Please tell me about the Unitarian church.?

Question

Good for them because Jesus is NOT God!

"Not biblical" is a good recommendation, since the bible is crap!

It sounds perfect for me and there is one not far from my house.

Answer 1

Unitarian Universalism (UUism) is a theologically liberal religious movement characterized by its support of a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." This principle permits Unitarian Universalists a wide range of beliefs and practices. Unitarian Universalist congregations and fellowships tend to retain some Christian traditions such as Sunday worship that includes a sermon and singing of hymns, but do not necessarily identify themselves as Christians.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), founded in 1961 as a consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church in America, is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and serves churches in North America. The UUA represents more than 1,000 member congregations that collectively include more than 217,000 members. Unitarian Universalists follow a congregational model of church governance, in which power resides at the local level; individual congregations call ministers and make other decisions involving worship, theology and day-to-day church management. The denominational headquarters in Boston in turn provides services for congregations that can more effectively be handled through joint efforts. Founded in 1995, the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) serves congregations throughout the world.

Both Unitarianism and Universalism trace their roots to Christian Protestantism. Many UUs appreciate and value aspects of Christian and Jewish spirituality, but the extent to which the elements of any particular faith tradition are incorporated into one's personal spiritual practices is a matter of personal choice in keeping with UU's creedless, non-dogmatic approach to spirituality and faith development. Even before the Unitarian and Universalist movements combined their efforts at the continental level, the theological significance of Unitarianism and Universalism expanded beyond the traditional understanding of these terms.



Unitarianism Universalism is an unusual religious organization. Unlike most religions in North America, it does not require its adherents to adhere to a specific set of beliefs. Its membership includes individuals who identify themselves as Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Humanists, Wiccans, or other religious tradition. Many inter-faith couples find it to be a comfortable religious home. UUs view the main function of the congregation as facilitating the spiritual quest of its members.
Major concerns of the UU religion include social justice and service to humanity. Most UUs readily adapt their beliefs to the findings of science. Thus they were very active in the abolition of slavery, gaining of equal rights for women, and the attainment of equal rights, including the right to marry, for homosexuals and bisexuals. They have an influence on the culture that is far beyond what one would expect from their numbers.

Answer 2

The Unitarian Church isn't a cult. some Christians are uncomfortable with the Unitarian Church because of the fact it does no longer settle for the thought-with reference to the Holy Trinity, as a result the call Unitarian. over the years, the Unitarian Church merged with the Universalist church to develop into the Unitarian-Universalist Church. It does no longer adhere to strict Christian dogma and, in actuality, would usually consult with scriptures of alternative religions for the period of their centers. The Unitarians I truthfully have conventional have been very ethical people who've a tendency to be incredibly liberal of their religious ideals.

Answer 3

Unitarian Universalists DON'T have a set doctrine, as many people have said. There is no set belief on God or the Trinity or Jesus. Some believe in God, some don't. They confirm and promote:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person,
2. Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations,
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations,

And, well, there's several more but that's the gist of it. Pretty much, they promote equality and peace, feel it's everyone's right to find their own spiritual beliefs, and there is a strong sense of community. In terms of current events, they tend to be very liberal and support gay rights and the like, and most don't support the war.

At a Unitarian church, you learn a lot about other faiths, and about yourself. No one tells you what to believe, and everyone is very encouraging and accepting.

EDIT: And we don't tend to outrightly insult other religions, just to let you know. So if you became a Unitarian, you probably shouldn't mention in such blatent terms that Jesus isn't good and the Bible is crap. It's okay to think that. But when you're at church, make it sound a bit more pleasant.

Answer 4

Most of us are Unitarian Universalists. Sears used to be "Sears Roebuck" and that luxury car most people call a "Rolls" is really a "Rolls-Royce".

We started out by believing in one god and universal salvation. We have gotten more liberal. I usually compare us to that club that Sherlock Holmes' brother Mycroft belonged to. The Diogenes club was a club for men who didn't fit in other clubs. The UU church, in my view, is a church for people who don't fit in other churches. (Our web committee has voted 4:2 against that particuar analogy at least twice, so it isn't on our web site.)

I've been a UU since 1973, when I found there was a church for people like me. I maintain a small UU congregation's web site at
http://www.stanuu.org

The Beliefs and FAQ pages will help you get a feel for us. The sermons and guest sermons will tell you what we talk about in church - just read the one-paragraph summaries.

http://www.stanuu.org/moreabout.html
is a sort of all-inclusive "Learn more about us" page.

Every time someone asks about UU here on YA, someone else calls us a cult. The next section is from our FAQ page.

Is Unitarian Universalism a cult?

No. Cults have three hallmarks. They are relatively new, they have a single, charismatic leader, and they share a single mindset. We have been around for 200 years. President John Adams and his son, President John Quincy Adams, were Unitarians. Our leader, the president of the UUA, changes every ten years. Sometimes we elect a person with charisma, sometimes we don't. As to our mindset, some of us believe in God, some don't. We have other differences. We are not a mainline protestant denomination, but we are far from being a cult.

So much for cult status.

Someone else will tell you we are "The church that doesn't believe in anything". Wrong again. There are Presbyterians who are Republicans and Presbyterians who are Democrats. No one calls the Presbyterians "The church that isn't interested in politics". There are Catholics who love sushi and Catholics who hate it. (There are Lutherans who consider it "bait".) No one says "Catholics don't eat anything".

Some UUs believe in a supreme being and some don't. Some are in favor of abortion and some are not. Almost all of us believe evolution is the best explanation for the variety of species. We believe in a lot of things. We just didn't have to swear to think in lockstep to join our church.

Answer 5

Check out beliefnet.com. They even have a quiz that you can take to see how your beliefs align with different religions & practices. I took the quiz and my beliefs aligned with the Unitarian Universalist. I have attended a UU church several times, and if you are an open thinker, it may be a match. There is no set philosopy in UU, they believe that you can learn from all different religions, philosophies and thought practices. They are all about tolerance and community support. One interesting fact is that they support the gay marriage initiative.

Answer 6

The Unitarian church is welcoming. We do not judge or discriminate. We have no set of doctrines that you 'must' believe. We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We don't discriminate or ostracize.

We do not instruct people how they 'must' think of God, or that they even must believe in God at all. Most of us do, but Atheists are welcome to join in the community of good work and sharing (and many do).

We believe people should be encouraged to think for themselves. We know people differ in their opinions and lifestyles, and we believe these differences should be honored.

We believe in equity and compassion. We believe that the governing principle in human relationships is to seek the welfare of others and never seek to hurt or destroy, and that no idea or philosophy is superior to a single human life.

We accept evolution as we search for the truth about the universe and it's beginnings.

We try very hard to practice what we believe.

There is a website at www.UUA.org but you may find it easier to simply call or drop into a church in your area.

Answer 7

The short answer is that it is a religion without creed or dogma that is open to all regardless of race, color, social status, sex, disability, sexual orientation, age or national origin and without requiring adherence to any particular interpretation of religion or to any particular religious belief or creed.

In a nutshell, Unitarian Universalists don't give a hoot what "Higher Power" you believe in, just so long as you play nicely with others. They open their doors and hearts to Muslims, Jews, Pagans, Athiests, Agnostics, and even Christians.

UU's adhere to the following established principles of Unitarian Universalism:

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 congregation
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregation 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

Answer 8

I am a secular Humanist and a Unitarian Universalist. I joined the UU family because I believe in religious freedom and enjoy the fellowship of people of diverse backgrounds. This relationship has allowed me to learn about the many and diverse religious beliefs and customs that have been the source of inspiration for many people and take part in community projects alongside my neighbors of faith, yet it doesn't require me to pretend to believe in things I don't. I have found UUs to be the most open-minded, helpful, supportive, and joyful people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. They don't tell you what to believe--that's not the UU way--but support each person's individual search for truth. Even non-religious people like myself are welcome. What brings us together is mutual respect for that right to seek spiritual fulfillment in one's own way and a desire to help one another achieve that goal. Unitarians marched and died in the Civil Rights Movement, and UUs of today have the same enthusiasm for social justice, taking strong stances in favor of women's rights and equal marriage rights for same-sex citizens.

techronarrow: The Church of Unity (a.k.a. Unity School of Christianity) and Unitarian Universalists are NOT the same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Church
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism

Answer 9

My understanding is that they embrace everyone's indiviudal spiritual quest, and respect all religions that do not seek to promote an us or nothing mentality.

I know factually the Unitarian Churches have a lot of different types of members...and I just think that is fundamentally the right way to go about it. I am not religious...or even spiritual....but it's hard for me not to like these people.

Answer 10

They believe in the equality of all religions. They do not preach one over the other but instead try and mesh them together to encompass everyone.

"With its historical roots in the Jewish and Christian traditions, Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion -- that is, a religion that keeps an open mind to the religious questions people have struggled with in all times and places. We believe that personal experience, conscience and reason should be the final authorities in religion, and that in the end religious authority lies not in a book or person or institution, but in ourselves. We are a "non-creedal" religion: we do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed."