Common Questions
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| At a First Unitarian Church worship service or meeting, you are likely to find members whose positions on faith may be derived from a variety of religious beliefs: Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, naturist, atheist, or agnostic. Members might tell you that they are religious humanists, liberal Christians, or world religionists. | |
All these people, and others who label their beliefs still differently, are faithful Unitarian Universalists committed to the practice of free religion. We worship, sing, play, study, teach, and work for social justice together as congregations-all the while remaining strong in our individual convictions. The following
questions and answers below and will help you to understand what it means
to be a Unitarian Universalist. Who
are Unitarian Universalists? How
did the movement come to have such a long name? Where
can one find Unitarian Universalist congregations now? What
do UUs believe about God? How
do UUs understand salvation? What
ceremonies are observed, what holidays celebrated? Are
Unitarian Universalists Christian? How
is religious education conducted?
Do
Unitarian Universalists practice what they preach?
We are a
religious people who have woven strands of a rich past into a tapestry of
the present. In the first
centuries of the Christian era, Christians held a variety of beliefs
concerning the nature of Jesus. In 325 CE, however, the Council of Nicea
promulgated the doctrine of the Trinity-God as Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost-and denounced all those who believed differently as heretics. In the
sixteenth century, Christian humanists in Central Europe-in Poland and
Transylvania-studied the Bible closely. They could not find the orthodox
dogma of the Trinity in the texts. Therefore, they affirmed-as did Jesus,
according to the Gospels-the unity, or oneness, of God. Hence they
acquired the name Unitarian. These
sixteenth-century Unitarians preached and organized churches according to
their own rational convictions in the face of overwhelming orthodox
opposition and persecution. They also advocated religious freedom for
others. In Transylvania, now part of Romania, Unitarians persuaded the
Diet (legislature) to pass the Edict of Toleration. In 1568 the law
declared that, since "faith is the gift of God," people would
not be forced to adhere to a faith they did not choose. In the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, radical reformers in Europe and
America also studied the Bible closely. They found only a few references
to hell, which they believed orthodox Christians had grossly
misinterpreted. They found, both in the Bible and in their own hearts, an
unconditionally loving God. They believed that God would not deem any
human being unworthy of divine love, and that salvation was for all.
Because of this emphasis on universal salvation, they called themselves
Universalists. In the
eighteenth century, a dogmatic Calvinist insistence on predestination and
human depravity seemed to liberal Christians irrational, perverse, and
contrary to both biblical tradition and immediate experience. Liberal
Christians believe that human beings are free to heed an inner summons of
conscience and character. To deny human freedom is to make God a tyrant
and to undermine God-given human dignity. In continuity
with our sixteenth-century Unitarian forebears, today we Unitarian
Universalists are determined to follow our own reasoned convictions, no
matter what others may say, and we embrace tolerance as a central
principle, inside and outside our own churches. Also during the
seventeenth century, reformers in several European countries, especially
in England, could not find a biblical basis for the authority and power of
ecclesiastical bishops. They affirmed, therefore, the authority and power
of the Holy Spirit to guide the local members. These reformers on the
radical left wing of the Reformation, seeking to "purify" the
church of its "corruptions," reclaimed what they believed to be
ancient church practice and named it congregational polity. These same
seventeenth-century radicals did away with creeds, that is, with precisely
phrased statements of belief to which members had to subscribe. Members
joining their churches signed a simple and broadly phrased covenant, or
agreement, such as this one: "We pledge to walk together in the ways
of the Lord as it pleaseth Him to make them known to us, now and in days
to come." Some of these
reformers, the Pilgrims and the Puritans, crossed the Atlantic and braved
the North American wilderness to establish covenanted congregations whose
direction belonged to the local members. Some of these original
congregational churches developed increasingly liberal theological beliefs
after 1750, and in the early nineteenth century, many of them added the
word Unitarian to their names. Thus, some of the oldest churches in the
United States, including the First Parish of Plymouth, Massachusetts,
became Unitarian. In the late eighteenth century, other radicals who
believed in religious liberty and universal salvation organized separate
Universalist congregations. In continuity
with our independent forebears, today Unitarian Universalist congregations
are covenanted, not creedal. Congregational polity is a basic doctrine. In
the spirit of freedom, we cherish honest dialogue and persuasion, not
coercion. We embrace democratic method as a central principle. Our local
members unite to engage in and to support ministries of their own
choosing. The
seventeenth-century scientific revolution began a great shift in Western
thinking. In the eighteenth century, the Enlightenment brought an
increased willingness to look critically and analytically at all human
institutions, without presupposing the sanctity or privilege of any. Many religious
groups fiercely resisted these scientific analytical ideas. Some still do.
In the churches of our forebears, new scientific and social ideas-from
Newtonian physics, to evolution, to psychology, to relativity-found ready
acceptance. Indeed, some of the greatest scientists and social theorists
of the age were either privately or publicly Unitarian or Universalist:
Joseph Priestley, Charles Darwin, Maria Mitchell, and Benjamin Rush, for
example. In the
nineteenth century, increased travel and translation of Eastern religious
texts brought greater awareness of different religions. Again, many of our
forebears were uncommonly open to new ideas from Eastern cultures. Ralph
Waldo Emerson was deeply influenced by Hinduism, and James Freeman Clarke
was among the first in the world to urge and teach the study of
comparative religion. In continuity
with our forebears, today Unitarian Universalists expect new scientific
disclosures to cohere, not conflict, with our religious faith. We embrace
the challenge and the joy of intercultural religious fellowship. How
did the movement come to have such a long name? In North
America, Unitarianism and Universalism developed separately. Universalist
congregations began to beestablished in the 1770s. Other congregations,
many established earlier, began to take the Unitarian name in the 1820s.
Over the decades the two groups converged in their liberal emphasis and
style, and in 1961 they merged to become the Unitarian Universalist
Association. Where
can one find Unitarian Universalist congregations now? More than one
thousand congregations in the United States and Canada belong to the
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) of Congregations, with
headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The oldest
Unitarian congregations are in Romania. There are large Unitarian
congregations in the Khasi Hills of India. Others are found in Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Great Britain, Australia,
Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines, and Japan. (Some of these are
Unitarian and some are Universalist.) North American
Unitarian Universalists maintain ties with other Unitarian Universalists
throughout the world, mostly through our membership in the International
Association for Religious Freedom (IARF), organized in 1900. Members of
the IARF include other liberal Christian groups as well as Humanist, Hindu
Reform, Shinto, and Buddhist groups. What
do UUs believe about God? 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. Whatever our
theological persuasion, Unitarian Universalists generally agree that the
fruits of religious belief matter more than beliefs about religion-even
about God. So we usually speak more of the fruits: gratitude for
blessings, worthy aspirations, the renewal of hope, and service on behalf
of justice. What
about Jesus? Classically,
Unitarian Universalist Christians have understood Jesus as a savior
because he was a God-filled human being, not a supernatural being. He was,
and still is for many UUs, an exemplar, one who has shown the way of
redemptive love, in whose spirit anyone may live generously and
abundantly. Among us, Jesus' very human life and teaching have been
understood as products of, and in line with, the great Jewish tradition of
prophets and teachers. He neither broke with that tradition nor superceded
it. Many of us
honor Jesus, and many of us honor other master teachers of past or present
generations, like Moses or the Buddha. As a result, mixed-tradition
families may find common ground in the UU fellowship without compromising
other loyalties. And
about the Bible? In most of our
congregations, our children learn Bible stories as a part of their church
school curricula. It is not unusual to find adult study groups in the
churches, or in workshops at summer camps and conferences, focusing on the
Bible. Allusions to biblical symbols and events are frequent in our
sermons. In most of our congregations, the Bible is read as any other
sacred text might be-from time to time, but not routinely. We have
especially cherished the prophetic books of the Bible. Amos, Hosea,
Isaiah, and other prophets dared to speak critical words of love to the
powerful, calling for justice for the oppressed. Many Unitarian and
Universalist social reformers have been inspired by the bib-lical
prophets. We hallow the names of Unitarian and Universalist prophets:
Joseph Tuckerman, Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, Theodore Parker, Susan B.
Anthony, and many others. 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. We also respect
the sacred literature of other religions. Contemporary works of science,
art, and social commentary are valued as well. We hold, in the words of an
old liberal formulation, that "revelation is not sealed."
Unitarian Universalists aspire to truth as wide as the world-we look to
find truth anywhere, universally. How
do UUs understand salvation? The English
word salvation derives from the Latin salus, meaning health. Unitarian
Universalists are as concerned with salvation, in the sense of spiritual
health or wholeness, as any other religious people. However, in
many Western churches, salvation has come to be associated with a specific
set of beliefs or a spiritual transformation of a very limited type. Among Unitarian
Universalists, instead of salvation you will hear of our yearning for, and
our experience of, personal growth, increased wisdom, strength of
character, and gifts of insight, understanding, inner and outer peace,
courage, patience, and compassion. The ways in which these things come to,
change, and heal us, are many indeed. We seek and celebrate them in our
worship. What
ceremonies are observed, what holidays celebrated? Our
ceremonies-of marriage and starting a new family, naming or dedicating our
children, and memorializing our dead-are phrased in simple, contemporary
language. We observe these rites in community, not because they are
required by some rule or dogma, but because in them we may voice our
affection, hopes, and dedication. Though
practices vary in our congregations and change over time, UUs celebrate
many of the great religious holidays with enthusiasm. Whether we gather to
celebrate Christmas, Passover, or the Hindu holiday Divali, we do so in a
universal context, recognizing and honoring religious observances and
festivals as innate and needful in all human cultures. Are
Unitarian Universalists Christian? Yes and no. Yes, some
Unitarian Universalists are Christian. Personal encounter with the spirit
of Jesus as the christ richly informs their religious lives. No, Unitarian
Universalists are not Christian, if by Christian you mean those who think
that acceptance of any creedal belief whatsoever is necessary for
salvation. Unitarian Universalist Christians are considered heretics by
those orthodox Christians who claim none but Christians are
"saved." (Fortunately, not all the orthodox make that claim.) Yes, Unitarian
Universalists are Christian in the sense that both Unitarian and
Universalist history are part of Christian history. Our core principles
and practices were first articulated and established by liberal
Christians. Some Unitarian Universalists are not Christian. For
though they may acknowledge the Christian history of our faith, Christian
stories and symbols are no longer primary for them. They draw their
personal faith from many sources: nature, intuition, other cultures,
science, civil liberation movements, and so on. How
is religious education conducted? The program of
religious education is determined, as are all other programs, by members
of the local congregation. A wide range of courses is available
through our Association. These are adapted by members as they choose.
Courses appropriate for children may be offered in subjects as varied as
interpersonal relations, ethical questions, the Bible, world religions,
nature and ecology, heroes and heroines of social reform, Unitarian
Universalist history, and holy days around the world. The same is true of
adult religious education. In most of our
congregations, regular children's worship-often held during a portion of
the adult service-is part of the program. We seek to teach our children to
be responsible for their own thinking and to nurture their own impulses of
reverence, morality, respect for others, and self-respect. Do
Unitarian Universalists practice what they preach? Religious
liberals put less emphasis on formal beliefs and more on practical living.
Our interest is in deeds, not creeds. We appreciate the biblical text,
"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only." Our members
have been active leaders in the struggles for racial equality, civil
liberty, international peace, and equal rights for all people. We work as
individuals, in congregational social action, and in other groupings,
including such denominational efforts as the UUA's Faith in Action
Department and the UU-UN Office. We also work with the Unitarian
Universalist Service Committee, which brings critically needed social
change to many parts of the world. About the
Author Alice Blair
Wesley is a Unitarian Universalist minister who has served congregations
in College Station, Texas; Silver Spring, Maryland; Cherry Hill, New
Jersey; Hagerstown, Maryland; and Harford County, Maryland. |
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