An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism
Of all the religions of the world, Unitarian Universalism is perhaps the hardest to peg down. Unitarians (as they are usually called) despise any concept of dogma or firm religious doctrine. They have no authorized sacred text.
The sole unifying document of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is the Statement of Principles and Purposes which affirms their belief that all religious traditions hold something of value, their acceptance of all faiths and their commitment to social justice.
Members of the UUA stress their own personal spiritual development rather than the creation of a single church doctrine applicable to all members. Unitarians are free-thinkers and seekers who are each on their own search for Divine Truth while recognizing that all other people in the world are themselves on their personal own path.
Although Unitarian Universalism originally grew out of specific Christian denominations, in 1995 the organization declared that it could no longer be seen as simply a sect or denomination of Christianity, but were in fact a separate religion all its own. Individual Unitarians might consider themselves to be a part of other religions as well as part of Unitarian Universalism. For example, there are self-proclaimed Christian Unitarians, Pagan Unitarians, Agnostic Unitarians and so on.
In the end, Unitarians are a group of people seeking on an individual level their own spiritual path, who respect the spiritual path of all other members and all other people of the world. They join together in commitment to assisting each other in each’s own journey to the Divine.
The Unitarian Universalist Association came into existence in 1961 with the merging of two distinct denominations of Christianity: Unitarianism and Universalism. Each of these groups has their own history prior to the creation of Unitarian Universalism in 1961.
Roots of Unitarian Universalism: Unitarianism
The primary doctrine of the Unitarians is the belief in the singular unity of the Godhead. Trinity doctrine is rejected and it is believed that the Father alone constitutes the Godhead.
Although Unitarian thought has been expressed throughout the history of Christianity, it is not until the 16th Century and the time of the Protestant Reformation that a true Unitarian denomination begins to emerge. Amidst the chaos of the times, with new denominations arising everywhere, Unitarians were seen as the most liberal and most blasphemous of all reformers.
Although other writers such as Michael Cellarius had come before him, it is Michael Servetus who is generally seen as the founder of the Unitarian tradition. In 1531 he published his seminal theological treatise: De Trinitatis Erroribus (On the Errors of Trinity). He rejected the Nicene Creed and its Trinitarian dogma, stating that the Father alone was God.
In later years he expounded upon his theology and his ideas for restoring the truth in the Christian church in his book: Christianismi Restitutio (The Restoration of Christianity). Living in Geneva at the time under the reformer John Calvin, his views were seen as heresy and blasphemy of the worst sort and he was burned at the stake.
Unitarianism was seen by many of the day as the rejection of the hard-boiled dogma and doctrine that seemed so prevalent not only in the Catholic Church, which the Reformers had protested against, but the thought of the Reformers themselves. Calvin was seen as the ultimate icon of Reformation dogmatic domination.
From the beginning, Unitarians were very tolerant of those with differing opinions. In 1568, Unitarians in the nation of Transylvania convinced the legislature to pass an Edict of Toleration, which declared religious freedom in the country.
Drawing from these inspirations, Unitarianism also came to England and ultimately to the New World. The name for this movement first came in 1687, with the publishing of A Brief History of Unitarianism. Shortly thereafter we begin to see the first ministers proclaiming themselves as Unitarian.
Unitarianism grew in the United States as it did in England. Those who adhered to the concept of Unitarianism were generally the educated elite. This shows itself somewhat in the United States by the fact that four of our Presidents have been Unitarian (starting with our second President, John Adams), although this is completely disproportionate in terms of the number of Presidents to the actual number of Unitarians in the United States at any given time.
Although ministers and lay people had professed to Unitarianism for some time, there was no official Unitarian church in the United States until 1823. This was followed two years later by the organization in Boston, Massachusetts of the American Unitarian Association.
Roots of Unitarian Universalism: Universalism
Universalism had a later development that Unitarianism, and the growth of Unitarianism was centered primarily in the United States. The Universalist Church did not have a single beginning, but rather began in stages in different parts of the country.
Like Unitarianism, the early Universalists grew from the Protestant tradition. They felt that the Protestant Church was too enclosed and closed-minded, and that many elements of the Christian religion needed to be expanded to include all of humanity, and not just those seen as “pure” by the Puritans who held such sway in the United States at the time. The mid-1700’s to late 1700’s, the time of the development of Universalism, was also the time of the Great Awakening in America.
In 1781, Elhanan Winchester created a new church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The congregation was known as the Universal Baptists. They held as their primary tenet Universalism, the belief that all people, no matter race or creed are saved through Jesus: a universal salvation.
This was followed shortly after in 1793 with the creation of the first Universalist Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was led by a preacher from England by the name of John Murray. This was the official founding of the Universalist church.
Universalism was a more evangelical movement than Unitarianism, and grew rapidly. Like the Unitarians, they did not just believe that their purpose was religious, Universalists felt they had a moral duty to improve society, rid hatred from the world and promote social justice.
From the beginning the Universalists were very inclusive. The founding church in Gloucester, Massachusetts, included among its charter members a freed slave. In 1863 they became the first denomination to ordain women into the ministry.
The Emergence of Unitarian Universalism
From the beginning, both of these churches saw commonality between each other. Both were fringe elements of the popular Christianity of America, and both were the most liberal of the churches in existence at that time.
Over the years, as each church grew, the two were in communication with each other, and often shared similar goals. By the mid-twentieth century, it was realized that their commitment to the principles of their faiths and social justice would be better served if they joined together.
This was achieved in 1961 with the creation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Boston, Massachusetts. It was followed later the same year by the creation of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC). The CUC would be the Canadian arm of the UUA.
Today the UUA has about 500,000 members in North America. Although a small church, it is one whose presence is certainly made known throughout North America and the world. It remains the forefront of liberal, ecumenical religion throughout the continent. It welcomes members of all races and creeds to join together in their commitment to individual religious development and universal social development.
