Unitarian Universalism

[Love365]

What are your views on Unitarian Universalism?

 

[PloverWing]

I can see the path by which they grew out of traditional Christianity, but in their present form, the Unitarian Universalists seem to be an interfaith organization rather than a genuine branch of Christianity. (I'll note that there are Christians who are Unitarian in belief, and Christians who are Universalist in belief -- with apologies to CF's rules! -- but the UU as an organization has moved in an interfaith direction.)

They're friendly neighbors, though. When I'm doing social justice work, I can usually count on the UU churches to be there with us.

On the whole, I like their ethical values, and I like their commitment to intellectual exploration of religion; but for myself, I prefer to stay closer to the Nicene Creed.

 

[tampasteve]

I'll note that there are Christians who are Unitarian in belief, and Christians who are Universalist in belief -- with apologies to CF's rules

Just for clarity, one can hold Universalist beliefs and still use a "Christian" faith label here, it can only be discussed in the Controversial Christian Theology forum, however. One cannot be "unitarian" or "Oneness" and use a Christian label as those fall outside of Nicene Christianity. But that does not mean they are not "Christians", they just are not Nicene or Athanasian in their belief system, so they fall outside of the faith - we have to draw a line somewhere and the Creeds seem like a good place.

 

[FireDragon76]

Mostly now days, it's a non-Christian religion, though theoretically, Christian belief is optional, in practice this is rarely the case. Transcendentalism had a deep impact on Unitarianism, in this way.

Some congregations in the UCC (my current denomination) are dually affiliated with Unitarian Universalism. Our denomination does not have any creed as a test of faith (though creeds are valid as historical testimonies), and in some smaller towns, joint services are held to share resources. Our denomination also shares certain other resources with Unitarians, particularly for Sunday School programs, and our religions tend to share similar humanistic ethics.

 

[RileyG]

I can see the path by which they grew out of traditional Christianity, but in their present form, the Unitarian Universalists seem to be an interfaith organization rather than a genuine branch of Christianity. (I'll note that there are Christians who are Unitarian in belief, and Christians who are Universalist in belief -- with apologies to CF's rules! -- but the UU as an organization has moved in an interfaith direction.)

They're friendly neighbors, though. When I'm doing social justice work, I can usually count on the UU churches to be there with us.

On the whole, I like their ethical values, and I like their commitment to intellectual exploration of religion; but for myself, I prefer to stay closer to the Nicene Creed.

I agree.

I did find an interfaith prayer book which was complied by a UU, which I found fascinating.

I wouldn't know how a Unitarian would do Baptism though...without mentioning the Trinity. If they would do baptisms at all.

 

[RileyG]

Mostly now days, it's a non-Christian religion, though theoretically, Christian belief is optional, in practice this is rarely the case. Transcendentalism had a deep impact on Unitarianism, in this way.

Some congregations in the UCC (my current denomination) are dually affiliated with Unitarian Universalism. Our denomination does not have any creed as a test of faith (though creeds are valid as historical testimonies), and in some smaller towns, joint services are held to share resources. Our denomination also shares certain other resources with Unitarians, particularly for Sunday School programs, and our religions tend to share similar humanistic ethics.

Just out of curiosity, how they can be dually affiliated if UU is officially Unitarian (there are even some atheist/agnostic UUs) and UCC is officially Trinitarian?

Sounds really interesting, though.

 

[XianGoth1334]

When I have visited at a UUA, it has always felt very non-churchy to me... not necessarily in a bad way. As others have said, it is like an interfaith gathering where people are trying to embrace common ground and tolerance. In terms of actual beliefs, there may be some who do agree with a classic UU formula and are directly inspired by classic thinkers (Emerson, Channing, Ballou, etc.) -- and a lot who hold on to a particular religion (or no religion) but are there for a different reason. Sometimes I will visit out of curiosity to see what is going on, but I simply do not see a cohesive spirituality (not even one I may disagree with). For example, I once visited and the entire service, save for the opening and closing, was dedicated to appreciation of classical music. Visiting at different times of year may reflect appreciation for holidays in major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc.). If it was a monthly evening social gathering, I may be tempted to consider it alongside Sunday service. However, it simply no longer comes across as a form of "liberal Christianity". Of course, the histories of both Unitarian and Universalism have followed along on their own before merging into one denomination. Both, in their own way, followed more conservative and more liberal points. Due to the historical and current lack of creed, there have probably been times when the UUA could be considered "liberal Christianity" and other times when it simply was not Christian in any form. All of that being said, location matters. As is true with many denominations, there is a high degree of variance. I have visited UUA churches in rural parts of the mid west that were basically refuges for liberal (and even moderate) Christians and I have visited UUA churches in left-leaning cities which seemed intentionally anti-Christian and even anti-Jesus. So like I said, a lot depends on location. My local UUA provides a good interfaith environment and genuinely good neighbors -- but it simply is not "church" in my experience.

 

[FireDragon76]

There are actually a few UU churches that identify as Trinitarians, albeit of a Christian Universalist sort. For instance, this one in Providence, Rhode Island:

IV

www.firstuniversalist.net

The "non-churchy" Unitarianism is a result of New England Transcendentalism, which in turn was the result of mixture of Puritan spiritual intimations with ideas from Hinduism and German Idealism.

 

[XianGoth1334]

Yes, one of the churches I attended as a child was a uniting parish which was both UUA and UCC.
Why and how would a congregation do this? Well, it turns out they were historically part of the Universalist Church and had had a history of Trinitarian and specifically Christian views. In spite of clearly being a minority view, Christian Universalism can otherwise be conservative and embrace the historical creeds, believing in Biblical inspiration / authority / etc. So after a couple hundred years of being a small, otherwise conservative Christian congregation in a wooded area of rural New England, these Christian Universalists saw their parent denomination (Universalist Church of America) merge, out of financial necessity, with the American Unitarian Association to create the UUA. And they accepted that - they kind of, had to. But they also affiliated with the United Church of Christ. Unlike some of the UUA places I have attended, they retain a distinctive Christian theology and liturgy. Liberal and Universalist and Christian.

 

[RileyG]

There are actually a few UU churches that identify as Trinitarians, albeit of a Christian Universalist sort. For instance, this one in Providence, Rhode Island:

IV

www.firstuniversalist.net

The "non-churchy" Unitarianism is a result of New England Transcendentalism, which in turn was the result of mixture of Puritan spiritual intimations with ideas from Hinduism and German Idealism.

Wow! I wonder how common they are! So they are Trinitarian Universalists! Very interesting.

 

[FireDragon76]

Unitarians and the United Church of Christ have some things in common, both historically, as well as in shared denominational resources. However, we also share some not-so-obvious things in common: we define ourselves in terms of congregational church governance, belonging to covenanted communities that believes in the equality of all people, and we insist on democratic governance in church and society. While the UCC recognizes the historical role of the creeds and confessions in our religion as true testimonies, we also believe they should not be used as tests of Christian faith.

 

[Love365]

Do they teach about Gandhi ?

 

[RileyG]

Do they teach about Gandhi ?

I'm sure they do.

I saw on YouTube, a conservative Christian visited their Church, and there were images of hindu gods, buddha etc.

 

[hedrick]

To my knowledge the U-U church no longer considers itself specifically Christian. They have Christian members but also non-Christian members. FireDragon76's comparison with the Church of Christ is interesting, but the Church of Christ considers itself Christian . You may think they're too liberal, but there's still a big difference between them and the U-U

 

[RileyG]

To my knowledge the U-U church no longer considers itself specifically Christian. They have Christian members but also non-Christian members. FireDragon76's comparison with the Church of Christ is interesting, but the Church of Christ considers itself Christian . You may think they're too liberal, but there's still a big difference between them and the U-U

The United Church of Christ, not the Church of Christ.

 

[FireDragon76]

To my knowledge the U-U church no longer considers itself specifically Christian. They have Christian members but also non-Christian members. FireDragon76's comparison with the Church of Christ is interesting, but the Church of Christ considers itself Christian . You may think they're too liberal, but there's still a big difference between them and the U-U

The United Church of Christ and Church of Christ are really two separate denominations, with distinct histories and identities. The United Church of Christ is actually a Reformed denomination, the same as the Presbyterians, and belongs to the same worldwide fellowship as other Reformed churches. The UCC is probably the most liberal denomination in the Reformed tradition, however.

In the Unitarian Universalist church, there are certainly a few Christians, even Trinitarians... but that is considered optional, and secondary to abiding by the covenantal nature of the religion. Most Trinitarian Christians in the UU are there because they are universalists, and belong to historical Universalist congregations.

Right now the Unitarian Universalists are actually having alot of internal political struggles about the direction of the church. There are tensions between the liberal and progressive factions over the identity of the denomination and its covenants.

 

[RileyG]

The United Church of Christ and Church of Christ are really two separate denominations, with distinct histories and identities. The United Church of Christ is actually a Reformed denomination, the same as the Presbyterians, and belongs to the same worldwide fellowship as other Reformed churches. The UCC is probably the most liberal denomination in the Reformed tradition, however.

In the Unitarian Universalist church, there are certainly a few Christians, even Trinitarians... but that is considered optional, and secondary to abiding by the covenantal nature of the religion.

Right now the Unitarian Universalists are actually having alot of internal political struggles about the direction of the church. There are tensions between the liberal and progressive factions over the identity of the denomination and its covenants.

How would a trinitarian Christian be baptized by a UU minister, if at all?

 

[FireDragon76]

How would a trinitarian Christian be baptized by a UU minister, if at all?

In UU congregations that identify as Christian, they do perform baptisms, the same as any other church. Each church in a congregationalist denominational structure is relatively autonomous and can set their own covenants with its members, to a certain extent. There are some UU churches that are historically identified with Christian Universalism, and where you will even find the Apostles and Nicene creeds used as symbols of the faith.

 

[RileyG]

In UU congregations that identify as Christian, they do perform baptisms, the same as any other church. Each church in a congregationalist denominational structure is relatively autonomous and can set their own covenants with its members, to a certain extent. There are some UU churches that are historically identified with Christian Universalism, and where you will even find the Apostles and Nicene creeds used as symbols of the faith.

That’s interesting!

Thanks for the response

 

[Love365]

Could they make Gandhi the patron saint of peaceful protests ?