Unitarians

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Are Unitarians even Christian? If one does not believe in the Holy Trinity and that Jesus Christ is True Man and True God than how could one be a Christian since such a belief is central and core to Christianity?
 
The UUs are not Christian and no longer claim to be. They are the place to go for people who don’t ascribe to any specific religion, but see the worth in all of it. (I’m being as charitable as possible here.)
 
The main thing to remember about Unitarians is that each one is different. You cannot paint them with a broad brush and say “No Unitarian believes in the Trinity.” Some may. They have no dogma, no creed, no hierarchy.

They are unified primarily by the seven principles:
"We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
  • The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
  • Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
  • Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
  • A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
  • The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
  • The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all;
  • Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."
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You may make fun of the Unitarians; however, they will not make fun of you (at least, not for your religious choices). 🙂
 
cheese_sdc said:
You may make fun of the Unitarians; however, they will not make fun of you (at least, not for your religious choices). 🙂
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I do not read any one making fun of Unitarians in this thread.

As for what ibkc posted, my unitarian friend claims to be a Christian and this is the discussion I am now having with her that she cannot possibly be one if she does not believe in the Holy Trinity and that Christ is God.
 
I do like the Unitarian beliefs. They go by a live and let live policy. Imagine how few wars we’d have if we all incorporated some of these principles into our current beliefs!
 
blessed_wife said:
I do not read any one making fun of Unitarians in this thread.

As for what ibkc posted, my unitarian friend claims to be a Christian and this is the discussion I am now having with her that she cannot possibly be one if she does not believe in the Holy Trinity and that Christ is God.
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Sorry, I wasn’t referring to this thread in particular, just in the way that Unitarians are often mocked by some b/c of their lack of doctrine or creed.

And in your discussion, please try to remember that just because the Unitarian Church does not technically profess a Trinitarian dogma, that an individual will agree. Unitarians are free to follow Jesus, Buddha, Hindu teachings, Lao Tsu, whatever they want. In my estimation, the keystone teaching is “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.
 
cheese_sdc said:
Sorry, I wasn’t referring to this thread in particular, just in the way that Unitarians are often mocked by some b/c of their lack of doctrine or creed.

And in your discussion, please try to remember that just because the Unitarian Church does not technically profess a Trinitarian dogma, that an individual will agree. Unitarians are free to follow Jesus, Buddha, Hindu teachings, Lao Tsu, whatever they want. In my estimation, the keystone teaching is “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.
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Thanks. See I have never met a Unitarian before and am vaguely familiar with their beliefs by reading G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy in which he briefly discusses his old Unitarian belief before converting to Anglicanism and then to the Catholicism.

If Unitarians are free to follow Buddhist teachings or Hindu teachings, etc., how can they be Christian??? See, this is what I do not understand. Are Unitarians even Christian? Some of them, like my friend, call themselves Christian but hey, I could call myself a man and, obviously, be out of my head!
 
blessed_wife said:
Thanks. See I have never met a Unitarian before and am vaguely familiar with their beliefs by reading G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy in which he briefly discusses his old Unitarian belief before converting to Anglicanism and then to the Catholicism.

If Unitarians are free to follow Buddhist teachings or Hindu teachings, etc., how can they be Christian??? See, this is what I do not understand. Are Unitarians even Christian? Some of them, like my friend, call themselves Christian but hey, I could call myself a man and, obviously, be out of my head!
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What is required to be a Christian? Is it not to declare that Jesus is Lord? A person can do that and still be Unitarian Universalist. And they would be accepted there, just like an agnostic, a pagan, or a Buddhist.

A few links:

uua.org/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarian_Universalism

I understand that this concept is a bit difficult for Catholics to understand - that a “church” can have no religious dogma. But it is true. It is a gathering of people who are seeking at their own pace, in their own way.
 
If Unitarians are free to follow Buddhist teachings or Hindu teachings, etc., how can they be Christian??? See, this is what I do not understand. Are Unitarians even Christian?
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The UUs as an organization are NOT Christian, and they don’t claim to be Christian. Go through their website and try to find where they declare themselves to be Christian - you can’t. The UUs are a sort of umbrella organization for people with very liberal religious views who prefer not to affiliate with the orthodoxy of their respective group. You can be Christian and be a UU, just as you can be a Buddhist and UU, or Muslim and UU, or Hindu and UU, or agnostic and UU. Does this explain it better?
 
cheese_sdc said:
I understand that this concept is a bit difficult for Catholics to understand - that a “church” can have no religious dogma. But it is true. It is a gathering of people who are seeking at their own pace, in their own way.
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Nope, I understand it, I just don’t put them on the same level as actual Christian Churches. Or other organised religions for that matter.

It isn’t the lack of dogma, it is the lack of substance.
 
Unitarians do claim to have Christian and Jewish roots. They merged with the Universalists in the mid 20th century. Yes, all UU churches are different. The one right near me, which I attended, was veeeeeeeery liberal, in that it did not read from the Bible. However, a UU church 30 min away was known for reading the Bible.

My former UU minister told me that in order to be a UU, you have to support their 7 principles. You can be anything- Jewish, Christian, Pagan, etc.

Of course, the church is for people with liberal beliefs. If you have conservative views, you would not feel comfortable. My former church stressed heavily pro-abortion and pro-homosexual campaigns. Not for me!
 
There is good that can be found in most all religion. What concerns me about the Unitarians is that they have such a wide variety of belief systems inwhich to follow.

Jesus taught, and I believe, that He is the ONLY way to the Father but other religions teach that YOU control your own destiny and YOU have the ability to reach heaven on your own. 🤷

I just find the Unitarian church (and this is only My opinion) to be a place for people who want to worship their own way by what ever means fits their fancy instead of worshiping God HIS way. That being said though, I have no doubt that they are sincere in their beliefs and try as hard as any Christian to be true to the word of God.

The sheep (all of Gods children) can only follow One shepard though, otherwise they will become confused and disoriented with conflicting voices telling them different “truths”. There is only One truth, and that is Jesus Christ.👍
 
I just find the Unitarian church (and this is only My opinion) to be a place for people who want to worship their own way by what ever means fits their fancy instead of worshiping God HIS way. That being said though, I have no doubt that they are sincere in their beliefs and try as hard as any Christian to be true to the word of God.
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I think that the same can be true for all religions, even Catholicism.
 
blessed_wife said:
Are Unitarians even Christian? If one does not believe in the Holy Trinity and that Jesus Christ is True Man and True God than how could one be a Christian since such a belief is central and core to Christianity?
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In my opinion, a person can be called a Christian even if he doesnt believe in the Blessed Trinity.

Im not speaking on behalf of the Church here, but to label oneself as a Christian, a person needs to believe that Jesus was sent by God to redeem mankind. An that although innocent, He was crucified, died and was buried. But that God raised Him from the dead, and that God made Jesus both Lord and Christ. For example, see Matthew 27:4; John 3:16; Acts 2:32,36.

At this stage, I can’t see why Trinitarian belief is the “core” of Christianity. Firstly, “Trinity” is never used in the bible. The essence of the three Persons was not declared clearly in the bible, compared to say, the fact that Jesus died and was raised again.

It wasnt until the Council of Nicea that Jesus was officially defined as true God and true man, and of the same substance as the Father. I don’t think the first apostles believed that God was triune either.

Finally, in my opinion again, being a Christian in my book doesnt mean that a person believes in the triune God, rather he believes and follows the teachings of Christ because he believes they come from God, and that God was with Christ.

I find it ironic that sola scripturists say that bible has all they need for their faith, yet I don’t see Jesus being called “true God and true man” anywhere; nor do I see any mention of “Trinity”, “three Persons of God” etc; nor do I see the Holy Spirit written as being firstly a Person, One who is to be worshipped and praised, and as One who is also equal and co-eternal with God. Yet according to many of them, if a person doesnt believe in the Trinity, he is “not even a Christian”.
 
Friend’s do not use creeds to defien “who” and “who is not” a “Christian”. Many Friends are “unitarian” in belief but still consider themselves Christian.

A “Christian” is one who follows Christs’ teachings. In Friends belief it is not rites or ceremonies which makes a person a follower of Jesus…it is following Jesus that make one a follower of Jesus. Loving others, showing mercy, seeking to live peacefully with all men as far as it depends on us. Living in the Light of Christ…being guided by the Light Within is what truly defines us.

If engaging in rites and ceremonies is what makes one a “Christian” then I am not a “Christian” either by other’s definitions…but I confess I follow Christ and I claim to be a Christian. I hold to this belief regardless of what others tell me…I would think that those Unitarians who also claim to be a Christian…and through the quality of their lives and their obedience to God satisfys the understanding that they live “in the Spirit” and follow the Light…they are Christian…no matter what others may say…only God will judge them…and those Unitarians I know are comfortable with that judgement…it’s the only judgement that means anything anyway.🙂
 
blessed_wife said:
I do not read any one making fun of Unitarians in this thread.

As for what ibkc posted, my unitarian friend claims to be a Christian and this is the discussion I am now having with her that she cannot possibly be one if she does not believe in the Holy Trinity and that Christ is God.
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I agree with you.

However, that depends upon your definition of Christian. If one believed that Jesus Christ was merely human and that there is no God, but strove to pattern her life after the example of the human Jesus Christ, could she not CALL herself Christian because she tried to follow Jesus’ ethics?
 
catheflower said:
Unitarians do claim to have Christian and Jewish roots. They merged with the Universalists in the mid 20th century. Yes, all UU churches are different. The one right near me, which I attended, was veeeeeeeery liberal, in that it did not read from the Bible. However, a UU church 30 min away was known for reading the Bible.

My former UU minister told me that in order to be a UU, you have to support their 7 principles. You can be anything- Jewish, Christian, Pagan, etc.

Of course, the church is for people with liberal beliefs. If you have conservative views, you would not feel comfortable. My former church stressed heavily pro-abortion and pro-homosexual campaigns. Not for me!
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Also, I asked the UU minister if I could be Christian and UU. She said, “Who told you that you couldn’t?” Then she said that as long as I support their principles, I am a UU. Also, she said that it’s welcome to be “exploring your Christianity”.

This is all about how we are defining Christian. I see both sides to the discussion. At the time I was in the UU church, I wasn’t sure what I believe. That was welcomed, too.

Also, another user said that UUs won’t make fun of other religions. Sadly, there will be people in ANY FAITH that will make fun of other religions.

In Christ,
Cathe
 
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