Workshop 10: Taking Politics Public

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Part of Resistance and Transformation: Unitarian Universalist Social Justice History

In This Section

Introduction
From Resistance and Transformation

Our religious teachers, ministers and lay-men alike—from Thomas Jefferson to William Ellery Channing to Adlai Stevenson—have urged us to honor always the primacy of conscience over any external authority which we believe to be immoral… Thus it is natural that some of our young men must regard…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: Turn-in and Burn-in 25 Activity 2: Supporting Draft Resistance 25 Activity 3: Dissenting Voices 20 Faith in Action: Public Witness Closing 10 Alternate Activity 1: Turn-in and Burn-in — Sermon 30 Alternate Activity 2: Conscientious…
Spiritual Preparation
From Resistance and Transformation

The Vietnam War era was a dynamic, emotional, and contentious time in our nation’s history. If you participated in events during this time, take a moment to revisit your involvement. Whether or not you were politically active at the time, you probably have opinions about the United States’…
Welcoming and Entering
From Resistance and Transformation

Materials for Activity Sign-in sheet and pen or pencil Name tags for participants (durable or single-use), and bold markers Copies of Workshop 1, Handout 1, Schedule Optional: Refreshments Preparation for Activity Have copies of Workshop 1, Handout 1, Schedule on hand for those who need one….
Opening
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle Timepiece (minutes) Chime or bell Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for all participants Optional: Cloth for worship/centering table…
Activity 1: Turn-in and Burn-in
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Story, “The Church and the Draft Resisters” Handout 1, The Church and the Draft Resisters — Full Text Preparation for Activity Read the story and prepare to read it aloud to the group. Or, pre-arrange for a participant to do so and provide the…
Activity 2: Supporting Draft Resistance
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 2, UUA Resolutions on the Draft Handout 3, Social Witness and the UUA Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Read the current UUA guidelines for social witness. Find information, including graphs and outlines of the complete…
Activity 3: Dissenting Voices
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 4, This Letter Is to Express our Personal Disapproval Preparation for Activity Read Handout 4 and copy it for all participants. Arrange for two volunteers to read the correspondence between Rev….
Closing
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table and chalice Participant journals Writing materials, including paper, pens, pencils, color pencils, and markers Taking It Home handout Preparation for Activity Customize the Taking It Home section of this workshop and copy…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Resistance and Transformation

Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other: What went well? What did not? Why? What do you think was the best moment of the workshop? Why? Did anything surprise you? Review the next workshop. Are there any questions to research or logistics to arrange between workshops? Make a…
Faith In Action: Public Witness
From Resistance and Transformation

Preparation for Activity Find out what “political” issues your congregation has become involved with in recent years. Description of Activity Most Unitarian Universalist communities have at least one issue, large or small, that brings into question the role of the congregation in public witness.
Alternate Activity 1: Turn-in and Burn-in - Sermon
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, The Church and the Draft Resisters — Full Text Preparation for Activity Provide Handout 1 in advance to a person who has agreed to read it aloud to the group. Arrange for the presenter to deliver the sermon from a lectern or pulpit,…
Alternate Activity 2: Conscientious Objection
From Resistance and Transformation

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 5, Conscientious Objection and the Draft Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Write on newsprint, and post: If you are or were a young person subject to Selective Service laws, have you considered or would you consider fili…
Taking It Home: Taking Politics Public
From Resistance and Transformation

Our religious teachers, ministers and lay-men alike—from Thomas Jefferson to William Ellery Channing to Adlai Stevenson—have urged us to honor always the primacy of conscience over any external authority which we believe to be immoral… Thus it is natural that some of our young men must regard…
The Church and the Draft Resisters

Jack Mendelsohn

From Resistance and Transformation

Sermon delivered on October 22, 1967 at Arlington Street Church, Boston. Abridged version; used with permission. A hue and cry has arisen over the sixty young men who burned their draft cards in the chancel of Arlington Street Church. No matter that 280 young men took the more solemn and perilous…
Handout 1: The Church and the Draft Resisters: Full Text
From Resistance and Transformation

A sermon by Rev. Jack Mendelsohn, delivered October 22, 1967 at Arlington Street Church, Boston, full text. Used with permission. A hue and cry has arisen over the sixty young men who burned their draft cards in the chancel of Arlington Street Church. No matter that 280 young men took the more…
Handout 2: UUA Resolutions on the Draft
From Resistance and Transformation

Resolutions adopted at the 1967 and 1968 UUA General Assemblies. Draft Reform and Conscientious Objection Resolution passed at the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, May 5, 1967. Adopted by greater than a two-thirds majority vote….
Handout 3: Social Witness and the UUA
From Resistance and Transformation

Currently the UUA has two main ways to address issues of social witness: Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAI) Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) These are presented each year at General Assembly and are voted up or down by the delegates present at the convention. Congregational Study/Action…
Handout 4: This Letter Is to Express Our Personal Disapproval
From Resistance and Transformation

The following letters were exchanged among a pair of members of Arlington Street Church (Boston), the board of the congregation (Prudential Committee), and the congregation’s minister, the Rev. Jack Mendelsohn….
Handout 5: Conscientious Objection and the Draft
From Resistance and Transformation

Published by Liberal Religious Youth and distributed by the Unitarian Universalist Association in April, 1967.
Find Out More
From Resistance and Transformation

Learn more about the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Study Action Issues and Process and explore a searchable list of social justice resolutions and statements. Current information from the UUA about being a conscientious objector:…