[ARCHIVED THREAD] - UU (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/27/2008 8:07:19 PM EDT
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Not trying to stir anything up but I have a question for Unitarians on this board. Just what exactly does Unitarian Universalism teach? I don't really know and do not want to remain ignorant on that fact as I think it is disrespectful to Unitarians. Thanks |
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Why is asking in GD preferable to using wikipedia? ETA: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism That took 2 seconds |
| I'll take a stab at this and say that each UU congregation is a little bit different. For the most part it is a very open religion where you can incorporate different beliefs. I have met UU's that I would identify as Christian others as Pagan, Others as mixes of various beliefs. I enjoy the openness that is allowed. |
+1 I'm Taoist and attend a UU church. Q: What do you get when you cross a Unitarian Universalist with a Jehovah's Witness? A: Someone who knocks on your door for no apparent reason. 
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+ 1 The UU Church I went to in California was great - good people, lots of good ideas and discussion. The ones I've visited here in VA have been Socialist Nutjob churches. One of the local ministers includes an anti-gun rant in nearly every sermon. |
nothing, until fucking idiots start going on about a religion they know nothing about. Like every evangelical who has posted so far 
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In a nutshell: Unitarianism is the belief in the single personality of God, in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity (three persons in one God). It is the philosophy upon which the modern Unitarian movement was based, and, according to its proponents, is the original form of Christianity. Unitarian Christians believe in the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, as found in the New Testament and other early Christian writings, and hold him up as an exemplar. Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity, of Jesus. They do not pray to Jesus. Their theology is thus distinguishable from the theology of Catholic, Orthodox, mainline Protestant, and other Christian denominations, who hold the Trinity doctrine as a core belief. Benjamin Franklin, who along with Thomas Jefferson was a Unitarian in philosophy, said, "I believe in one God, creator of the Universe. That he governs it in his providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we can render to Him is doing good to his other Children. That the soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Principles of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever Sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend that it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. I shall only add, respecting myself, that, having experienced the Goodness of that Being in conducting me prosperously thro' a long life, I have no doubt of its Continuance in the next, though without the smallest Conceit of meriting such Goodness." The Universalists are a little wackier and the two churches joined in 1961. It's essentially mono-theism that rejects the trinity and accepts worship of a Creator in other forms than the "Old Man In the Sky". Most UU congregations I have belonged to are full of, in practice, Socialist nut jobs. |
That pretty well sums it up. |
how do you know they are evangelical? |
yep. pot, meet kettle. |
I have yet to meet any UU who "didn't believe in anything". Most UU's are persons of strong belief. We just don't require that everyone believe the same thing. It is not a religion for sheep.
Only if you believe that the following statement "pretty well sums up" Christianity Christians worship a sado-masochistic zombie who they ritually cannibalize during their services. It shows a depth of knowledge in Christianity equaling your knowledge of Unitarian Universalism. But do go on, bless us with your in-depth knowledge of my religion....  |
Close. Based on briefly glossing over the Wikipedia article, it's the church experience without having to believe in anything IN PARTICULAR. Make up stuff as you go along. Everyone for themselves about what's right or wrong within the guidelines set out. I don't quite see how this would qualify as a religion. It's also amusing that they - like Scientology - have chosen a cross-like symbol to fool the unaware into thinking that they're "probably just another Christian sect", thus not drawing as much scrutiny. |
The most commonly used symbol for UU's is the chalice and the flame |
Christians are free to attend a UU, but the church is by no means Christian at all, nor do I see any Christian symbolism in their logo/church building. |
They may or may not be Christian, but it is fact that the organization has its' roots in Christianity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism |
...in the shape of a cross. 
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Have you decided what color man purse to get yet? That seems thread worthy. |
I'm curious. How can you draw a chalice with a flame in the center where it won't form a cross? I have seen some where they use a chalice with no stem or draw the stem offcenter from the bowl. The simple fact is if you draw a long stemmed chalice with a flame in the center, you will get something that looks crosslike. for instance  still think its a cross? |
Our roots are definitely in Christianity, just as Christianity's roots are in Judaism. a common UU joke is about a conversation overheard: Person A (Mainstream Protestant Denomination): I hear that you allow all sorts of weirdos in your church. Atheists, Buddhists, Pagans... Person B (Unitarian Universalist): We allow Christians too -- we're very open minded! |
Everyone can believe what they want and nobody is wrong. That's not the same as being right.
Christianity is. Jesus said He knows His sheep and they know His voice. Proud to be one of His li'l lambs.
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"Everyone can believe what they want" means that people are encouraged to find their own truth and to develop their own beliefs. This includes developing an individual, personal sense of morality. A spiritually mature, psychologically healthy person should not have to be told what is right and what is wrong. A person can believe that their religion is correct - and for that person, it is. But this person does not have to automatically categorize all other religions as false. Basic human morality is so fundamental to civilization that most people in the world, regardless of religion, will agree that it is wrong to murder, rape or steal (among other things). These basic tenents pre-date Christianity by thousands of years, and they form the basis for virtually every legal system in the world. |
But Truth is not subjective, based upon my opinions. I don't have the authority to make the rules of what is right or wrong. As the priest in the movie "Rudy" said, "There are two things I'm sure of. One is that there is a God. Second, I'm not Him." Acknowledging that, I don't need to find out experientially what's right and wrong. All I have to do is consult God's Word, the Bible. He made it pretty easy to understand. I don't believe He mumbled when He spoke. 
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Yeah - calling someone a fucking idiot just because they post a dissenting or erroneous post really facilitates keeping a discussion on track. Lets not bother to offer correction or even civil adult disagreement and banter. Fucking idiots. Call 'em that and move on.  |