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What is Unitarian Universalism? |
This page was updated 02/16/2006
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What is Unitarian Universalism? |
Unitarian Universalism traces its roots back approximately two thousand years to a time when believers could choose from a variety of tenets about Jesus. It was early in this period that the word “Unitarian” developed, meaning the oneness of God, as opposed to the trinity of God that has dominated Christian theology for most of its history. Some of these early Christians also held a belief in universal salvation. This was the belief that no person would be condemned by God to eternal damnation in a fiery pit. Thus a "Universalist" believed in the universal salvation of humanity, that all people will be saved. Both traditions saw Jesus as a great ethical teacher who had reached the fullness of his potential, but they thought him no more divine than other human beings. It was in the 4th and 6th century was no longer permissible to hold these beliefs. Christianity lost its element of choice in 325 CE when the Nicene Creed established the Trinity as dogma. For centuries thereafter, people who professed Unitarian or Universalist beliefs were persecuted.
Unitarians and Universalists have always been heretics. “Heresy” in Greek means “choice.” We are heretics because we want to choose our faith, not because we desire to be rebellious. Throughout much of the past two thousand years liberals were persecuted for seeking the freedom to make religious choices, but such freedom has become central to both Unitarianism and Universalism. As early as the 1830s, both groups were studying and promulgating texts from world religions other than Christianity. By the beginning of the twentieth century, humanists within both traditions advocated that people could be religious without believing in God. No one person, no one religion, can embrace all religious truths.
By the middle of the twentieth century it became clear that Unitarians and Universalists could have a stronger liberal religious voice if they merged their efforts, and they did so in 1961, forming the Unitarian Universalist Association. Many Unitarian Universalists became active in the civil rights movement. James Reeb, a Unitarian Universalist minister, was murdered in Selma, Alabama, after he and twenty percent of the denomination’s ministers responded to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to march for justice.
Today we are determined to continue to work for greater racial and cultural diversity. In 1977, a women and religion resolution was passed by the Association, and since then the denomination has responded to the feminist challenge to change sexist structures and language, especially with the publication of an inclusive hymnal. The denomination has affirmed the rights of bisexuals, gays, lesbians, and transgendered persons, including ordaining and settling gay and lesbian clergy in our congregations, and in 1996, affirmed same-sex marriage.
All these efforts reflect a modern understanding of universal salvation. Unitarian Universalism welcomes all to an expanding circle of understanding and choice in religious faith.
Our history has carried us from liberal Christian views about Jesus and human nature to a rich pluralism that includes theist and atheist, agnostic and humanist, pagan, Christian, Jew, and Buddhist. As our history continues to evolve and unfold, we invite you to join us by choosing our free faith.
Along with over one thousand other congregational members of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we covenant to affirm and promote . . .
The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and use of democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.
The living tradition we share draws from many sources:
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against the idolatries of the mind and spirit.
Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to be in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.
What do Unitarian Universalists Believe?
As you'll notice on our homepage, we have a Mission Statement. This is what brings us together as a congregation. In general, you will find that the following are things commonly believed among Unitarian Universalists:
