Can someone explain Unitiarian Universalism to me?

Question

I just don't get it. And I'm not looking necessarily for a definitlion I could google and find out.

Answer 1

Have fun looking at all the answers you get to this one! In Unitarian Universalist doctrine, all human beings who are capable of loving and faithfulness find favor with the ultimate power. All paths to God are equally valuable. Unitarianism seeks to eliminate religious differences by finding commonalities of religious purposes. To do that, it defines goodness as being that which supports life and love and evil as being that which supports hatred, selfishness and bigotry. Unitarians have drawn the hatred of many fundamentalist groups because they don't put anyone's personal religion above anyone else's, but they do point out the personal qualities that bring a person closer to God- qualities that can be developed by the proper use of any religion, but can also be overlooked by any religion. In short, Unitarianism puts spirituality before religion, substance before appearance, reality before name.

Answer 2

General Unitarian Universalism Beliefs

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that claims to be “born of the Jewish and Christian traditions.” They believe that personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final authorities in religion. In the end, religious authority lies not in a book, person, or institution, but in ourselves. We put religious insights to the test of our hearts and minds. In other words, the UU’s espouse a humanist believe of each individual in a position superior to God or scripture. The UU believes that each individual’s spiritual path for truth should not be hampered by a creed or set of rules. It describes itself as a “free faith.” Past this, it is hard to be very specific. If the UU cult believes in anything, it is everything, and it stands for nothing. Whew!

UU Beliefs About God

UU’s are definitely not married to the concept of God. Some UU’s claim to be Christians, while others claim to be agnostic, Buddhist, Hindu, or even pagan! I really can’t describe their belief in God any better than they do in their own words. Here is a sampling from the Unitarian Universalist Association website: “Some Unitarian Universalists are nontheists and do not find language about God useful. The faith of other Unitarian Universalists in God may be profound, though among these, too, talk of God may be restrained. Why? The word God is much abused. Far too often, the word seems to refer to a kind of granddaddy in the sky or a super magician. To avoid confusion, many Unitarian Universalists are more apt to speak of "reverence for life" (in the words of Albert Schweitzer, a Unitarian), the spirit of love or truth, the holy, or the gracious. Many also prefer such language because it is inclusive; it is used with integrity by theist and nontheist members.” To sum up, the UU’s believe that belief in God is too exclusionary, so they don’t have much regard for its use.

UU Beliefs About Jesus

The UU belief about Jesus will not take more than a few sentences. They UU's deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Their belief on the nature of Jesus pretty much parallels that of the New Age -- that Jesus was an example of a good and moral man. Nothing more, nothing less. In light of this, it would be hard to call the UU cult Christian.

UU Beliefs About the Bible

The UU's do not believe - as Christians do - that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. It is more of a guide than scripture to the UU. Let us once again view the UUA's own words regarding their view of the Bible: "We do not, however, hold the Bible-or any other account of human experience-to be either an infallible guide or the exclusive source of truth. Much biblical material is mythical or legendary. Not that it should be discarded for that reason! Rather, it should be treasured for what it is. We believe that we should read the Bible as we read other books (or the newspaper)-with imagination and a critical eye." The UU sees the Bible as no more than a good issue of Readers Digest.

UU Beliefs About Salvation

Salvation to the UU is a guarantee. They do not believe in Hell. They do not believe that there is a penalty for sin. As Christians, we believe there IS a penalty for sin, but that penalty has been paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ. All each person has to do is to accept that. But to the UU, that would seem exclusionary. There is no sin, there is no penalty for sin, there is no hell, therefore, there is nothing to be saved from. That is the belief of the UU.

Answer 3

Eternal life is the free gift of God through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord, Lamb of God & resurrection.

Unitiarian Universalism doesn't agree with that.

Answer 4

Yes,
Unitarian Universalism means "We want your money too"
God Money not looking for a cure!

Answer 5

Most modern day Unitarian Universalists share the following beliefs -- that:
- Each person, because of her/his humanity inherently has dignity and worth.
- Each person seek his/her unique spiritual path, based upon their personal life experience, the use of reason and meditation, the findings of science and her/his fundamental beliefs concerning deity, humanity, and the rest of the universe.
- The prime function of a clergyperson and congregation is to help the individual members to grow spiritually.
- All the great religions of the world, and their sacred texts, have worth.
- There should be no barrier to membership, such as compulsory adherence to a creed.
- Their lives, their congregations and association are governed by the concepts of democracy, religious freedom and religious tolerance
- Much of their effort should be directed towards civil rights, achieving equality of treatment for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. They have played a major role in these battles for equal rights, in spite of their relatively small numbers.
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The Principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association

"We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 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 the use of the 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 keep the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live 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."

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I trust there is not a young man now living in the United States who will not die a Unitarian.
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Waterhouse, June 26, 1822