Don't Rock the Boat

I took these pictures on December 28, 2006, in Charleston, South Carolina. The top picture is a detail of the Shema from the sanctuary entrance of congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim. The temple was built in 1840 (5600). The bottom photo is the graveyard of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Charleston.
What jumps out at me from my twenty-first century vantage point is the absence of any mention of slavery in the histories of these liberal congregations. While understandable, we are still troubled by the acquiescence of those who may have known better. This says something about religious organizations – they are often happy to work on the margins, undertaking feel-good charitable projects but avoiding the big issues that would put members at odds with the mainstream community. The fellowship provided by the church or synagogue is more Rotarian than holy, it’s main purpose is to boost the place of the congregant, to make him or her fit in, not make waves.