Truth is strategic, not just moral. But speaking truth isn’t enough. We need to disrupt disinformation systems, counter authoritarian narratives, and create spaces where truth can be heard and acted upon by us. But we must remember that while speaking truth is necessary, it is not sufficient. Truth must be strategically deployed, widely disseminated, and connected to collective action.
Freedom is our theme for June, and it is certainly a topic worthy of reflection in this cultural climate of emboldened intellectual oppression, white supremacy, bigotry, and fear. June is Pride Month, which commemorates the Stonewall Riots that occurred on June 28, 1969. These riots ignited the modern LGBTIAQ+ liberation movement, and the month also includes the honoring of Juneteenth – the day when the last enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom on June 19, 1865.
Freedom is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.” Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion, also known as the “Free Church,” because we support an open-minded and open-hearted approach to the religious life grounded in centuries of humanistic thinking, critical questioning, and investigation. Our UU Values include our promises to “learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” We know that with freedom comes responsibility and that freedom can only flourish in a society in which it is respected. The authoritarianism present in our society today is a direct threat to our religious freedom and the freedoms enshrined in the US Constitution and our way of life.
Scot Nakagawa cautions, “The assumption that truth has a self-evident, liberating power, that once people see the truth, they will act on it, must also be reinterpreted today. Truth must be repeated over and over again in order for it to cut through disinformation. But even then, truth alone doesn’t set people free—power does, and in order to build power we must get organized or authoritarians will use fear, propaganda, and repression to override the truth, making people afraid to act on what they know.”
We witness this happening everywhere in our society, from the grave attacks on academic freedoms at universities and scientific institutions to basic legal principles such as habeas corpus and our First Amendment rights. We have a role as liberal religious people to organize and build power through collaborative coalitions. We have experience with this kind of work and ministry, and this is how we “practice freedom” in service to liberating Love and all that it cherishes.
So let’s get creative about how we are showing up for our neighbors and friends, be they immigrants and refugees, students and professors, scientists and artists, transgender and queer folk, or others whose freedoms are being questioned, attacked, denied or erased by this metastasizing authoritarianism. There is power in our togetherness, and in our love, which sacred texts remind us has the power to cast out fear.
Our Soul Matters theme-based ministry questions on “Living Love Through the Practice of Freedom” include:
- When did you feel most free as a child?
- Has quitting ever set you free?
- Has freedom ever frightened you? What did that moment teach you?
- Is aging trying to offer you a new form of freedom? What is keeping you from accepting that offer?
- What has life taught you about being imprisoned without realizing it?
- What story from your life best captures your understanding of freedom?
- Whose freedom do you envy?
- Has numbing become your cage?
- Are you stuck in an old survival mechanism that isn’t needed anymore?
- What form of “imprisonment” are you most vulnerable to? Fear? The need for safety? Woundedness? Shame? Self-doubt? Anger? Fear of rejection? The inability to say sorry? Regret? Gossip? Society’s standards of beauty? Your own standard of living?
- Has seeking safety ever become your jail cell?
- Have you ever been trapped in someone else’s story?
- Would living more simply bring you more freedom?
- When were you freed by love?
If you have a joy, sorrow, or milestone to share with the congregation in our Thursday Announcements and a Sunday service during “Joys and Sorrows,” please email joysandsorrows@uusm.org or call the church office.
Spiritual Care is available to members of our community and can be requested by emailing pastoralcare@uusm.org or by calling the church office. If loving, non-judgmental, and confidential support would be helpful to you on a short-term basis, please reach out, and we’ll connect you with the appropriate trained spiritual caregiver.
May the blessings of Pride and Juneteenth guide us on the path of freedom this month and always!
Yours in ministry and love,
Jeremiah
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Monica
