by Christine Conte

Created on: March 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 11, 2007

The Unitarian Universalist Church: Contemporary trends vs. Christian roots

The modern-day Unitarian Universalist ("UU") Church came about as a 1961 merger of two separate, much older Christian denominations, Unitarianism and Universalism.

Unitarianism dates back to the 16th century in Transylvania (Eastern Europe). Unitarians held the heretical belief that there was no Biblical basis for the Roman Catholic concept of The Trinity. The prefix "uni-" in Unitarian means "one", referring a single God, rather than the three persons of The Trinity. Further heresy was the Unitarian idea of religious tolerance (the freedom of individuals to choose and practice their own faith). Arguably, the most dangerous Unitarian belief was that individuals should hold Jesus Christ up as a role model rather than a deity.

Unitarian congregations were small, often short-lived, and scattered mostly throughout eastern Europe. Unitarians constantly faced persecution; believers and their leaders were suppressed, if not burned at the stake for heresy. Nonetheless, Unitarianism spread elsewhere in Europe, and was a known (if slightly-less persecuted) denomination that eventually came to America.

Later, in 18th century America, a trend arose in Congregational churches towards a revival of harsher Puritanical views. More liberal and open-minded Congregationalists who had a "kinder, gentler" view of God, sin and salvation splintered off and joined (or formed their own) Unitarian churches. The American Unitarian Association formed in 1825.

Universalism is a denomination with Christian roots, largely American in origin, based on the idea of universal salvation- that is, God embraces everyone, believers and non-believers alike, and therefore everyone is entitled to salvation.

Universalists first began preaching their message in the 18th century, mostly in the southern and mid-atlantic states, their ideas later spreading into the northeast and New England.

Mirroring the idea of God's love for even the most marginalized people, the Universalists offered respect and support for people of all races, colors, sexes, and social classes. Social justice was an early part of their ministry: abolition, prison reform, and other causes were fought for by famous Universalists such as Clara Barton (The Red Cross) and Dorothea Dix (mental hospital reform).

The Unitarianism and Universalism denominations continued to grow throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Their similarities, in terms of liberal beliefs, encouragement of personal spiritual growth, and commitment to social justice did not go unnoticed. In 1961, the two denominations merged, forming the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Today there are over 1000 Unitarian Universalist congregations in North America, and they continue to advocate for social justice, human rights, civil rights, and the individual search for spiritual meaning.

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