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Unitarian-
Universalist


The Unitarian Universalist Association is a liberal religious organization, serving the "U-U" churches of North America. Its churches and fellowships total approximately 250,000 members. The UUA was formed in 1961-MA Y -II from the merger of the Unitarian and Universalist Churches.

We have listed the Unitarian Universalist Association under three headings in our "Descriptions of Religions" page:

I. Small Non-Christian Groups because the most U-U members consider themselves to be non-Christian
2. Christian Groups because about one in four members identifies themselves as a Christian
3. Other Belief Systems because many members do not believe in ( or question) the existence of a deity

History of the Movement

The term Unitarian has traditionally had two religious meanings:

I. the monotheistic belief which was widespread in the early Christian churches, that God is a unity. The exact nature and makeup of deity occupied the thoughts of Christians during the first few centuries CE. There were many anti- Trinitarian movements at the time: Monarchianism, Sabellianism and Patripassianism. In 325, the Trinitarian belief that God is composed of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was established. Unitarianism then became a heresy and was suppressed.
2. a religious movement generally featuring a faith without dogma, a belief in the inherent goodness ofpeople, and the obligation for each member to seek out and develop their own system of beliefs and ethics.
It is this second meaning of Unitarian that we will use here.

The term Universalism, has also had two religious meanings:

I. the belief that the God described in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) is the deity for all humanity, rather than just for the Israelites.
2. a religious movement which promoted the concept that every person will go to heaven after death. This is in contrast with the historical belief of other Christian churches that one's natural destination is torment in hell; only those who repent of their sins and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour will end up in heaven. Today, the latter beliefs are still held by conservative Christians; liberal Christianity is drifting towards the beliefs of Universalism.

It is the second meaning of Universalism that we will use here. Unitarian-Universalists value the teachings of:

     - Origen ( circa 185 CE) who stressed Jesus' humanity, and believed that God would receive all
       people ( even demons) into heaven
     - Michael Sevetus who wrote " On The Errors of the Trinity" which led to his execution at the stake in 1553
     - Writers, scientists, and others who promoted religious tolerance, including Locke, Milton, Newton and Florence Nightingale
     - Politicians, such as John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Adlai Stevenson and
        William Howard Taft
     - John Murray, who in 1779 became the minister of the first Universalist church in the US
     - Joseph Priestly, chemist and Unitarian Minister who established the first Unitarian Church in the US in 1796
     - Hosea Ballou, author (in 1805) of "A Treatise on Atonement" which argued against the existence of miracles, the Trinity and of Hello        He is sometimes referred to as "The Father of American Universalism " o
     - Preachers and theologians Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Ellery Channing and Theodore Parker
     - Julia Ward Howe, a fighter in the abolition of slavery
     - Clara Barton, who worked for penal reform
     - Susan B. Anthony, who advocated women's rights

The first church to call itself Unitarian was established in Transylvania, in 1638. During the 17th and 18 centuries, Universalist groups were formed in England. An organization which was to become the Universalist Church of America was formed in 1785. By 1810, there were 20 Unitarian churches in England. In the US, there were many churches which were Unitarian or professed Unitarian beliefs; theirs was largely a reaction to the rigidity of Calvinism in New England. These churches formed the American Unitarian Association in 1825. The first Unitarian church in Canada was established in Montreal in 1842. In 1961, the Unitarian and Universalist churches merged.

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