What is Unitarian Universalism?
Tradition and Community
While the individual is the ultimate source of religious authority, the individual is not the only source. If that were the case, Unitarian Universalists could easily fall prey to the condition that afflicted Otto von Bismarck, of whom it has been said that "he believed firmly and deeply in a God who had the remarkable faculty of always agreeing with him." No, our individual predilections need to be tempered by conversation with our tradition and tested within the crucible of our community. Our history is important to us. Both our Unitarian and our Universalist traditions rejected the notion that "higher" authorities--be they theologians or bishops, rabbis or preachers--could impose their views upon the laity. This is the historical source of our commitment to freedom of belief, congregational polity, and lay empowerment. But our traditions also supply us with a rich legacy of positive affirmations, from Universalism's faith in the benevolence of God to Unitarianism's assurance that human beings have within them the capacity to shape the future. More on UU History. The result is that today our tradition provides us with a lodestar and a sort of "early warning system" for the recognition of tenets at odds with the norms of our faith. The tradition is not definitive--it will inevitably be modified and even superseded by new "revelation"--but if you hear someone preaching hellfire and damnation or that the future is solely in the hands of God, chances are its not a Unitarian Universalist! The other resource which helps shape our faith is the religious community; that is, a supportive context within which to pursue one's religious pilgrimage. If what we discover on that pilgrimage is ever to realize its full potential, it must be shared, pondered, and even tested with others. Individual freedom of belief exists, then, in dynamic tension with the insights our history and the wisdom of our communities. It is this tension which puts the lie to the oft-heard shibboleth that Unitarian Universalists can believe anything they like. It is true that we set up no formal religious test for legal membership, that we welcome the devout athiest as readily as the ardent Christian, but it is not true that one can subscribe to views at variance with our basic values. Clearly, one could never advocate racism or genocide, for example, and still in any meaningful sense call oneself a Unitarian Universalist. Read More: UU Commitments and Covenants. |
Life, Death, Salvation and Sin
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| "We rejoice together in the comfort of community, the nurture of friendships, the pleasures of being, the joys of marvelous achievements. We sing together, praising, creating, receiving, rejoicing." |
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