Unitarian Universalism

When I visited my first Jewish synagogue, I expected it to be very different. My previous experience with religious ceremonies was limited to a few visits to Baptist churches. The most surprising thing for me at this one was, oddly enough, its similarity to Christian services and rituals. I went into the religious visit expecting an enormous difference in the customs and perhaps even in the attitudes of the people attending the service. What I found instead was a religious ceremony very reminiscent of the Christian ones I’ve been to before.

Christian worship centers on meetings or services held on Sunday. These services consist of Biblical readings, communion, and music either with or without instrumental accompaniment, prayer, a teaching from the Bible in the form of a sermon and a collection of tithes. Other forms of worship, such

The main tradition is to put altars in some homes including the cross, picture or sculpture of Virgin Mary, and photos of the deceased person(s). Members of family gather around the altar and they pray. In some newer traditions children put masks, wear costumes and go from house to house while people give them some candies or money. Some of the

After this time, a new wave of revivalism began, in liberal churches such as the Unitarians and to

Inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity by eliminating discrimination by making it unlawful. This means that there are no barriers that would make it difficult for people from different aspects of life to get the support they need regardless of age, gender, culture, religion disability etc. By allowing the person in your care to make decisions for themselves and recognising them as a individual with their own preferences, beliefs and needs, you are empowering them. Another good example of inclusive practice is disabled access to a leisure facility that didn’t originally have those facilities, allowing there to be more equality and diversity amongst the people using it. This promotes equality and diversity because all the people using the facility now have an equal opportunity to access the facility despite having or not having a disability.

The first chapter of the Unitarian Universalist welcome book kicks off with the question of, “What Do Unitarian Universalists Believe?” It expresses that they believe in the freedom of religious expression. They encourage all individuals to develop their own personal theologies, and present their religious opinions without Fear of reprisal. Unitarian Universalists can be known as heretics, because they make their own choice of what they believe or not believe. They believe in intellectual freedom, and encourage their members to have an open mind and heart that is truly free and open. They also believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The ultimate arbiter in religion is not the church or document, but rather the personal choice and decision of the individual. Unitarian Universalists are also known to be very vocal by supporting civil rights and protest unjust wars. They welcome and integrate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members, and help support their rights in society. They have Sunday sermons were they unite just like Christians do on Sunday in a church. Unitarian Universalists express themselves with seven principles and six sources that they all share. Their Services include time for meditation, singing and prayer led by a minister. They have a symbol known as, the “chalice”, which has a special meaning to them.

With 14 million followers, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a very interesting religion for many different reasons. Mormons, as they are commonly known, have an interesting origin, different traditions, and a fascinating founder. Mormonism is the term used for describing the practice and beliefs of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The core belief is that a prophet named Joseph Smith restored doctrines of the church to earth. Smith became the founder of what is now considered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and widely followed. One of the ideas most central to the Mormons is their love for Jesus Christ, the savior. That idea is stated very well when Joseph Smith said, “The fundamental

In Madeline Burghardt’s article, she describes a common critique of L’Arche by disability scholars. Namely, that L’arche does not sufficiently address “broader policy and human rights concerns” (Burghardt, XXVIII). Instead of taking a stake in political systems, L’Arche emphasizes changing the world through small things with extraordinary love, mutual relationships, and interdependence. On the one hand, L’Arche never claimed to be a site of activism in the typical way. Yet, now that they have grown in prominence, is this a responsibility that comes with their visibility? Expanding this idea out practically to churches and religious communities, I have seen churches who do have a “disabilities ministry” be content with developing relationships.

During the mid Antebellum period, a new religious sect had been increasingly popularized by New England Churches: Unitarianism. Unitarianism, in its simplest interpretation, could be considered as a form of “anti-Calvinism” or even “liberal Christianity”. Members of the clergy in these New England churches—in no doubt inspired by the great European enlightenment thinkers—began to adopt a more liberal mindset and greatly emphasized the importance of using reason and morality in religion. These ideas ultimately resulted in the adoption of voluntary ethical action in religious demonstration as well as the ability of one to use his/her intellect to determine what constituted such ethical action. The overall effect of Unitarianism was a very deliberate, scientific, and moral approach to religion; however, although some of these ideas seem to reflect in transcendentalism, the two philosophies diverged in ideology. The transcendentalists favored a more romantic, metaphysical approach to religion and rejected the Unitarian mindset that seemed to be in favor of moderation, reason, and morals (“Unitarianism”). They did not believe that being a part of a congregation or merely attending church on Sundays was necessary for humans to spiritually connect with God. Instead, they claimed that all people could

“Although some practitioners see Wicca as the revival of an ancient tradition, it can also be described as a new religion focused on empowering women to create positive change. And although not all ecofeminists would characterize their movement as religious, it does have a spiritual dimension insofar as it holds the natural world to be sacred. All the movements and practices discussed here envision women as central; in addition, unlike many more traditional religions, none of them consider women to be evil or stupid. Yet no two of them see women in exactly the same way.”(Anderson, 295).

As I interpret the elements of congregational identity identified in Chapter 7 as it applies to my congregation, as mentioned earlier I believe it is a hybrid of many parts. Spirituality as mentioned earlier is comprised of three parts “cognitive”, “affective” and “servant,” which in turn makes it “stance” three part “University, Shepherd, and outreach which makes the “style” very emotional like a pregnant woman.

Same-sax marriage; a debate that has been going on in the religious community for years, is one that will never cease to be important. Some religious group views on this topic is to condone the acts of same-sex marriage, and some claim it is an act against gods will. I will discuss the difference in views between the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Mormons on the moral debate of Same-sex marriage.

Unitarian Religion separates itself from christian denominations but is open to the idea of god and the trinity. Unitarian Universalism consists of seven principles all surrounding a peaceful nature. The first principle states the importance of humans respect for nature and each other. Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker states, “We celebrate the gifts of being human: our intelligence and capacity for observation and reason, our senses and ability to appreciate beauty, our creativity, our feelings and emotions.” The second Principal's overall idea is equity, justice, and compassion in human relations. One can simply not treat someone one on one, they must all work collectively to solve the issue at hand. Rev. Dr. Rebecca Ann Parker states, “We can

It seems like--in first world countries especially, and America in particular--Satan has largely been successful in dividing the Church. Not only have Christians been broken into factions, sometimes called denominations, but individuals in a single congregation are often isolated from one another. On a single street, we may find two distinct congregations of similar beliefs, made separate by something trivial as differing styles of worship. In a single pew, there may be two people who have no spiritual influence in each others ' lives because they belong to different social sets. And these are just the superficial matters--we haven 't even considered divisions over Scriptural interpretations, or sin, or damaged relationships.

However by the end of the eighteenth century, many well-educated New Englanders were embracing Unitarianism, a belief that emphasizes the oneness and benevolence of loving God, the inherent goodness of humankind, and the primacy of reason and conscience over established creeds and confessions. “Unitarians believe that Jesus was a saintly man but he was not divine. People are not inherently depraved, Unitarians stress; they are capable of doing tremendous good, and all are eligible for salvation.” (Tindall 494) Boston was the center of the Unitarian movement and William Ellery Channing was the most inspiring Unitarian leader. A similar anti-Calvanist movement was Universalism. Universalism attracted a different and much larger social group, including working-class people of a humbler status. Founded by John Murray in 1779 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, Universalism stressed the salvation of all men and women, not just a “predestined” few. The Universalists taught that God was too merciful to condemn anyone to eternal damnation. The Unitarians and Universalists are closely related today and “although both sects remained relatively small, they exercised a powerful influence over intellectual life, especially in New England.” (Tindall 494)