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Steven Craig Bulleit's admission spares three teens from testifying publicly about the molestation Thursday, August 18, 2005 SUZANNE PARDINGTON OREGON CITY -- A Clackamas man admitted this week that he sexually abused three Clackamas High School students, including one in his care, and will serve 18 years in prison. Under an agreement approved Monday in Clackamas County Circuit Court, 42 of 47 counts against Steven Craig Bulleit will be dismissed Friday, when he is scheduled to be sentenced. The settlement spares the teenage victims from testifying in a trial, prosecutor Christine Landers said. Advertisement "The three young men involved were...

Cashiers resident John Edwards still fumes when he recalls how a developer cut more than 100 trees from the mountainside above his home, a woodsy grove where he once walked his dog daily. “He left absolutely no living thing on the lot, no mountain laurel, no rhododendron. It is a gross abuse of God’s creation,” Edwards said. “Natural resources are to be used but they are to be used wisely and replenished when possible and protected from abuse.” Edwards — both a conservative and a Christian — is breaking the mold that increasingly pairs “environment” with “liberal” and “moral” with...

BRADENTON -- Propped on crutches near the steps of the Manatee County Administration Complex on Friday, Will Ruliffson held a large, cut-out pie chart. On it, a slim slice marked the 2 percent that he wants the government to allocate to a U.S. Department of Peace. "It's not asking for much," said Ruliffson, 73, a Bradenton resident and member of the social action committee of the Manatee Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Next to Ruliffson, three women held a sign that read, "On behalf of mothers everywhere: Peace wants a piece of the pie." Ruliffson was one of about 20 people who...

Dear Chairman Specter and Ranking Member Leahy: We, the undersigned religious leaders and organizations, write to express strong concern regarding the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General of the United States. As people with a deep commitment to racial justice, we appreciate that President Bush has nominated a number of people of color for cabinet positions. Greater racial diversity at the highest levels of government is an important step towards the Beloved Community. Like the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., we dream of a day when all people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but...

Sen. Kennedy Says Opponents of “Gay Marriage” Are Bigots Sen. Edward Kennedy has told A.P. that opponents of “gay marriage” are bigots. The news service reported last week: “Meanwhile, Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy criticized supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, saying that would be a civil rights setback. “Kennedy said bigotry should not be written into the federal constitution, and constitutional amendments should be about expanding rights and liberties.” Unitarians Confirm Our Forecast that Group Sex Will be Next The Unitarian Church is now welcoming those who believe in group relationships including the practice of “romantic love.”...

Illegal Immigrants Author Unknown The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada Has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among Left leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O' Reilly. Canadian border farmers say its not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in...

Print Article         Close Window     Democrats in Deep Prayer By Published 8/3/2004 12:08:00 AM TAMPA -- If there's anything dopier than the idea of a Unitarian missionary, it's the idea of an atheist delivering an invocation. But that's what happened before the July 29 meeting of the Tampa City Council. The results resembled outtakes from a Marx Brothers movie. Nobody looked very good, least of all rookie Democratic councilman John Dingfelder, whose idea the whole thing was. Before council got down to the gray business of Tampa government, three council members had walked out, the atheist invoker had...

Spirit World: Unitarian convention supports lots of love Compiled by Peggy Fletcher Stack The Salt Lake Tribune Some 4,700 people attended this year's Unitarian Universalist Association's annual convention in Long Beach, Calif. Gay marriage was strongly endorsed by representatives of the 225,000-member, Boston-based religious organization. Delegates also flocked to two workshops on polyamory, the controversial notion it is morally acceptable to have multiple love partners. "Say yes to the transforming power of love," said Doug Walters of Portland, Ore., one of four polyamorists leading the workshops. "Is it safe to be openly supportive of polyamory in your congregation?" -- Religion...

The article by Malcolm Gay begins: "One thing is clear: 2003 was without a doubt the Year of the Queer…. The year’s crowning moment came on November 2, when the Episcopal Church ordained Gene Robinson as its first openly gay bishop…. But this…didn’t appear out of thin air. Its intellectual and physical roots have been growing just beneath the surface for years. In seminaries across the country, at both the parish level and within whole dioceses, homosexuals have been preaching, studying, and remaining sexually active…. ‘What’s the difference between a Jesuit rec room and a gay bar?’ asked former Jesuit...

AUSTIN, Texas - (KRT) - Unitarian Universalists have for decades presided over births, marriages and memorials. The church operates in every state, with more than 5,000 members in Texas alone. But according to the office of Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a Texas Unitarian church isn't really a religious organization - at least for tax purposes. Its reasoning: The organization "does not have one system of belief." Never before - not in this state nor any other - has a government agency denied Unitarians tax-exempt status because of the group's religious philosophy, church officials say. Strayhorn's ruling clearly infringes upon...

<p>Unitarians from Boston to Berkeley have opened another front in the liberal crusade to expand the definition of marriage and family in America. It's the new polygamy, and according to the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness, their relationships are at least as ethical as other marriages -- gay or straight.</p>

Unitarians from Boston to Berkeley have opened another front in the liberal crusade to expand the definition of marriage and family in America. It's the new polygamy, and according to the Unitarian Universalists for Polyamory Awareness, their relationships are at least as ethical as other marriages -- gay or straight.

In a recent address at the Catholic University of America, pollster John Zogby sounded the alarms (NCR, March 21). “If so much of U.S. culture is focused on building brands among the young, it is worth considering how well the Catholic church performs among this critical demographic as a brand. The news is not good,” he said. “If the church were a brand of cereal,” Zogby said, “we could find our grandchildren eating Unitarian Krispies as they get older.” In response to his words, I have been struck by the linkage of Catholicism with the brand-name culture. My great fear...

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—The pastors at a New Hampshire Unitarian church said Monday they plan to sign marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples they wed, just as those signed for straight couples, and mail them to City Hall for approval, reports the Portsmouth Herald. Following a practice accepted in the Unitarian Universalist faith, the State Street congregation has performed marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples for more than 15 years, even though the unions are not recognized by law. “We want to encourage a change in the laws as expeditiously as possible,” the Rev. Will Saunders told the The move departs from...

ITHACA -- Activists from the Ithaca area who participated in the recent protest demonstrations around the nation will share their experiences with the community and join with others to examine the issues from the perspectives of labor, faith and spirituality, and human and civil rights at a gathering on Thursday, Dec. 11 in the Unitarian Church Annex, 208 E. Buffalo St. A video presentation is at 6 p.m., followed by discussion from 7-9 p.m. The meeting is being hosted by Ithaca Unitarian-Universalist Service Committee. All are welcome.

Exeter minister won’t issue marriage licenses until justice is done for gays By TERRY DATE Democrat (Communist) Staff Writer Pastor Kendra Ford EXETER — The minister at the First Unitarian Society of Exeter will not sign marriage licenses for heterosexual couples until the law allows her to do likewise for same-sex unions. Other Exeter clergy do not necessarily share Pastor Kendra Ford’s belief. Ford, one of about two dozen Unitarian Universalist ministers who have taken this pledge, said in an interview last week that her decision was based on her sense of fairness and justice. She came to it after...

The Social Action Committee of the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church of Portland has won a national award for its work in the field of social justice. "It's quite an honor, and it shows we're on the right track," said Debbie Atwood of Falmouth, who chairs the committee. The award, called the James Bennett Award for Congregational Action on Human Justice and Social Action, was awarded by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is given annually to the Unitarian Universalist congregation that has done the most to support human rights and social-justice activism. The association represents more than 1,000 Unitarian Universalist...

Nearly everyone – no matter how happily married or securely situated within a relationship – feels occasionally attracted to outsiders. There's nothing novel about this timeless temptation or the eternal impulse to pursue sexual variety. Never before, however, have religious leaders and social scientists simultaneously suggested that the wandering ways of both women and men constitute an instinct that's not only healthy, but downright virtuous. This summer, a new group promoting "the philosophy and practice of loving more than one other person at a time" presented a groundbreaking workshop at the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Addressing this...