From UU Ministers in Maine to Local Media

The following letter was written in response to yesterday's events by a small group of UU ministers in Maine and submitted to local papers. (9/12/01) Though we are still in shock from the events of this morning, we, as religious leaders voice the concerns of those who are appalled and want to respond appropriately. We, like you who are reading this, feel sadness and grief for the victims, their families and the survivors. We, too, like many fellow Americans feel scared and vulnerable. Among all human beings there is always a wide variety of responses to such an act of destruction as this. There are those who would counsel that we take off our "velvet gloves" and go to war for this horrendous attack upon our land and security. We, as Unitarian Universalists would counsel against the headlong rush to over-react. We believe methods of terrorism will always continue to evolve beyond our means for detection and protection. We would counsel against rushing to accuse and blame whole peoples or nations for these acts of terrorism and taking of life, just as we Americans would not wish to be blamed for actions of our leaders with which we disagree. As Americans we need to take a clear, hard, honest look at what we have done as a nation to make it more likely that other nations would distrust and be hostile to us, for we are surely not innocent in this. We commit ourselves to engage our hearts, minds and souls to better understand the many causes and meanings of this tragedy. We will seek out and listen to the voices of those different from us in every regard. We pledge to work within our families, congregations and communities as well as beyond our nation's borders to make real a lasting and just peace among ourselves and between all nations. Only through such efforts can we hope to create such a world together. Rev. Paul Boothby, Sanford Rev. Maurice Cobb, West Newfield Rev. Spencer Lavan, Brunswick Rev. Brad Mitchell, Brunswick Rev. Kitsy Winthrop, Portland

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