I am a Unitarian Universialist. Case and Point. I am tired of people saying that I do not have a religion, or am not religious. And, I am tired of people saying that I am not christian. Both of these statements are not true.
But my beliefe is when people don't understand something fully, they just assume. So rather then just bitch and moan about people not understanding me, I might as well explain.
I am a Unitarian Universialist. A definition, "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."To make things a little more simple: I believe in God, and I believe in Jesus. But, rather then praying to Jesus--who may have simply been a prophet--I pray to God. Jesus was a great man, but not necisarily the religious divinity--that right goes to God. Other then that, there are very subtle simmilarities and differences. Rather then explaining them myself, here are the main points that are true: They do not have a creed or formal statements of faith that must be believed in its entirety or used as a test of character in order to be accepted into fellowship with other Unitarian Christians. However, they have set out some basic principles that distinguish their faith from other Christian groups.Although there is no specific authority on these principles, the following represent the most generally accepted:
1.the belief in One God and the oneness or unity of God.
2.the life and teachings of Jesus Christ is the exemplar model for living ones' own life.
3.that reason, rational thought, science, and philosophy together with religion and faith are not mutually exclusive.
4.that man has the ability to exercise free will in a responsible, constructive and ethical manner with the assistance of religion.
5.the belief that human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved, but capable of both good and evil, as God intended.
6.the conviction that no religion can claim an absolute monopoly on the Holy Spirit or theological truth.
7.the belief that the works of the Bible are inspired by God, but were written and edited by humans and therefore subject to human error.
8. the rejection of traditional doctrines that they believe malign God's character or veil the true nature and mission of Jesus Christ, such as the doctrine of predestination, eternal damnation, the Trinity, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement.
Most Unitarian Christians would say that Jesus of Nazareth and his followers and disciples would today be defined as Unitarian Christians, and that Unitarian Christianity is the form of Christianity most closely following the direct teachings of Jesus. However, Unitarian Christians respect the beliefs of others and do not believe that the Unitarian Christian way is the only way to follow God's will.
So, thats basically it as far as the Unitarian aspect of my religion. But the reason Universialist is added is because of a seprate beliefe that I hold to be very dear. The Universialist is added to show that I believe in the "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". This is free from my own personal beliefs in Jesus and God. I believe that everyone is able to search for their own spiritual beliefe that works best for them, in complete harmony and unity. Universialists have their own beliefe system:
1.The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2.Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3.Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4.A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5.The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6.The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
7.Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part
So, in a nutshell: I am a unitarian universialist. I believe in god, and jesus, and the bible. But I also believe that the bible was written by humans and has room for error. Furthermore, the bible should not be held higher then anyother branch of religion. As long as a religion is being seeked out for the good of humanity, and the betterment of people as a whole, it should be honored and cherished. So, there I am. Religion in a Nutshell.
If you would like to do further reading please visit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian
