Does anyone here know anything about the Unitarian Universalists?

Question

I'm thinking about trying out a congregation, just wanted to make sure they are not some kind of cult.

Answer 1

The word "Catholic" means universal.

I trust no organization that claims to be universal.


My Zoo keeper told me he belonged to that church, then he forced me to play leap-frog with the penguins.

Answer 2

I have been one for 30 years. Uninformed people sometimes call us a cult.

Cults are distinguished by several things. Their members all think pretty much in parallel, they have a charismatic leader, and they don’t last long. If they go on long enough they broaden out and become denominations or religions. Christianity was a cult, by some definitions, for the first 100 or 200 years. Mormonism was a cult in its beginnings too.

I have seen real cults. In the 1970’s I knew a girl who passed up a chance to go to Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley's law school, to join the Unification Church. It is a group often called the “Moonies” because they believe Rev. Sun Meung Moon is the second incarnation of Jesus. When I lived in San Francisco I talked to some people at a card table recruiting for Jim Jones, of the Jonestown mass suicide fame. Those were cults.

Unitarian-Universalists have been around since the late 1700’s. We haven’t claimed to be Christian since the mid-1850’s. We don’t have a single set of beliefs nor do we have a charismatic leader, although some of our ministers are eloquent sometimes. We don't think alike.

For more, visit our little chirch's web site:
http://www.stanuu.org
The Beliefs and FAQ pages, particularly, will give you an idea.

Unity is close to us but still Christian. We lose a member to them every couple of years, and they lose one to us every couple of years. The Congregationalists are a little more conservative but similar to us in being liberal. You might try the Quakers, too.

Answer 3

Certainly not a cult. A liberal religion, yes. Different churches have different creeds, the one from the first UU church I went to was "Love is the spirit of this church, and service it's law. This is our great covenant, to dwell together in peace, seek the truth in love, and to help one another." It's pretty similar to the one I go to now, but the current one is longer. As I said, each church has it's own style, mostly based on the minister and the congregations needs. My church now(which I'm not a member of, because once you're a member they ask you for money to help the upkeep of the church etc, because for each member, they have to give $72 to the Unitarian Universalist Assc, but if you remain a 'friend' you don't have to pay it) is a tiny bit more religious than the first one I went to, but at this point in my life I welcome it. I know the church in the next town over is much more religious. Check out uua.org and look for churches near you and check out their homepages, it'll give you a good idea about their ministers and sermons. Most of the services, from my experiences in a few different UU churches, are based on poetry and essays by people like Emerson, Thereau(sp), etc, with next to no mention of God or Jesus, with the exception of major holidays. The church I go to now doesn't even have any symbol on the wall, my last church had a 'starburst' and on Christmas and Easter would put a cross type thing up too.
I hope this helps. I think it's great to ask about UU on here. Really, the best advice is the uua.org page and look at individual church websites - it'll help you decide which church to go to(I'm assuming there'll be a few near you; in Boston, which is the home of UUA, and where I live, we have at least one in each couple of towns).
Good luck!

Answer 4

They're definitely not as cult. You can walk away at any time and they have no resrictions on what you want to read or study. (Cults try to restrict your knowledge and won't let go if you pull back.)
UU's are a diverse bunch from every religious background you can imagine. However they have these 7 principles in common:

The 7 Principles
* 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 fight of conscience and the use of the democratic process within out 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

In my experience they are usually politically liberal (but not always), very intelligent and very compassionate people.
As far as believing in God, some do not per se, however most of the ones I've know do, They see God in different (broader) context and use different names.
If those 7 principles above sound good to you check out a couple of congregations in your area. (2nd link shows local ones)
As with any spiritual choice, follow your heart, trust your instincts.

Answer 5

Sixth generation UU here.

If anything, we are an anti-cult. Here are our principles and purposes from the UUA website.

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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 which 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 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.

The Purposes of the Unitarian Universalist Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its corporate powers for religious, educational and humanitarian purposes. The primary purpose of the Association is to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions and implement its principles.

The Association declares and affirms its special responsibility, and that of its member congregations and organizations, to promote the full participation of persons in all of its and their activities and in the full range of human endeavor without regard to race, ethnicity, gender, disability, affectional or sexual orientation, age, language, citizenship status, economic status, or national origin and without requiring adherence to any particular interpretation of religion or to any particular religious belief or creed.

Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and Unitarian heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test.

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The second link I have listed goes to the congregation finder.

If you are ready to take responsibility for your own spiritual growth, we might be for you. If you think that the right questions may be as or more important than the answers, we might be for you. If you think that attending church shouldn't require you to leave logic and rational thought at the door, we might be for you.

Indicators that we probably aren't for you:

1. You think that spiritual practice is something revealed centuries ago and shouldn't be changed.

2. You need someone else to give you all your spiritual answers.

3. You believe that there is only one proper way to be spiritual, ethical or religious.

4. You must know that everyone in the room agrees exactly with the way you see things.

5. You believe that only your religion has "the truth" and that all other religions only contain falsehoods.

If I can be of any further help, drop me a note and I'll be glad to try and help.

Answer 6

Their name states it all: everyone is unified because a universalist believes that everyone goes to heaven in the end.

Answer 7

They do not believe in God. It is an interesting concept. If you believe in Love and a Loving creator, try a non-denominational church called UNITY.

Check it out: unitysandiego.org

Answer 8

You may just want to do research on them yourself. Most of the negative feedback you will get on here will come from people who know little to nothing about it.

Answer 9

Hi Skeptic,

I would *definitely* go with Salunas' answer. I was going to answer this, but she's done an outstanding job.

Answer 10

it's the religion of a lot of the founding fathers.