Another Robin Edgar?

We received this comment from a reader, and took some time considering whether to post it.  Like the individual who wrote it, we’re not offering any specific diagnosis of Robin Edgar, or anybody who behaves in such a similar manner.  But it is definitely food for thought…

I found your site doing a search on other topics, then later did some more searches and reading.  I did so because my spiritual community has faced someone very much like him.  I am a Quaker, and our local unprogrammed meeting was once disrupted by a woman who came into our midst.  Her second time attending Meeting, one of our members was moved to speak, and she interrupted him as though it were a secular discussion or debate.  The Clerk and another member took her aside to explain why her actions were not appropriate, and her immediate response was to scream at them in anger before storming out.  Later she would apologize, and we welcomed her back amongst us.  She would float in and out of Meeting, sometimes kind and joyful, but many times consumed with rage and pain.  Her spoken testimony became more and more disturbing, and soon we were moved to form a committee to intervene, of which I was called to be a member.  Our motivation was concern for her emotional and spiritual well-being, not just how her behavior was adversely effecting the members of Meeting.  Her response was so extreme, and the effects so trying to all of us, that I and other members of the committee felt compelled to advise her against coming to Meeting in the future.  It was not a happy decision, but when we considered the effects of her presence amongst us, and her recalcitrance as we attempted to show her how her words and actions affected us, we felt there was no other choice open to us.  This was followed by a barrage of angry letters, sometimes threatening, repeatedly accusing us of hypocrisy and abuse (much as Mr. Edgar is now accusing of Unitarians).  She even attempted to contact our Yearly Meeting in an effort to “go over our heads” but after other Friends listened to both sides, they concluded her complaints were (to put it kindly) without merit.  It was not until many years later that we received a letter of apology from her, after she had begun treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and other related issues.  She is still in our prayers, and we hope as always for healing and reconciliation over time.  I pray this poor man, and your church, finds the same healing spirit.

Our thanks to this friend for sharing this story.  We hope Robin Edgar takes this message to heart.

Faith and Begorrah

So why would Robin Edgar try to appropriate Saint Patrick’s Day in a feeble attempt to draw attention to himself?

Perhaps to show disapproval at the leaders of the UUA’s ‘Standing on the Side of Love’ campaign using Valentine’s Day to raise awareness of the need for compassion in such issues as same-sex marriage and immigrant rights.

Then again, we have seen Robin Edgar find even the flimsiest excuse to go off on yet another rant.  This one has half a dozen of his signature ‘Big Fat U*U’ perseveration, and five accusations of UUs being ‘anti-‘ something.

Not to mention more snide name-calling and insistence that this is all ‘satire.’  Forget that it serves no constructive purpose whatsoever.  Robin Edgar is constantly rationalizing and excusing his outlandish behaviour, his endless lashing out, his berating and insulting even those who have (and want) nothing to do with him.

Robin Edgar talks about ‘getting his Irish up’ and ‘opening a can of whup-ass’, and then declaring that he’s not talking literally.  Most likely, he is not being literal in his use of violent phraseology … yet.  But for somebody who has carried this much rage for this long, it is only a matter of time before he loses control completely and explodes, rationalizing further that the only way for him to get the attention his narcissism demands is to do real damage to those he has continually demeaned and devalued while hypocritically attempting to put himself on the pedestal of judging UUs for not meeting some unrealistic idealized standard of perfection.

We would agree that UUs are not perfect.  We are all, after all, human beings and not angels.  But there is a difference between indignation towards the wrongs of the world, and blind consuming rage which does nothing but denigrate the targets of one’s obsession.