Inherent Worth

Amanda and Andrew talk with Bis Thornton, an artist and incoming seminarian, about trans concerns with church and religion at large, transitioning and non-binary existence, discernment, chaplaincy, and the decision to choose ministry. NOTE: We had some issues with Zencastr, the platform we use to record this show. Thus the last 15 minutes or so has overlap, things reconstructed, missing questions, and so on. This is the best Andrew could do with no prior podcast editing experience.Bis is part of Gender Unbound (https://www.genderunbound.org/), an art nonprofit that seeks "to uplift, support, and advocate for transgender and intersex communities through arts and programming created by transgender and intersex people."Bis' Twitter account is @bisthebox Outro music is "Fomaulhaut" by Pictures of the Floating World, under CC license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/)

Amanda and Andrew talk with Rev. Chris Rothbauer, the settled minister at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Auburn, Alabama, and leftist activist. We talk about what "free speech" means in reality and in discourse by the right, the liberal establishment, and the left. We also trace how the right has used free speech discourse to gain platforms and recruit. This was recorded on Memorial Day and delayed due to Andrew's sudden surgical reschedule. Please check out Rev. Chris' workshop "Building Communities to Counter White Nationalism/White Power" which will be in the archive of sessions of the virtual GA if you paid to go. We highly recommend reading P. E. Moskowitz's "The Case Against Free Speech": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43251308-the-case-against-free-speech

In this episode Amanda and Andrew sit down with Helen Rose, an incoming seminarian and director of religious exploration. Topics include the "black box" of what children do after A Time for All Ages, parenting, coming out as queer in a UU setting, alternatives to Christian addiction recovery programs, and the accessibility benefits of virtual worship and interaction.Find Helen's blog here: https://iamajourney.wordpress.com/Intro Music: "Study and Relax" by Kevin MacLeodOutro Music: "Nomadic Sunset" by Alexander NakaradaMusic sourced from https://freepd.com/

In this episode Amanda and Andrew examine white fragility, particularly Robin DiAngelo's influential 2011 paper "White Fragility" and the 2018 best-selling book by the same name. Topics include overcoming uncomfortable experiences, becoming authentically anti-racist, de-centering white feelings and experiences, and how capitalism and racism combine with other hierarchies to sustain inequality.Read DiAngleo's 2011 paper here: libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116Support DRUUMM here: druumm.org/Support Black Lives UU here: www.blacklivesuu.com/donateIntro: "Beyond Vietnam" by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1967)Outro: "Message to the Grass Roots" by Malcolm X (1963)

In our inaugural episode, Amanda and Andrew talk about the Seventh Principle and what the "interdependent web" means in light of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Topics covered include snake oil online ads, ethical consumption and veganism, social movements, what's essential and what's BS in the 21st century economy, the ups and downs of online worship and UU community, and whether "social distancing" is even the right word for the present moment.Teen Vogue article on the history of Earth Day and the environmental movement: www.teenvogue.com/story/history-of-earth-dayGuardian article on the impact of air pollution on COVID-19 fatalities: www.theguardian.com/environment/202…19-deaths-study