Unitarians

  • Thread starter Thread starter blessed_wife
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I know some unitarians and they dont even believe in the Bible. once this lady told me that the Bible is too old and do not apply for today. i think they see God in all things in trees and so on. they do not believe in Jesus as the Son of God either. to me they believe in humanism only, something like humans are the center of their worship.
 
puzzleannie said:
no they are not. they are, as their name clearly indicates, unitarian, that is they believe in one God, one divine person, not in the Trinity, ergo, they do not believe Jesus Christ is God, therefore they are not Christian. it should also be noted that every group that self-designates as “unitarian” does not necessarily belong to a professed denomination with a credal statement or report to any authority outside their autonomous group, so it is not easy to speak with certainty about any Unitarian belief or teaching, other that to refer to those who began the movement in New England (goodle Unitarian, Transcendentalists etc).
Click to expand...
Annie, without doubt your knowledge is greater than mine (and your advice on this forum). But I don’t think you have the authority to determine who is Christian or not. If someone genuinely believes he is Christian, how can a Trinitarian Christian tell him he is not, just because he doesnt believe in a doctrine that was undefined until 3 centuries after Christ walked the earth?

A Christian is a person who follows Christ, (not necessarily a person who believes in the doctrine of the Trinity) and in my opinion whether they do so in an orthodox way or not, is up to God to decide. Truly, only God knows who is right and wrong, who is Christian and who is not.

Also, I want to add that if a Catholic doesnt call a non-Trinitarian a Christian, then you shouldnt be calling a Protestant a Christian either, because they don’t believe in the important Catholic doctrines either. And isnt Catholicism the only true Christian church? (I know there are branches of Catholicism, but you get my point)
 
MH84 said:
A Christian is a person who follows Christ, (not necessarily a person who believes in the doctrine of the Trinity) and in my opinion whether they do so in an orthodox way or not, is up to God to decide. Truly, only God knows who is right and wrong, who is Christian and who is not.

Also, I want to add that if a Catholic doesnt call a non-Trinitarian a Christian, then you shouldnt be calling a Protestant a Christian either, because they don’t believe in the important Catholic doctrines either. And isnt Catholicism the only true Christian church? (I know there are branches of Catholicism, but you get my point)
Click to expand...
MH84:

I like your logic, please let me run with it for a few minutes.

As you say, It all goes back to the definition of Christian. So far on this thread, we have two definitions.

a. someone who believes that Jesus Christ is Eternal God and are obedient to Him.

b. someone who believes that Jesus Christ is a really good man and try to follow his teachings…

If members of the UU fall into category b, they need to remember that the Catholic Church was formed by Jesus Christ and have kept of ALL of his teachings inviolate for two thousand years. So if they want to follow his teachings they need to become Catholic and if they don’t want to follow his teachings they do not fall into category b and are not Christian.

If members of the Protestant denominations fall into category a, they need to remember that the Catholic Church was formed by Jesus Christ and have kept ALL of His teachings invilate for two thousand years. So if they want to be obedient to Him they need to become Catholic, and if they don’t want to be obedient to Him they do not fall into category a and are not Christian.

Now, while I have no personal problem with declaring everybody outside of those Churchs and Rites in union with Rome to be non-Christians, maybe what we need is a better definition of Christian.
 
Marsha_Adams said:
MH84:

I like your logic, please let me run with it for a few minutes.

As you say, It all goes back to the definition of Christian. So far on this thread, we have two definitions.

a. someone who believes that Jesus Christ is Eternal God and are obedient to Him.

b. someone who believes that Jesus Christ is a really good man and try to follow his teachings…

If members of the UU fall into category b, they need to remember that the Catholic Church was formed by Jesus Christ and have kept of ALL of his teachings inviolate for two thousand years.

**That’s the point…only Catholics believe the above. UU’s AND most Protestants do not believe that Jesus formed the Catholic church…it formed after centuries of the various groups competing for primacy. The “proto-orthodox/catholic” beliefs were formed in those first centuries…and became the largest group. Marcionites, Gnostics, Ebionites, Manichees to name a few also claimed to be the “true” expression of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. The proto-orthodox/catholics did something the others did not…they deveoloped a mythology of “apostolic sucession”. The other groups traced themselves back to one of the apostles as well…they just didn’t consider apostolic sucession anything of note.

The proto-orthodox/catholic groups also formed a clerical hierarchy that the others never fully embraced. Eilene Pagels in her book “The Gnostic Gospels” trace the development of the proto-orthodox/catholic structure of deacon-priest-bishop in her book. Joan O’Grady in her book “Heresies” outlines the competing “groups” as does Bart Erhman’s “Lost Christianities”.**

So if they want to follow his teachings they need to become Catholic and if they don’t want to follow his teachings they do not fall into category b and are not Christian.

The above truly is what the proto-orthodox/catholics eventually claimed…even though those from competing groups claimed the name “Christian”…

If members of the Protestant denominations fall into category a, they need to remember that the Catholic Church was formed by Jesus Christ and have kept ALL of His teachings invilate for two thousand years. So if they want to be obedient to Him they need to become Catholic, and if they don’t want to be obedient to Him they do not fall into category a and are not Christian.

Now, while I have no personal problem with declaring everybody outside of those Churchs and Rites in union with Rome to be non-Christians, maybe what we need is a better definition of Christian.
Click to expand...
The simple definition works for me…“Christian”-those who follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth…not someone who belongs to a religious body that claims to "own’ the name “Christian”…I follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth…yet I do not use “outward forms” of rites, ordinances and rituals that developed over decades and centuries after Jesus left this earth.

I realize my understanding as a Friend is at times radically different than most Christians…from “What Quakers Bring to the Ecumenical Table” from Massachusets Council of Churches… "We do not reject the spiritual realities toward which sacraments point. We recognize baptism as the transformation of life through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We recognize communion as the presence of Jesus Christ in our corporate worship. We recognize ordination as the diverse giftedness for ministry of all people. We recognize these things, and rejoice in them, but we do not believe that the church should seek to initiate them through ritual means.

Without getting too deep into theology, it is important to bring in here **the fact that our understanding of the nature of the church is based on a realized eschatology of the new covenant. The old system has passed away, and Christ is present among us to lead us into an experience of the kingdom, here and now. Therefore, we reject all interim structures of authority, and seek in all ways **to be obedient to the immediate leadership of Christ. As the Friends in Lausanne stated, “We believe that a corporate practice of the presence of God, a corporate knowledge of Christ in our midst, a common experience of the work of the living Spirit, constitute the supremely real sacrament of a Holy Communion.”

In the tread, “What do you call yourself”…I stated “Friend”…I hope to live up to that name. Any who seek to follow Christ in the here and now I offer my hand as a brother in Christ…as a Christian…plain and simple.
 
LDNCatholic said:
But then that would mean you must accept that we think witchcraft is evil. We just have a different way of seeing things than you.
Click to expand...
But if you thought it was truly evil, you wouldn’t be accepting it. That is not to say that you must believe in it, but accept that everyone has there own spiritual practices. Most religions and practices all have the same general aim and are all headed in the same direction. When people say “there is only ONE church”, this is the egoic “I’m right, you are wrong/us against them” mentality. And you can probably see how easily this unconscious belief leads the world into conflict, not peace.
 
blacktiger057 said:
But if you thought it was truly evil, you wouldn’t be accepting it. That is not to say that you must believe in it, but accept that everyone has there own spiritual practices. Most religions and practices all have the same general aim and are all headed in the same direction. When people say “there is only ONE church”, this is the egoic “I’m right, you are wrong/us against them” mentality. And you can probably see how easily this unconscious belief leads the world into conflict, not peace.
Click to expand...
Oh I accept that magic exists. But it is an abomination. Just because a belief leads to conflict it doesn’t mean a belief should be changed.
 
Hello Viewers,

Only I as a muslim believes that Unitarians are the true Jesus pbuh followers and they are kind of same mentality about Jesus pbuh as Muslims. As I read your comments about Unitarians in this thread.My advice to all who participates in this thread, becomes Unitarian that’s for your own good. And read Chapter 1 Verses 7 from my given website and click translator Dr.Mohsin from the page. Please its my request think. Unitarians are Good. Here is the website as below:

www.quranexplorer.com
 
I have a better question, possibly (if anyone is still watching this thread).

What distinguishes a “church” from any other association? UUs can wax peaceful about accepting all beliefs and nurturing ones “own spirituality,” but without a core set of relgious dogmas, I’m not seeing how there is such a thing as a Universalist / Unitarian Church. A church is not just some casual association where people get together and discuss stuff. I’m not seeing how anybody can justify liberalizing the term “church” until it’s little more than a word for “group of people.”
 
There is One Church, All the others are merely denominations.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top