Every week in my rural New Hampshire town I drive by an old church. It is white, has some nice character, and it looks just like any other (Protestant) church building. It even has an exterior sign with text like “Ham and Bean Supper- this Saturday morning”, or “Sunday Worship at 9:30am- All are Welcome”. Sounds good.
I admit that I have never been inside that building, or at any U.U. service, but after some brief research it is clear that the U.U. congregation may be a lot of (decent) things, but it is not a Christian Church. Maybe it was at some point, but it is not today.
The following information was taken in entirety from the official U.U. Church website: (http://www.uua.org/beliefs/history/index.shtml)
There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations 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.
All of the above are not in and of themselves a “bad” thing. But are they Christian, at the core? In none of their seven tenets do they mention Christ, or the Bible.
This Church, which is in every State and corner of the nation, does not believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God. They specifically state that much of the Bible is “mythical or exagerrated”. They believe it should be read just like any other historical or philisophical work. It is nothing special. Persons of any Faith, or no Faith, are welcome and can become full-fledged members of this church. Pagan, atheist, Buddhist- no problem. Any views are welcome and interwoven into their congregation and teachings. One of the local U.U. churches has a weekly Buddhist mediation gathering.
For further information on the history of this Church, please note the following- also garnered directly from the official site:
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religious tradition that was formed from the consolidation of two different religions: Unitarianism and Universalism. Both began in Europe hundreds of years ago. In America, the Universalist Church of America was founded in 1793, and the American Unitarian Association in 1825. After consolidating in 1961, these faiths became the new religion of Unitarian Universalism through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
Both religions have long histories and have contributed important theological concepts that remain central to Unitarian Universalism. Originally, all Unitarians were Christians who didn’t believe in the Holy Trinity of God (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), but in the unity, or single aspect, of God. Later, Unitarian beliefs stressed the importance of rational thinking, a direct relationship with God, and the humanity of Jesus. Universalism emerged as a Christian denomination with a central belief in universal salvation; that is, that all people will eventually be reconciled with God.
Since the merger of the two denominations in 1961, Unitarian Universalism has nurtured its Unitarian and Universalist heritages to provide a strong voice for social justice and liberal religion.
I don’t doubt that U.U. is a (liberal) religion, but is it a branch of Christianity? The first part of the Church is that of Unitarian, which is much like those followers of Arius in the 3rd and 4th centuries. Arius did not believe in the 3 Godheads, acting as the Trinity. This has always been one of the key doctrines of Christianity. Is it possible for a person to be Christian and be “Unitarian”- maybe. That is a tough theological question we do not have time to answer here.
But, is a “Universalist” a Christian? In this aspect, I think not. Universalists do NOT believe that Jesus is the only means to salvation and to Heaven. They clearly practice and preach otherwise. That said, as a whole the U.U. Church cannot be deemed Christian. Does this mean that there are no people who attend a U.U. congregation who are saved and will get to Heaven? I would venture to guess that in fact there are some (a minority) of Church members who are actually saved and maybe have stumbled upon a local U.U. church for one reason or another.
In the end, Christians must be aware of organizations which look like they are doing good for their community, and may look like their church, but are not part of Christianity. It is my opinion that the Unitarian-Universalist Church is one such group.
(Author’s Note: This article is not meant to offend those who are in or have attended the U.U. Church; it is merely a quick fact-check to be used for the general knowledge and interest of our various readers at TT’s. Please conduct your own research and opinion regarding the U.U. Church.)
About the Author:
I am from the NH and Massachusetts area, and have been involved in my local congregation for many years. In addition, I enjoy writing professionally- about Christian topics and also about real estate and associated secular topics. I've recently co-written a church history "intro" book titled "Top Ten Most Influential Christians- since the Apostles".
KLambert – who has written 47 posts on Taber's Truths Christian Living Magazine.
The Unitarian Universalist Church weren’t claiming to be Christian so their seven principles don’t have to be Christian based. They believe that whatever faith you have you just need to follow that and do what you think is right. To accuse them of things that you don’t even fully understand or even want to hear is acting just as the hypocrites did with Jesus. In my opinon you need to talk to a UU and get to fully hear their side and not make your own assumptions.
Thank you for this informative post!
Hello Holly- Thanks for your comment; I figured some would think and respond in that way. I can tell you I am not Baptist, and I’m most likely not holier that you/thou.
You are right in that those tenets of the UU Church are generally “good” things, and many would fall in line with Jesus’ general attitude. That is all great, but it doesn’t change the other facts of the column.
As far as judgment, we, society- and Christians- must judge. This is why we have a Judicial system. If we did not, hundred of thousands (more) criminals and dangerous persons would be roaming our streets and neighborhoods. Society says that we have to judge in certain cases. Without laws and judgments there would be anarchy and plenty of violence.
I do love persons that may go to a UU church. But, sometimes giving someone the truth is the best form of love or caring for them. Even if it could be awkward.
Blessings to you….
Duke’s comment caught my attention (as a UU), and I had to respond that we would consider the “rushing towards a cliff and should be saved” part to be understood as a matter of opinion and interpretation rather than dogma. We UU’s operate from a different, more humanistic baseline, that sees all “revelation” as having been the product of human minds, human hearts, human imaginations and human biases. Those humans who lived 2000 or more years ago were no less “human” and no less fallible and prone to vested interests than we are today. But they were also trying to make sense of it all, and that also matters and is worthy of our attention and study.
And because we see all “revelation” through that humanistic lens, we also understand that nobody has “all the answers”…a monopoly on truth. We respectfully insist that “revelation is not sealed…beauty and truth are still revealed”.
German theologian Friedrich Friedrich Schleiermacher once proclaimed “the Reformation must continue,” and UU (as a product of the Radical Left — more free-thinking — Wing of the 16th Century Reformation is best understood as a part of that “ongoing reform” process…so stubbornly protestant that not even the boundaries of its original Christian tradition could finally contain or confine it. No, UU congregations (in the USA) are generally not Christian, but they do take Christianity seriously. Only we are compelled to take into account the thoroughly human manner in which it was created and creedalized. We believe that the Truth is even greater that can stand up to our honest questioning and validation. Instead of a “the Bible said it and that settles it” approach, we stubbornly insist on humanistically (using the divine spark of mind and heart that we’ve all been given, and with as much integrity as can be mustered) for the seeking out and weighing and filtering out of the “permanent from the transient” in its teachings (a concept furthered by Theodore Parker, who also first preached the humanistic concept of “government of the people, by the people and for the people).
In your “fact-checking process”, I welcome your questions about Unitarian Universalism, and if I can’t answer them I’m pretty sure that I can find others who can.
I’m not a minister, but a scientist by profession. I administer the “Faith of the Free” Facebook page, and its sister chat-group…to which you are welcome to come and say hello. There are many there who could answer your questions and try to clarify the issues for you as well. Here’s the page link: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unitarian-Universalism-Faith-of-the-Free/83274552762
Thanks for your interest, and the chance to respond.
Yours in the spirit that giveth life, if not in the letter,
Ron Stevens
Ron, thanks for your comment.
I disagree because Jesus disagreed with your assertion that there are many ways to God. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
Duke, did Jesus write that?
Jesus said that. The veracity of the N.T. has been proven time and time again. So again, as a Christian church, since the U.U. does not hold to the veracity of the scriptures, it makes them non-Christian.
That’s what I said, that UU congregations are generally not Christian. But please try to understand the rest as well. You said that Jesus said that, but there is only hearsay proof of that, and there were many political and cultural influences at work in those days, as there are now.
It was eye-witness testimony. Eye-witness testimony is admissable in court. So it is not hearsay. The Apostle John was there and testified of what happened. You are explaining away what it directly says because of your own desire to have the Bible confirm what you believe rather than submit your beliefs to what it says.
Duke, your history is apparently different from mine. None of those who actually walked with Jesus wrote anything, so it wasn’t eyewitness testimony. Thomas Paine made that point centuries ago, in The Age of Reason: “To call anything a revelation that comes to us at second-hand, either verbally or in writing. Revelation is necessarily limited to the first communication — after this, it is only an account of something which that person says was a revelation made to him; and though he may find himself obliged to believe it, it cannot be incumbent on me to believe it in the same manner…”
Ron, I beg to differ with you. The authorship of the gospels has been proven more than once. John was written by the Apostle John. If you would like to see the non-liberal scholarship on this, I can point you that direction. Other than that, we are at a place where we must disagree, the only difference is that if I am wrong, then the only harm is that there was no heaven and I rot in the grave, if you are wrong, your eternal destiny lies in the balance.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorship_of_the_Johannine_works
Duke, I’ll take Pascal’s wager, based on the approach that I described above. Hell is far more likely a product of the human imagination than an unconditionally loving God.
That is your choice and your consequence. But I would seriously question using wikipedia as your source of truth. LOL Especially concerning spiritual matters. Try this one instead. http://bible.org/seriespage/gospel-john-introduction-argument-outline or http://www.tektonics.org/ntdocdef/johndef.html
Everybody, I’m done here. It was assumed that you wanted the facts about UU, not a disputation. Again, I will be happy to try to provide any other details about our inclusive, love-based faith (along with “new wines into new wineskins” Christianity). Otherwise, there’s no point in continuing here. Thanks again for your Christlike welcome!
Thanks for sharing your views Ron
Take a look at those tenets you listed from the Unitarian Universalist church. What about those is not as Jesus would teach? He also taught us not to judge. He taught us total inclusiveness. I am Baptist and I am worried about the “holier than thou” attitudes I am getting from the religious right. “I will be saved but you will die in hell.” Can you look down from heaven and agree to your brothers dying like that?Isn’t that selfish? No, God loves ALL His children and gave us free will for a reason. Your attempt to judge another church is judgment. God gave us free will for a reason, and Jesus told us not to judge for a reason. What else brings peace but brotherly love. Love thy brother like thyself.
Holly, let me ask you one question. If your brother is rushing towards a cliff and will fall to his death, what is more loving? To warn and try to prevent him from doing so, or letting him continue to rush towards that cliff because you don’t want to “judge” his path?