of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greenville NC November 2016

The concepts of "Science" and "Religion" are a recent invention. The English word “scientist” is relatively recent—first coined by William Whewell in 1834. It was applied to those who sought knowledge and understanding of nature. Even in the 19th century, a scientific treatise by Lord Kelvin and Peter Guthrie Tait, which helped define much of modern physics, was titled Treatise on Natural Philosophy (1867). If you had lived 100 years ago, a pastor or priest might have been your healer rather than a medical doctor. Religion versus Science is now seen as a static proposition. The reality is that Science (and Medicine) is now the reference for things that once were mainly in the realm of Religion. I believe that as we know more and more about Science, the sphere of Religion decreases.

Here is an illustrative story:

On December 30, 1916, Grigori Rasputin (1869-1916) was assassinated. Rasputin was a Russian religious leader, mystical faith healer and trusted friend of the family of Nicholas II, the last () of . In 1907, Rasputin was invited to see Alexei Nikolaevich, the son and heir to the Russian throne. The boy had suffered an injury which caused him painful bleeding. Back then hemophilia B was unknown and Alexei had a severe form of this disorder that was widespread among European royalty. The doctors did not understand his genetic disease and could not supply a cure. The desperate Tsarina Alexandra invited Rasputin to help her son. Rasputin was able to calm the parents and their son by standing at the foot of the bed and praying. From that moment forward, Alexandra believed Rasputin was Alexei's savior. The court physician believed that Rasputin was a charlatan and his apparent healing powers arose from his use of hypnosis. One of Rasputin's enemies, suggested that he secretly drugged Alexei with traditional Tibetan herbs. Others believed the secret of his power lay in his sense of calm, and the gentle strength, and shining warmth of his conviction.

Alexei Nikolaevich (1904-1918) was the to the throne of the Russian Empire (or Tsarevich). He was the youngest child and only son of Tsar Nicholas II and Alexandra. Alexandra, the last Tsarina of Russia, was also the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. We now know, she was one of the most famous royal carriers of the hemophilia disease that descended from Queen Victoria.

In 2009 Alexei’s bones were genetically analyzed and it was determined that he suffered from hemophilia B. Alexei had to be careful not to injure himself because he lacked factor IX, one of the proteins necessary for blood-clotting. Even without knowing what his illness was, because he was the only male heir to the throne, the fact that he was ill was a state secret. His hemophilia was so severe that trivial injuries such as a bruise, a nosebleed or a small cut were potentially life-threatening.

The consulted and paid for the best medicine of their time. But physicians then had no knowledge of nor therapy for this rare bleeding disorder. Today, a simple blood transfusion would in most cases save Alexei. But blood groups had not been discovered and blood testing for bleeding disorders had not been developed. The more modern treatment is intravenous infusion of Factor IX. Today, if you do not take your child to medical professionals, and instead rely on religious leaders, you may wind up in jail and your child may be removed by Child Protective Services.

UUCG Beacon November 2016 Two Russian Navy sailors were assigned to Alexei to monitor and supervise him to prevent injuries, which were still unavoidable. They also carried him around when he was unable to walk. As well as being a source of constant torment to his parents, the recurring episodes of his illness and his lengthy recoveries interfered greatly with Alexei's education. In 1912 the Royal family was visiting one of their hunting retreats; the young Alexei jumped into a rowboat and hit one of the oarlocks. A large bruise appeared within minutes. Alexei had to be carried out in an almost unconscious state. Alexandra barely left his bedside. The royal doctors were helpless, but Rasputin calmed the royal family. Rasputin’s reputation grew with each successful treatment of Alexei’s episodes of illness. Religion trumped Science!

The royal family’s devotion to Rasputin severely damaged their popularity the final years of their rule. Rasputin was murdered by nobles who hoped to save Tsarism by ending Rasputin’s sway over the royal family. Alexei Nikolaevich was murdered by order of the Bolshevik (Communist) government, alongside his parents, four sisters, and three retainers during the Russian Civil War. However, rumors that he had survived persisted until the 2007 discovery of his and one of his sisters' remains. Charred bones were identified with modern DNA techniques. The family was formally interred on the eightieth anniversary of their murder and were eventually canonized (sainted) by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.

Britain's Queen Victoria’s hemophilia gene appears to have been a spontaneous or de novo mutation and is usually considered the source of the disease in modern cases of hemophilia among royalty. Victoria, through two of her five daughters (Princess Alice and Princess Beatrice), passed the mutation to various royal houses across the continent, including the royal families of Spain, Germany and Russia. Victoria's own son Leopold suffered from the disease. For this reason, hemophilia was once popularly called "the royal disease".

The hemophilia B is a sex-linked X chromosome disorder which manifests almost entirely in males, although the gene for the disorder is located on the X chromosome and may be inherited from the mother for male children or from either mother or father for female children. Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, apparently escaped the hemophilia gene. Queen Victoria's father, was not a hemophiliac, and the probability of Victoria’s mother having had a lover who suffered from hemophilia is minuscule given the low life expectancy of 19th-century hemophiliacs. (DNA analysis of her ancestors will tell us for sure.)

Science and physicians have learned to more effectively treat diseases, and help their patients avoid them. US Life expectancy before 1880 was about 40 years of age. It has been increasing ever since. Our current life expectancy is 79.3 years. In 1847 Vienna, Ignaz Semmelweis, MD (1818–1865), instituted a requirement that physicians on his OB-GYN ward clean their hands before attending childbirths, which they were not doing—even after doing autopsies! Semmelweis thus dramatically cut new mothers' death rate due to childbed fever. Yet his principles were marginalized and attacked by his professional peers. He was kicked out of the University of Vienna and died in obscurity.

One of the great discoveries of the 19th century was germ theory and bacteriology, vaccinations followed and were soon required. For example, an 1853 law required universal vaccination against smallpox in England and Wales, with fines levied on people who did not comply. Further interventions were made by a series of subsequent Public Health Acts, notably the 1875 Act in the UK. Reforms included building latrines and sewers; the regular collection, incineration and/or burial of garbage; the provision of clean water and the draining of standing water to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes.

When Robert Koch, MD, confirmed a species pathogenicity became famed as "Koch's postulates". In 1905, Koch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and remains renowned as the founder of medical microbiology.

In 1930, the Nobel in Physiology or Medicine, went to Karl Landsteiner for his discovery of human blood groups, blood banks became widely available in the US after 1945 and now the world, so we can safely give blood even in Greenville, NC. Because of the knowledge we have gained from science and the scientific method, I can claim that if Tsarevich Alexei were my patient, I could save his life, and Religion or prayer would not be necessary.

Richard J. Baltaro, MD, PhD President of the Board [email protected]

UUCG Beacon November 2016

Since the floods of Hurricane Matthew and evacuation of two to three thousand people in Greenville, some 250 persons found emergency shelter at closed schools and at churches. I visited New Dimensions Community Church, First Presbyterian, and The Pentecostals where all kinds of necessities were being collected and distributed: toiletries bagged, diapers, paper products, etc. I asked, "What do you need?" and made a run to the store for toothbrushes and baby ointment. Churches Outreach Network coordinated the crisis response by churches along with Red Cross and Baptist Relief. Then the clean-up. Now, ongoing support of those who lost homes, everything.

The Pentecostals are providing shelter to evacuated Latinos from a sister church community. Asked, "What do you need?" they told me that gift cards allow folks to buy food, gas, whatever is uniquely needed at the time. To guarantee distribution of the cards to those most in need, I contacted the executive director of Amexcan, Juvencio Rocha-Peralta who told me about camps of farmworkers who have been out of work for several weeks.

Some 200 "camps" have been mapped in North Carolina. Juvencio described two of the seven camps outside Greenville, houses with two bunk-beds to each room, with a central kitchen. The workers are ages 20-30. They have no car, are delivered to work by their employer's van six days a week, and driven shopping on Sunday. They have no work and no food.

In addition to our September "Share the Plate," $236 for Amexcan, I delivered $650 of our contributions for Juvencio to distribute food cards to farmworkers who have fallen through a gap in flood relief. Joining us, the UU Fellowships of Raleigh, Winston-Salem, the Unitarian Coastal Fellowship of Morehead City, and the Croatan Group of the Sierra Club are making their appeal to support Amexcan flood relief of East Carolina farmworkers.

I am grateful to Amexcan for their "cultural, educational, leadership, health, and advocacy" work in support of farmworkers, but also for their work in the Latino community at large. Amexcan organized a meeting at our facility with Greenville Mayor Thomas and the bilingual Red Cross representative, to listen to needs of Latino communities north of the Tar River and to plan a Saturday flood clean-up.

Amexcan has created seven county farmworker support networks, identified community partners, and is partnering with East Carolina University in a joint research project in developing a farmworker support system. Filling the gap in support of farmworkers will continue beyond Matthew flood relief.

Contributions to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 131 Oakmont Drive, Greenville, NC 27858, with a note of "flood relief" or "farmworker relief" will be recorded and given to Amexcan for their ongoing support of these invisible farmworkers who make an indispensable contribution to North Carolina agricultural production. Thank you all!

Blessings! Rod Debs [email protected]

Carroll Webber will be 90 years-young on Sunday, November 13th!

Please bring Carroll a birthday card (made from recycled materials), and stay after the service on Nov. 13th for coconut cake and ice cream to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY. UUCG Beacon November 2016

We all want to make our world a better place. We donate to charities and volunteer. If you are looking for good places to donate money, be aware that there is a UU based group that further our values. Every year we do a "Guest At Your Table" Fundraiser to support the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). The UUSC was founded by Martha and Waitstill Sharp who risked their lives helping Jews and dissidents escape the Nazis in World War II. The UUSC carries on that commitment to human rights. Recent areas of focus have been water accessibility and empowering women.

Their three main areas are Economic Justice, Rights at Risk, and Environmental Justice. There are certainly many groups working in these areas, but not all may share our values. You can be certain the UUSC does. It has projects going on in the USA and around the world. The UU College of Social Justice offers service-learning trips if you want to get involved directly. The UUSC earns 4 stars on Charity Navigator, its highest rating. While the Guest At Your Table is our most visible way of supporting the UUSC, you can make donations directly. Just go to their website www.uusc.org to find out more.

If you want a more personal way to help, we have a team on KIVA, a microloan website. KIVA is an umbrella organization that helps fund loans to people in 78 countries, including the USA. On KIVA, you can look at the different loans and choose one you want to help finance. Each loan is $25, so there may be a few to dozens of people helping to fund a loan. You can search loans by country, type of need, gender, and many other categories. You get no interest on your loan. Occasionally a loan defaults, but generally you get your money back. KIVA adds 15% to the loan for a donation, but you can change or eliminate that if you want. If you type in UU in the team search area, you can join our team. We have made over 1,000 loans to people around the world. This is at www.kiva.org.

Of course, you can always give to our Share the Plate on Sunday and help a local group. Last, but certainly not least, I encourage you to donate to support our church. Americans are recognized for being among the most generous people in the world. I think our UUCG is among the most generous groups in the US. It is part of our values. I encourage you to check a charity before you donate. Many are scams or benefit mainly the people running the charity. Charity Navigator is an excellent resource for checking on a charity.

Feryl Masters Past President [email protected]

Help Run Tech for Sunday Services --Thanks Toni, Robert, Jerry and others for helping with the visuals for the Sunday service. The worship committee is looking for other people who might be interested in running the tech for the service. We’ll train you. Contact Rod Debs, [email protected] , or Tracy Donohue, [email protected] , if you’re interested

Once again we will have a Fun First Friday at 7:00 Friday November 4th . Refreshments and games available, or bring your own favorite game. No charge, but a donation basket will be available.

UUCG Beacon November 2016

Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core and member of President Obama’s Inaugural Faith Council, will speak at East Carolina University at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in Wright Auditorium.

A question-and-answer session and book signing will immediately follow Patel’s presentation.

Dr. Patel holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University. He has authored two books, Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America, and Acts of Faith: The Story of an American Muslim. He is the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core. He served a member of President Barack Obama's inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-Based Neighborhood Partnerships and has given lectures at the TED conference, Clinton Global Initiative and the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Dr. Patel is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, and CNN.

Tickets for the Religion and Culture Lecture are $10. Tickets may be requested through the ECU Central Ticket Office by calling 1-800-ECU-ARTS (1-800-328-2787), or by visiting www.ecu.edu/voyages/tickets.cfm .

Date Name Amt

01/31/2016 Cancer Support Community of Eastern NC 303.75

02/28/2016 Joy Soup Kitchen 169.50

03/31/2016 First Born 194.48

04/30/2016 ReLeaf Inc 165.00

05/31/2016 PiCaso 265.45

06/30/2016 -MULTIPLE- 200.48

07/31/2016 Community Crossroads Shelter 303.00

08/31/2016 Designated funds for Refugee Relief 169.87

09/30/2016 AMEXCAN 263.75

TOTAL 2,035.28

UUCG Beacon November 2016

Our November Share the Plate Recipient is the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina . Their mission is to serve as a safe haven for homeless and neglected pets until they find their forever home and to serve as a resource to the community. By educating the public about issues pertaining to animals, they feel that we can work towards the elimination of over breeding of dogs and cats and teach owners to be responsible pet owners. At the same time, they hope to facilitate adoption of pets to good homes so that we can allow more unwanted animals to find a temporary home with them.

The Humane Society of Eastern Carolina is our co-host for November's Moral Movies on November 12th starting at 6:30pm. We will be watching a 2015 Documentary "The Champions", an inspirational story about the pit bulls rescued from the brutal fighting ring of former Atlanta Falcon’s star quarterback Michael Vick, and those who risked it all to save them, despite pressure from PETA and The Humane Society to euthanize the dogs. It is a story of second-chances, redemption and hope. This uplifting documentary takes us on a journey about much more than just dogs—about prejudice, being misunderstood, the power of resilience, and the significance of the relationship we as humans have with animals.

While there will be refreshments served, the discussion after the film is really the thing that people love most about this movie series

November's GLBT Movie Night at 7pm on Friday, November 18th will feature the 1998 film "Gods and Monsters".

Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein," James Whale (Ian McKellen) is long since retired and in increasingly poor health. His stalwart housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), quietly disapproves of Whale's faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers, but when the director takes an interest in new gardener Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser), a former Marine and Korean War veteran, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.

Movies Next Month

For the month of December, Moral Movies and Classic GLBT Movie Night will join forces in recognition of World AIDS Day to view the 1996 film "It's My Party". PiCASO will join us and be providing free confidential HIV testing. The date of the showing has not been finalized at this time, but will be announced before next month's Beacon is published.

November 6 Mellow Mushroom (Charles Blvd) November 13 China 10 (Firetower) November 20 Run-a-Boat (Caribbean) Novmeber 28 Kasturi (Indian)