The subject of Unitarianism has been making the rounds as plans are made for this summer’s events.  As a Unitarian, I view this with some humor and also concern.  I don’t mind if people consider Unitarians weird, but I do mind if people misunderstand what Unitarians are.  To prevent this, I seek to discuss the views of the faith and of this person.

Unitarianism is a bit odd as a religion because it supposedly lacks a creed and encourages its adherents to define their belief system (within certain guidelines.)  This means that Unitarians sharing the same religious community have beliefs that range from atheism to Catholicism.  How can this be?

Let’s first start with what a Unitarian is.  Most simply, a Unitarian is a member of a church or society affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association of Beacon Hill, Boston, MA.  This church formed as a consolidation of the separate Unitarian and Universalist traditional faiths in America. 

What are these faiths?  The Unitarian perspective can be summed up as disgust with the concept of Trinity.  It promoted monotheism.  There is one god, and God is not three persons.  God is God, responsible for good (and evil).  Unitarians, influenced by rationalists, Deists and freethinkers, tend to view God as non-interventionist.  The Universalists also believe in one God, and they refuse to be confounded by some calling God, Jehovah, others Koresh, and yet others Allah. That different religions see God differently and may give God various names makes no difference.  God is God, no matter what we call God or how we perceive God.  Universalists believe that all religious efforts to provide a perspective of God were worthy of consideration, but given the diverse views of God, Universalists understand that God is somewhat of a mystery and accept God as such.

The Unitarians and Universalists decided along the way that their views and approaches to religion were not so different and so merged.  The Unitarian/Universalist churches still leave the definition of God largely to the individual.  Instead of providing dogmatic details, the church and congregations provide a forum for discussion of God, the creator.  Its adherents are liberal enough to tolerate a diversity of views and elect to join the church to share with others in a search for truth and meaning. Today the Unitarian/Universalist adherent still seeks to understand the creator through a rational and reflective spirituality.  The Unitarian Church itself makes no attempt to select among these views.  It leaves that to the individual members.

Unitarian churches have tended to be congregationally focused and geographically concentrated in New England.  Traditionally Protestant in orientation, they provide typical church services and ceremonies recognizing births, marriages, and deaths.  Congregations are run democratically (ugh!) and so there is considerable variation among congregations.  Members are typically liberal in the sense that they are tolerant of different views or practices.  Members tend to be politically liberal as well, which can be frustrating for those of us who hold more conservative views.  The church has never tolerated racial segregation and more recently has been known for embracing homosexuals.  It would marry them too, but marriage is a civil union and state laws have largely prohibited it.   So, instead, Unitarians may provide “joining ceremonies.” Although the majority of Unitarians consider themselves to be Christian, the church is not Christian.  It attempts to draw inspiration and theology from beliefs and practices of all faiths. 

The congregations provide Sunday services and religious education for youths and adults.  Since members are expected to develop their own beliefs, a major goal of educational sessions is to assist individuals in the development of their own theology.  This effort is not for everyone.  Those who want to be told what to believe find building a personal theology a nuisance or just ridiculous.  Unitarianism does not provide certainty.  Most Unitarians recognize the God concept as amorphous.  God is the creator, yes; but is God a physical force, the spirit of nature, or God the Father?  Most would probably say that they have some opinion on the subject, but can’t be sure of their conclusion.  God is a mystery, perceived differently by different people.  The best we can do is to strive to understand God.  We may accept certain beliefs, but we can’t confirm them.  Unitarians know that the Unitarians sitting next to them in church may believe something entirely different, but that they probably have a more similar view of God than the person sitting next to them at work.  Unitarians do not go to church for the Word, but to seek understanding, inspiration, and fellowship. 

Given the uncertainty about God, Unitarian beliefs and morals tend to be based on humanism.  Whatever the nature of God, our actions must be guided to provide for the well being of the creation, of humanity, and of the individual. 

Services vary with the congregation, but most typically include opening words, music, a children’s story, reports from members of personal joys and sorrows, a sermon, and closing words.  Sermons may relate to a biblical tale or a Buddhist one.   The minister or guest speaker may also address current events or social issues and give a moral perspective.  Some services may be devoted to music or art.  As with other religions, the services provide an excuse to get together on Sunday.

I am a Unitarian coming from a Catholic become agnostic background.  I am pleased and amazed at the natural universe, but I don’t see supernatural forces at work in the world today.  I have no idea why the world exists, but I am glad it does and that I have been blessed to live in and see it.  For some brief period, my substance has been given an opportunity to be conscious of the ways of the world.  I know that it will loose this gift with death, but that it and life will go on.  I am often reminded of George Harrison’s wonderful lyrics, “and life flows on within you and without you.”  Without refers to space and time.   I don’t believe in life after death as Hades, heaven, or hell, or as reincarnation.  Consciousness is ephemeral.  Although my ego may demand I preserve my consciousness, mine vanishes each time I sleep and have no reason to fear death except for the loss of the joy of life and for the vulgar act of dying. 

So, without concern for a life after death, it is important to me to do well in life for humanity and myself.  Years ago I read somewhere of the Unitarian Church and realized that it seemed to offer an appropriate forum for exploring faith.  Here was a group of individuals seeking to understand the meaning of God and to establish an ethical basis for living.  A church that seemed to lack the conceit to believe that it somehow had the true light and that all the other churches on the planet were in darkness.  A church that expected you to think and not simply to accept what was offered. 

And so, I have found Unitarianism rewarding.  Spiritually I have been at peace for a long time.  Certainly I suffer guilt and uncertainty.  Woody Allen commented on the alternative (death).  I have found the basics of right and wrong easy to understand, but always there are ambiguities and we all err.  Still, I have been successful and moral in life.  The church has provided a social community and a place for my children to learn of right and wrong.  The church has also provided a voice in the community for individual rights and welfare that are frequently sacrificed with prejudice or based on rules of other churches that want to control the lives not only of their own members but of everyone else too.  I have made many friends at church and it has provided a social circle for me.

I have a, perhaps Unitarian, lack of certainty that prevents my taking my faith too seriously.  The condemnation of the pagan, the heathen, the Catholic, Muslim, or Secular Humanist because of their beliefs is anathema to me.  The stoic (become Christian) golden rule is to me fundamental to peace.  As a Unitarian I endeavor to encourage tolerance while at the same time trying to accept the thoughts of those who refuse to tolerate nonconformance to their views.   My faith that each person can make this world better gives me hope for the future, but it provides no assurance that violence will be overcome.  Horrors are a part of the creation. I do not need certainty, nor expect it.  Life is uncertain.  As a Unitarian I I seek to understand and accept life.