by Warren O. Brennan

Created on: May 26, 2010

 The argument over whether or not a group, who professes beliefs in the teachings of Jesus Christ, is actually “Christian” seems silly. However, this is the position Unitarians find themselves in often; Defending their faith against those who believe they are not “Christian enough” to be called Christian. Many argue that Unitarians, or Unitarian Universalists as they have more recently been called, are not truly Christian because they reject some of the commonly practiced Christian doctrines of other sects of Christianity.

The Bible of course does not lay out, in strict fashion, exact tenants of Christianity that everyone considering themselves Christians shall follow in an exact fashion. The Ten Commandments would be the closest to such a standard, but even those do not comment on what a Christian must believe, in terms of the Trinity, the after life, ect. Those doctrines have evolved over centuries of thought and interpretation, with sects often differing in their view and schisms developing throughout the course of history.

 Given the absence of a strict rule on every matter of faith in Christianity’s primary scripture, it should come to no surprise that interpretation on how the religion should be practiced varies widely.

The primary argument to be made for those denying the Christian backing of Unitarianism is that Unitarians, as well as other groups, substantially deviate from what is considered mainstream Christian thought. They often do not believe in the trinity and often reject things like the virgin birth and treat it more as a metaphor or teaching, much in the way other Christian sects treat the last supper as a metaphor and not an actual transfiguration, the way Catholics do. However, those who contend these faith beliefs exclude Unitarians from professing their belief in the Christian faith ignore: 1) The lack of concrete scriptural references for many of accepted Christian doctrine, and 2) The fact that so much of what is considered normative in Christianity results from human interpretation, not divine rules.

The fact that we have varying opinions on complex religious scripture should be celebrated, not disparaged. Unitarians believe, “Jesus Christ is more than man, that he existed before the world, that he literally came from heaven to save our race, that he sustains other offices than those of a teacher and witness to the truth, and that he still acts for our benefit, and is our intercessor with the Father”. Sounds pretty Christian to me.

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