Robin Edgar
15 Lafleur apt. 11
Verdun, Quebec
Canada, H4G 3C3
Rev. Ray Drennan
Unitarian Church of Montreal March 4, 1996
Dear Rev. Drennan,
By now you have probably read the letter of complaint that I have submitted to the Board of the Unitarian Church of Montreal and other elected officials of both the Canadian Unitarian Council and the Unitarian Universalist Association which airs my grievances regarding the extremely unprofessional, demeaning, and emotionally abusive manner in which you have so far responsed to my claim of a profound revelatory experience.
As I said to you during our meeting of Thursday February lst, 1996, I believe that you owe me a formal apology, not only for mocking and ridiculing my claims of a significant revelatory experience but also for making false and potentially damaging allegations about me concerning my religious beliefs and related activities. Your rigid and stubborn refusal to offer me an apology for your deplorable conduct towards me and, more significantly, your apparent inability to recognize that your comportment during our meeting on Thursday, November 9th, 1995, was not only extremely unprofessional and in clear violatio@ of numerous Unitarian Universalist principles and ideals but was openly hostile, demeaning, and insulting as well, is quite disturbing. For a variety of good reasons I believe that the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Montreal must be made aware of your unprofessional, demeaning, and emotionally abusive conduct towards me as well as the potentially damaging allegations that you have seen fit to make about me. I think that the best way for the congregation to be initially informed about this highly regrettable affair is for you to admit to your unprofessional, demeaning, and insulting conduct towards me, to formally retract your damaging allegations about me, and to offer me a sincere and formal apology during a Sunday service in the immediate future.
You have had plenty of opportunity to volunteer an apology since our meeting on Thursday November 9th, 1995, and have not done so, you have known since our meeting of February Ist that I expect an apology from you and that I warned you during this meeting that I would take steps to see to it that you issue a formal apology to me if you would not volunteer one. The letter of complaint to the Board of our church is the first of those steps but it will by no means be the only one should you persist in refusing to voluntarily apologize to me and the Board is unable or unwilling to persuade you to offer a formal apology for your behaviour towards me.
I believe that it would be best for you if you were to apologize to me before the next Board meeting (i.e. on Sunday, March 10th). If, however, you have not apologized to me by Sunday, March 17th, 1996, I will feel compelled to take steps to inform the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Montreal about my grievances regarding your deplorable conduct towards me myself. As far as I am concerned, I have shown considerable restraint in not informing the congregation as a whole before now, thus giving you the opportunity to apologize to me for your deplorable conduct first.
The letter of complaint that I submitted to the Board details some of my grievances about your behaviour and it may serve as a guide in terms of what I expect you to apologize for. I expect you to admit to having scoffingly referred to my revelatory experience as "silliness and fantasy" and as "your psychotic experience" during our meeting of Thursday, November 9th, 1995. I expect you to admit to having repeatedly mocked and ridiculed my claims in a sarcastic and, at times, clearly hostile tone of voice during the time that I spent trying to brief you in more depth about my revelatory experience. I expect you to admit to having referred to my activities as "your cult" during this meeting and to have qualified this statement by going on to say that you meant a "manipulative and secretive" religious group when I inquired as to what you meant by the word "cult". I could list numerous other ways in which your conduct towards me has been negative, uncooperative, and certainly far from what might be described as "ministry" but these are the most serious grievances that I have and must be addressed in your apology. Since there are other matters that I feel merit an apology from you I will expect you to recognize that, in general, your conduct towards me has been very unprofessional, demeaning, and deeply insulting in nature. Furthermore, I expect you to recognize that your conduct was in clear violation of most of the stated principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association and was completely unbecoming of a minister of a Unitarian Universalist church. Last, but by no means least, I expect you to provide me with a written copy of any formal apology that you make to me.
I am willing to discuss this regrettable matter with you in an effort to ensure that you offer a satisfactory apology that I am prepared to accept in front of the congregation of this church; however, I have been advised not to have any further meetings with you without a neutral third party being present at the meeting. Although your behaviour to date clearly indicates to me that full reconciliation will not be easy, your formal apology to me will be the first step towards an eventual full reconciliation between us.
Sincerely,
Robin Edgar
15 Lafleur apt. 11
Verdun, Quebec
Canada, H4G 3C3
Rev. Ray Drennan
Unitarian Church of Montreal March 4, 1996
Dear Rev. Drennan,
By now you have probably read the letter of complaint that I have submitted to the Board of the Unitarian Church of Montreal and other elected officials of both the Canadian Unitarian Council and the Unitarian Universalist Association which airs my grievances regarding the extremely unprofessional, demeaning, and emotionally abusive manner in which you have so far responsed to my claim of a profound revelatory experience.
As I said to you during our meeting of Thursday February lst, 1996, I believe that you owe me a formal apology, not only for mocking and ridiculing my claims of a significant revelatory experience but also for making false and potentially damaging allegations about me concerning my religious beliefs and related activities. Your rigid and stubborn refusal to offer me an apology for your deplorable conduct towards me and, more significantly, your apparent inability to recognize that your comportment during our meeting on Thursday, November 9th, 1995, was not only extremely unprofessional and in clear violatio@ of numerous Unitarian Universalist principles and ideals but was openly hostile, demeaning, and insulting as well, is quite disturbing. For a variety of good reasons I believe that the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Montreal must be made aware of your unprofessional, demeaning, and emotionally abusive conduct towards me as well as the potentially damaging allegations that you have seen fit to make about me. I think that the best way for the congregation to be initially informed about this highly regrettable affair is for you to admit to your unprofessional, demeaning, and insulting conduct towards me, to formally retract your damaging allegations about me, and to offer me a sincere and formal apology during a Sunday service in the immediate future.
You have had plenty of opportunity to volunteer an apology since our meeting on Thursday November 9th, 1995, and have not done so, you have known since our meeting of February Ist that I expect an apology from you and that I warned you during this meeting that I would take steps to see to it that you issue a formal apology to me if you would not volunteer one. The letter of complaint to the Board of our church is the first of those steps but it will by no means be the only one should you persist in refusing to voluntarily apologize to me and the Board is unable or unwilling to persuade you to offer a formal apology for your behaviour towards me.
I believe that it would be best for you if you were to apologize to me before the next Board meeting (i.e. on Sunday, March 10th). If, however, you have not apologized to me by Sunday, March 17th, 1996, I will feel compelled to take steps to inform the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Montreal about my grievances regarding your deplorable conduct towards me myself. As far as I am concerned, I have shown considerable restraint in not informing the congregation as a whole before now, thus giving you the opportunity to apologize to me for your deplorable conduct first.
The letter of complaint that I submitted to the Board details some of my grievances about your behaviour and it may serve as a guide in terms of what I expect you to apologize for. I expect you to admit to having scoffingly referred to my revelatory experience as "silliness and fantasy" and as "your psychotic experience" during our meeting of Thursday, November 9th, 1995. I expect you to admit to having repeatedly mocked and ridiculed my claims in a sarcastic and, at times, clearly hostile tone of voice during the time that I spent trying to brief you in more depth about my revelatory experience. I expect you to admit to having referred to my activities as "your cult" during this meeting and to have qualified this statement by going on to say that you meant a "manipulative and secretive" religious group when I inquired as to what you meant by the word "cult". I could list numerous other ways in which your conduct towards me has been negative, uncooperative, and certainly far from what might be described as "ministry" but these are the most serious grievances that I have and must be addressed in your apology. Since there are other matters that I feel merit an apology from you I will expect you to recognize that, in general, your conduct towards me has been very unprofessional, demeaning, and deeply insulting in nature. Furthermore, I expect you to recognize that your conduct was in clear violation of most of the stated principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association and was completely unbecoming of a minister of a Unitarian Universalist church. Last, but by no means least, I expect you to provide me with a written copy of any formal apology that you make to me.
I am willing to discuss this regrettable matter with you in an effort to ensure that you offer a satisfactory apology that I am prepared to accept in front of the congregation of this church; however, I have been advised not to have any further meetings with you without a neutral third party being present at the meeting. Although your behaviour to date clearly indicates to me that full reconciliation will not be easy, your formal apology to me will be the first step towards an eventual full reconciliation between us.
Sincerely,
Robin Edgar
