What is Unitarian Universalism?
Unitarian Universalism formed from the consolidation of two different religions: Unitarianism and Universalism. Both began in Europe hundreds of years ago. In the United States, the Universalist Church of America was founded in 1793, and the American Unitarian Association in 1825. After consolidating in 1961, these faiths became the new religion of Unitarian Universalism through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
Originally, Unitarians were those who rejected a Trinitarian conception of God. Later, Unitarian beliefs stressed the importance of rational thinking, a direct relationship with God, and the humanity of Jesus. Universalists originally were those who rejected the idea of hell or eternal torment; instead, they taught universal salvation: that all people will eventually be reconciled with God.
Although the theological roots of both Unitarianism and Universalism are in European Christian traditions, twenty-first century Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith which allows individual Unitarian Universalists the freedom to search for truth on many paths. You will find Unitarian Universalists, who identify with and draw inspiration from Atheism and Agnosticism, Buddhism, Christianity, Humanism, Judaism, Paganism, and other religious or philosophical traditions.
Unitarian Universalists need not agree on the specifics of our theologies. We may believe differently about God, about what happens after we die, about the role of Jesus, Buddha, and other prophets. But we are united in our acceptance of one another, our conviction that our lives on this earth matter, and our belief that truth is revealed in many different ways.
One contemporary attempt to name some core characteristics of Unitarian Universalism is that,
- It's a blessing each of us was born;
- It matters what we do with our lives;
- What each of us knows about god is a piece of the truth;
- We don't have to do it alone (by Laila Ibrahim)
Learn more about the history of Unitarian Universalism.
All members of UU ("Unitarian Universalist") congregations are automatically subscribed to receive UU World, a quarterly magazine published by the Unitarian Universalist Association. If you are not a member, you can read the magazine free online. You can also sign-up to receive free, informative weekly email updates from UU World.