Unitarian Universalism

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(Should this page be combined with Unitarianism? The two look almost identical.)

1 Definition
- 1.1 Origins
2 Structure
- 2.1 Quotations
3 Discussion
4 Related Topics
5 References
6 Comments

[edit] Definition

Unitarianism is a heretical, non-creedal religion.

It is heretical, based on the Greek word that means "choice", in that it does not have a set orthodoxy. There is no right or wrong way to be a Unitarian. Instead, modern Unitarianism focuses on exploring a wide diversity of religious ideas and concepts in order to allow the individual to come to their own conclusions concerning their faith, or lack thereof.

It then follow that Unitarianism is also decidedly non-creedal. There is no one thing that a Unitarian must believe in order to be a Unitarian. Thus, it is not uncommon to find Unitarians who have atheist, Christian, Buddhist, or any other religious leanings. The only commonality (albeit an unofficial one) is the understanding that one's religious beliefs are valid for that person and should tolerated and understood as a facet of the whole.

[edit] Origins

Unitarians were originally a Christian sect that rejected the concept of the Trinity. Following the adoption of the Nicene Creed in 325 AD, most Christians rejected and persecuted Unitarians as heretics. Unitarianism all but died out until it was revived in Transylvania during the Protestant Reformation when the first Unitarian Church was founded.

This new church had the unique feature of being the first church in history to issue an edict of tolerance towards all religions. The edict was declared in 1568 by John Sigismund, the first and only Unitarian king.

The other half of the mix, Universalism, finds its origins in the Revolution-era America. The differences between Unitarianism and Universalism was summed up by Thomas Starr King:

“Universalists believe that God is too good to damn people, and the Unitarians believe that people are too good to be damned by God.”

By 1961, the similarities between Unitarians and Universalists were so much greater than their differences that the two religions merged to become the Unitarian Universalists.

[edit] Structure

While a Unitarian Universalist Association exists, its primary purpose is to coordinate joint action between congregations and to set standards for the education of Unitarian ministers. It does not set rules for the congregations to follow. Each congregation is responsible for deciding its own form of worship and other matters concerning the congregation such as church ownership and congregational policy.

That said, most Unitarian congregations in the U.S. follow in the Protestant Christian tradition on many aspects, including services on Sunday morning, singing from hymnals, etc. The primary difference is that Unitarian services often rely on a wider diversity of source materials, both modern and ancient, than simply the Christian Bible.

[edit] Quotations

[edit] Discussion

Stereotypically, Unitarian Universalist congregations tend to be politically and socially liberal in addition to being religiously liberal. They tend to attract highly educated people and academics. They tend to embrace social reform.

Of course, every congregation is different and independent, so these are only broad generalizations and may not be true of specific congregations.