what does the unitarian church beleive in?

Answer 1

Unity

Answer 2

With a lower-case "u", unitarians are any religion that doesn't believe in the Trinity. There was an ancient Egyptian Pharoh who decided the Sun was the only God; that Pharoh was a "lower-case" unitarian.

With an upper-case "U", you mean Unitarian Universalists, found mostly in the USA. We are members of an odd little denomination that believes what you do is more important than what you think about the nature of God. Our first principle is to value "The worth and dignity of every person". We take "worth and dignity" seriously. That means even if he is black, white, brown or red; even if she is poor or a lesbian; even if he is gay or homeless, or she used to be a man, or he stammers because he has an IQ of 140 trapped in an 80-year old body that suffered some strokes, or her legs don't work. The gay or lesbian part usually upsets conservative people.

Read more, on the web site for my congregation:
http://www.stanuu.org/beliefs.html
http://www.stanuu.org/newfaq.html

If you leave this question up long enough, someone will say we are a cult, and someone else will say we are "The church that doesn’t believe in anything." Wrong!

Cults have three hallmarks. 1) They are relatively new, 2) they have a single, charismatic leader, and 3) they share a single mindset.

By the numbers:

1) We have been around for 200 years. President John Adams and his son, President John Quincy Adams, were Unitarians.

2) Our leader, the president of the UUA, changes every ten years. Sometimes we elect a person with charisma, sometimes we don't.

3) Some of us believe in God, some don't. That is the widest variety of "mindset" you'll find in any religion today.

We are not a normal denomination, but we are far from being a cult.

On to beliefs: There are Presbyterians who vote Democratic and Presbyterians who vote Republican. No one calls them "The church that doesn't vote for anything". There are Lutherans who eat lima beans and Lutherans who do not. No one calls them "The church that doesn't eat anything". There are UUs who believe that God exists, UUs who believe that God does not exist, and UUs who believe that the nature of God is beyond human comprehension. This upsets people and they call us "The church that doesn't believe in anything."

If you join a Christian church, you have to say that you believe in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that Jesus was born of a virgin, that Mary was born without Sin, that everyone else was born covered with Original Sin the way seagulls get covered with goo when an oil tanker springs a leak, and so on. We don't make you say any of that to join us. We assume you will make up your own mind about the nature of God, and we’ll provide interesting questions to help you.

We UU’s believe in a lot of things, but we don’t think in lockstep.

Answer 3

The Unitarian-Universalists have a wide range of beliefs; the church is non-dogmatic and has often been described as "the church for atheists who like singing hymns and religion-like rituals."

I have been a featured speaker at several UU congregations and have been to a few services. It's not my thing, but if there had to be a church I had to attend, that would be the one.

Answer 4

There are seven principles that guide us as we worship:
-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.

Our commonalities lie in primarily judeo-christian tradition and are shared in many religious manifestations. Some call it a religion, others call it a philosophy but it is a common seach for truth in a supportive and nurturing setting.

Answer 5

Unitarian Universalists search for truth along many paths. Instead of centering their religion on specific beliefs, they gather around shared moral values that include the inherent worth and dignity of every person. find out for yourself
http://www.uua.org/

Answer 6

According to my reading, and some firsthand experience with a few of them, they think everyone is going to Heaven.
This belief goes totally against many Christian doctrines, and is therefore heretical.
I have seen this listed as a cult, I think in the Book "Kingdom Of The Cults"
When the theology is messed up, it is not good at all.

Answer 7

In a nutshell, this church believes that every person has their own absolute truth.

Meaning that there is no one ultimate authority, and if there were , that authority grants to all the freedom to believe what they wish to believe without another telling them they are wrong, and you certainly cannot tell another that his or her truth is wrong.

Answer 8

I'm a sixth generation Universalist, now Unitarian Universalist. Unitarian Universalism is a non creedal, liberal religion which allows a broad range of religious expression. Anyone who would call us a cult either doesn't understand what a cult is or is showing an extreme ignorance about Unitarian Universalism.

One of the best ways to learn about UU is by visiting the Unitarian Universalist Association web site. Here are the principles and purposes that bind UU's together:

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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Another and perhaps more personal way is to visit a local congregation. Each congregation has its own unique "flavor", so you may want to try more than one, if there happen to be two or more in your area. You can find the link to the congregation finder below.

Unitarian Universalism isn't for the faint of hear, you have to be ready to take responsibility for your own spiritual growth. I hope you will find what you need amoungst us.

Answer 9

The inherent respect of all humans and faiths. Basically we love everyone.
UU Pagan

Answer 10

Here ya go!

UNITARIANS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian


UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism