What is a unitarian and why do christians seem so threatened by this religion when I've asked about it?

Answer 1

unitarian universalist church is just that, universal. they allow each person their own beliefs. christians are extremely threatened by any thought or belief that doesnt have the bible at its root! which only shows their stupidity of letting their fears control who they are and what they do. i support unitarianism totally, we need more people to be more open with each persons beliefs even if they contradict our own. each person has a right to what they think and believe.
hope this helps
mournyngwolf
solitary practitioner of wicca and wizardry

Answer 2

Unitarianism

First Use of the Term: 1587, Transylvania
First Congregation: 1774
First Congregation in the USA: 1782
American Unitarian Association founded: 1825
Unitarians merged with Universalists: 1961

The doctrine of Unitarianism is a Christian belief which developed in opposition to the orthodox Christian doctrine of trinitarianism. The first use of the word appears to have been in Transylvania in 1568, when the Reformation was a mere 50 years old. With roots in the Radical wing of the Reformation of the early 16th century, Unitarianism has long pursued a more rationalistic approach to religion and Christianity.

According to Unitarianism, God has but a single personality and form, while Jesus was only a human. Other traditional doctrines rejected by Unitarians are the Fall, Atonement, and eternal punishment in hell. Unitarianism moved from a doctrine to a denomination in the early 19th century in England and the United States through the work of Christians who adhered to Arminian Theology, and in the 1960s American Unitarianism dissociated itself from Christianity generally. For Unitarians, religion is treated as something like a refined moral sensibility rather than a commitment to a life-long spiritual transformation as in some Christian groups.

Not sure why people are threatened when asked about it.

Answer 3

There are different types of Unitarians, Wikipedia has a great explanation of it available. It was too long to post here.

Just a personal opinion, but I think some Christians (please note the word "some" before jumping on me k?) are threatened by Unitarianism because it incorporates such diversity of thought into its core. Another reason could be because they simply don't understand it and make no effort to find out what it really is about. You'll find Unitarians who believe basically as Christians do, but do not consider themselves Christian because they do not subscribe to the belief of the trinity and do not consider Jesus a deity, though at the same time acknowledging him as the son of God. Some have merged with Universalism, which is a separate school of thought. They also understand and accept evolution, welcome gays into their church with open arms - without trying to "save" them, and who have no need to proselytize to "unbelievers." It really is the thinking man's religion. That can be a frightening thing to a fundmentalist Christian.

Answer 4

With a small "u", it is anyone who believes in one God instead of the trinity. With a capital "U", a member of the Unitarian Universalists (in the USA and Canada) or the Unitarian Society in the UK, usually. There are Unitarians in India and Transylvania.

Lots of Christians call us a cult. Cults tend to be new, have a single charismatic leader and one mindset. We are 200+ years old, our leader changes every 10 years and we don't have a single mindset. I won't comment on how charismatic our past or current leaders are. Charisma is in the eye of the beholder.

There are Catholics who like lima beans and Catholics who don't. This doesn't upset people. There are Lutherans who are Republican and Lutherans who are Democrats. This doesn't upset people. There are UU's who believe in God and UUs who don't. This upsets and confuses people.

Read more:

http://www.stanuu.org/beliefs.html
(has some typos - I have to fix it tonight)

http://www.uua.org/index.html
(National body for USA)

Answer 5

Even after attending a unitarian "church" for 1 year I really cannot tell you what they are. It seemed more like they were trying to be all things to all people. It doesn't work.

I attended a unitarian funeral earlier this year and it left me feeling empty or even worse, like a diabetic eating nothing but sugar.

I am now a Christian and I don't feel threatened by unitarianism but I do feel immensely saddened that anybody would bother with it.

Answer 6

Unitarians tend to be pluralists, that is they think there are multiple pathways to a relationship to the divine. This goes against the notion that Christianity holds a vise grip grasp on the truth.

Answer 7

ask the same reason why christians reject Jewish teachings or One ness of god

even the Jews believe in your own loose interpretation of god and scripture so long as you believe your god is one god

since christianity is so convenient, I feel the Jewish traditions are so complex and burdensome there is no way a christian would observe the rituals day in day out, sunrise to sunset

christianity generally was not so much about god as it was about a blend of current mainstream competing religions that became the next and new one to compete for followers and supporters, competing for culture, space, money and network, all centered around the Karast or christ, the idea of an inspired or great one that also resurrects and continues to be reborn and re-incarnated with each new convert like the rising son in cult of Attis or the rising sun in our world that appears to rise out of the earth and go back into the earth to the untrained uneducated nomad eye

for a very intriguing read that will put doubt in your own faith and faith in man's ability to mislead and manipulate us based on our lack of education and will to believe in stories, see link

if you enjoy seeing other languages and origin of words and our adaptation chronology...you gotta read this

Most of us have been indoctrinated in the belief that Christianity and for that matter Judaism dropped onto mankind in the midst of an extremely sinful world. The historical reality is much more complicated than that. What we believe to be some new revolutionary dispensation beginning with Adam and crystallising with Jesus actually goes back to the dim mists of antiquity. Now, ancient Hebrew sacred writings were not meant to be interpreted literally; much of what comprises the Torah and the Old Testament were myths, allegorical proverbs and poems. Many of the names found in the OT were not referring to historical individuals but actually referred to whole tribes and communities. Indeed, most of the OT writings were simply poetic tales meant to convey the values of patriarchal Hebrew society. If we compare these myths with their Kemetic/Egyptian sources we can begin to explore the deeper meanings. Cheikh Anta Diop and Gerald Massey made this easier by comparing linguistic patterns; in a private conversation with Charles Finch, Diop showed how the Jewish scriptures borrowed extensively from its Egyptian parent. The deep symbolism and "typology" of the ancient Nile Valley sacred science provides us with the means to the complex process of understanding what the writers of the sacred Jewish and Christian texts may have wanted to convey to their devotees. It is not as simplistic as the priests and pastors make it out to be.

Answer 8

The oneness Christians believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is like the soul, the body and the works in a single person. I call them oneness Christians for lack of a better term. I am a oneness Christian myself - Swedenborgian denomination

Answer 9

Christians should not be threatened by any religion. I think some Christians might feel that it is 'watered down'. The same way Catholics perceive the 'other miscellaneous Christian' religions.

Answer 10

I'm a Christian. While I obviously can't speak for every Christian out there, I CAN speak for me. I'm not threatened by anyone else's religion. I have a firm conviction in my faith.