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The Unitarian Universalist Way in Religion Our denomination, the Unitarian Universalist Association, headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, was formed in 1961 as a merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America, with their respective roots on the North American continent going back to the 18th century. In Europe, Unitarianism started at the time of the Reformation in the 16th century. Historically, the basic idea of the Unitarian faith was the unity of God, by contrast with the Trinity. Unity today is mostly conceived as the interdependent web of all existence, all reality. Historically, the Universalist faith proclaimed that a loving God would want to save all people, rather than condemn some to eternal fire and brimstone in Hell. Nowadays, Universalism thinks of the world as one planet, a common home, transcending antagonisms of race and nationality. While our historical roots are in the Judeo-Christian tradition, we reach out toward a common ground with all faiths, based on shared aspirations toward the holy and ethical living. Our Unitarian Universalist way in religion has been called liberal, because of our respect for individual freedom and openness to and appreciation of diversity. Among our emphases is personal freedom of conscience, as opposed to imposing creedal or dogmatic tests. We value both reason and faith, both personal experience and community. As the term Universalist suggests, we are inclusive: we welcome all people. As the term Unitarian conveys, we want to walk together in unity, building a better world, based on truth, beauty, freedom and peace. Reverend
Rudi Gelsey |