Do Unitarian Universalists believe that all people are saved?

[HomeschoolDad]

As the thread title says, do Unitarian Universalists believe that all people are saved?

Even racists? Even mass murderers? Even the likes of Hitler or Stalin?

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation. The only exception would be fundamentalist evangelical sects who believe in an absolutely sharp division between those who are “saved”, i.e., have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, and everyone else in the world, who is damned according to their theology. (They do make an exception for children who are under the “age of accountability”, ca. 12 years. Not clear where they get this — it’s a variation on the theme of the Catholic “age of reason”, ca. 7 years.)

 

[Jen95]

I don’t even think all Unitarian Universalists believe in God. They’re all over the map.

Atheist and Agnostic Unitarian Universalists | UUA.org

 

[dochawk]

there was a dustup several years ago, when an attempt was made to require an affirmation of the existence of a supreme being mandatory.

It didn’t go over well, and wasn’t approved.

 

[JMMJ]

UU’s don’t have universal beliefs. They are “Unitarian” (i.e. a place where all kinds of people are in unison with the support of the well being of each member’s spiritual existence) “Universalists” (i.e., they accept people of all beliefs…universal acceptance).

 

[1ke]

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation.

Catholics do not believe in universal salvation.

 

[BohemianBrother]

Neither do the Orthodox and ordinary Protestants.

Except of course maybe the OP has mistaken universal salvation for the possibility for all to be saved, which would be indeed true. Anyone can be saved in the end, but not everyone will be.

 

[Kmon23]

Actually there are Orthodox who hold to purgatorial universalism as espoused by St. Isaac the Syrian. Still a minority opinion. Some think it’s within the bounds of orthodoxy (David Bentley Hart, Metropolitan Hilarion), others think it’s heretical (Fr. John Whiteford, Fr. Lawrence).

 

[ltwin]

As the thread title says, do Unitarian Universalists believe that all people are saved?

Modern Unitarian Universalists don’t require any belief. It’s a “build your own religion” kind of religion. While it grew out of the Christian tradition, today there are UUs who are agnostic or from non-Christian religions.

Even racists? Even mass murderers? Even the likes of Hitler or Stalin?

Old fashioned Universalists such as Charles Chauncy of Boston taught that people might be sent to hell but it would be temporary place of purging (like purgatory but for non-Christians) but that eventually God’s love would win out and everyone would be saved. So, yes, a Hitler or Stalin would eventually be saved but they would presumably repent of their sins committed in life.

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation.

They do? Even for Hitler and Stalin?

 

[ltwin]

UU’s don’t have universal beliefs. They are “Unitarian” (i.e. a place where all kinds of people are in unison with the support of the well being of each member’s spiritual existence) “Universalists” (i.e., they accept people of all beliefs…universal acceptance).

“Unitarian” refers to the Unitarian doctrine of God which denies the Trinity. “Universalism” refers to the idea that all will be saved. The Unitarian Universalist Association was created by a merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America.

 

[JMMJ]

At the UU church I went to occasionally, it was about 50/50 the amount of people who believe in the Trinity. Same for universal salvation.

 

[ltwin]

At the UU church I went to occasionally, it was about 50/50 the amount of people who believe in the Trinity. Same for universal salvation.

I’m sure that is true today, since you can believe anything you want and still be UU.

 

[AlbMagno]

Even racists? Even mass murderers? Even the likes of Hitler or Stalin?

We as catholics can also believe those are saved, if they have a change of heart.

Lately you have been thinking a lot about the topic of salvation, don’t you?..

 

[HomeschoolDad]

HomeschoolDad:

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation.

Catholics do not believe in universal salvation.

Neither do the Orthodox and ordinary Protestants.

Except of course maybe the OP has mistaken universal salvation for the possibility for all to be saved , which would be indeed true. Anyone can be saved in the end, but not everyone will be.

Universal salvation is most emphatically not the teaching of the Church, but the typical Catholic in the pew assumes that everyone is saved. Let me put it this way — do you ever hear of a Catholic, unless they are really “hard-line” doctrinally orthodox, expressing any doubt whatsoever that a person has not failed to save their soul?

HomeschoolDad:

As the thread title says, do Unitarian Universalists believe that all people are saved?

Modern Unitarian Universalists don’t require any belief. It’s a “build your own religion” kind of religion. While it grew out of the Christian tradition, today there are UUs who are agnostic or from non-Christian religions.

Quite right. Your comment made me think of the children’s store “Build-A-Bear Workshop”!

HomeschoolDad:

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation.

They do? Even for Hitler and Stalin?

For the really “bad boys”, a Catholic would simply sigh and mutter something about “entrusting them to God’s mercy” — which, by the way, is an entirely orthodox sentiment. That’s about all you can say.

HomeschoolDad:

Even racists? Even mass murderers? Even the likes of Hitler or Stalin?

We as catholics can also believe those are saved, if they have a change of heart .

Lately you have been thinking a lot about the topic of salvation, don’t you?..

Every day of my life, friend, every day of my life. The Four Last Things: Heaven, Hell, Death, and Judgment.

I do, and you should too. So should everybody else. Are you absolutely sure you are not going to die tomorrow?

 

[CTBcin]

I don’t even think all Unitarian Universalists believe in God. They’re all over the map.

Yeah, I was going to say- it’s hard to know exactly what Unitarian Universalists believe in.

Even back in the 1950’s, Unitarian Universalists were debating the existence of God.

 

[adamhovey1988]

I’m just kind of curious why they have churches

 

[nafatyuk]

to provide the sense of community of a church without all the doctrine

 

[adamhovey1988]

That honestly sounds more like a social club

 

[nafatyuk]

yes, that’s mostly the point

 

[JMMJ]

Not really. There is a spiritual component to their services, that goes beyond socialization.

 

[PeterT]

1ke:

HomeschoolDad:

For all practical purposes, most Christians today — even Catholics — believe in universal salvation.

Catholics do not believe in universal salvation.

Neither do the Orthodox and ordinary Protestants.

Except of course maybe the OP has mistaken universal salvation for the possibility for all to be saved , which would be indeed true. Anyone can be saved in the end, but not everyone will be.

Universal salvation is most emphatically not the teaching of the Church, but the typical Catholic in the pew assumes that everyone is saved. Let me put it this way — do you ever hear of a Catholic, unless they are really “hard-line” doctrinally orthodox, expressing any doubt whatsoever that a person has not failed to save their soul?

How to you know that is what a “typical Catholic in the pew” believes?

That hasn’t been my experience when talking to other lay Catholics. Yes, some lay Catholics believe and hope in universal salvation, but I personally know many that emphatically don’t. They believe in Heaven and Hell. They believe those who live unrepentant sinful lives will go straight to Hell when they die. They believe those who commit suicide go straight to Hell (even though that’s no longer the Church’s teaching on the matter of suicides).

So I disagree with your assumption that a “typical Catholic in the pew” assumes everyone will be saved. I think that the universal salvation belief might be a lot more common among Catholics who are NOT in the pews, those who have stopped practicing their faith and no longer attend Mass.