any war in its history; ultimately assassinating the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Blacks should be able to take control of all the properties and "war relics" of the Confederacy and legislation such as the proposed hate crimes bill should be accepted with open arms to prevent such actions from ever happening again.
G. Martin Freeman, Presiding Chaplain
Universal Life Church Monastery
This article is simplistic in a way which does not illuminate truth and oneness, but rather uses simple inference and allusion to great ideals and ideas while at the same time ignoring the actual meaning of those great ideals and truths. The largest glaring instance of lack of historical understanding from a post on the ULC (which I am a part of and respect) is the seeming lack of awareness of the co-opting of one of the most sacred and spiritual symbols by the NAZI Party. The symbol can be viewed to this day in carvings in the swastika valley in northern India from thousands of years ago. The Nazi Symbol is the bastardization of a sacred symbol in an attempt to gain spiritual power for the Nazi Party. Secondly, banning or denigrating something from a place of resistance only empowers the idea or energy behind it. We as spiritual ministers of Oneness need to acknowledge that "God is All", and nothing -- flags, hate, love, symbols, ideas, --- is outside of the Oneness. When we accept and then operate from this perspective... we accept and love those who are misguided or in error and have distanced themselves from the loving embrace of their true Oneness with The Diving Creative Principle. They are harming themselves much more than they could ever harm a "human". To focus on the many differing opinions about a "Flag" or "Symbol" simply divides us into the illusion of separateness. We can all have our various different opinions about the Battle Flag of Virginia and still acknowledge we are all brothers and sisters. Responding to a different opinion with hate or the need to control masses of people thru laws instead of loving them and changing their hearts and minds will not result in bringing our family together in Love.