AboutJon Bond Expertise Will answer all questions regarding Unitarian Universalist (UU)church; including ancient history (Universalists go back to at least 250 A.D.) and medieval history (Unitarians look to 1553 A.D. as their beginning) up to merger of the two movements in 1961 and continuing up to present. Am familiar with Christian church organizations and relationship of UUs to traditional churches.
Experience Currently member of Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, Colorado. Past vice-president of Board of Trustees and currently on Membership Committee. Have taught UU history for over 20 years. Have attended Unitarian Universalist General Assemblies (annual meetings held in June) for past 15 years.
Organizations Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, Colorado
Expert: Jon Bond Date: 6/6/2002 Subject: reformed?
Question I was asked by my professor "How are Unitarians and Universalists Calvinist reformed in their theology"? I see several areas where they might be considered reformed- could you give me a main idea that would correlate between the two?
Answer Hi Jackie -
I'll try to answer your question. Remember, I'm one of over 225,000 people and, if you ask another UU (Unitarian Universalist), you may get a different (but, hopefully, not conflicting) answer. I'd like to divide my response to you into two parts: first, a background of our association and second, a "short" and "long" answer regarding my beliefs on the question you posed.
First – a background (including where the two groups originated):
The concept of Unitarianism generally looks to a Catholic priest, Michael Servetus, as a spiritual originator. Servetus was born in Spain in 1511 and died in 1553, after attacking the doctrines of the Trinity. Unitarianism is a doctrinal system characterized chiefly by a belief in the unipersonality of God and the normal humanity of Jesus, as contrasted with the Trinity and the eternal deity (divinity) of Jesus. Most Unitarians I've spoken with reject the divinity of Jesus, but do recognize him (Jesus) as a great moral teacher
Universalism is the theological doctrine that all souls will ultimately be saved and that there are no torments of hell. Universalism has been asserted at various times in different contexts throughout the history of the "Christian church"--e.g., Origen in the 3rd century. The Universalists also denied the miraculous element in Scripture, and rejected such important Bible doctrines as the total depravity of man and the Trinity.
The Unitarian Universalist Association was created in May of 1961 as a merger of Unitarians and Universalists.
Second – here is my answer to your question:
"How are Unitarians and Universalists Calvinist reformed in their theology"?
Let me say right off that I don't normally get into “homework type” questions, but I'll give a stab at this one.
Short answer:
Most modern Universalists deny the miraculous element in Scripture, and have rejected such important Bible doctrines such as the total depravity of man and the Trinity, like most Unitarians.
Long answer/discussion:
I have never heard of Universalist Calvinist so I will put some parameters around that by saying what that means to me. My understanding of Calvinism is that it is marked by the acceptance of the supreme role of Scripture in revelation. My take of “Universalist Calvinism” would be someone (some group?) that believes in “universal salvation” AND scripture. My belief is that most (NOT ALL) modern day Universalists believe the Bible to contain many “absurdities.” If they (the “absurdities”) are considered along with the many problems, errors, and inconsistencies which plague the Bible, it is obvious that it was NOT inspired by God. Had an omnipotent, omniscient, loving God had anything to do with the writing of a book, God would have done a better job of it. Having seen a list of 136 Biblical contradictions, I, personally, would reject any acceptance of scriptural authority.
It is true that ours (the UUs) is a free, tolerant, and creedless church. There is acceptance of people from all traditions and backgrounds – with no theological dogmas, with no intellectual restraints, with no prohibition on religious express. There are ways in which we are similar to other religions. Like the Roman Catholics, we have a long tradition extending over many parts of the world from India to Hungary to the Americas. Like the Jews, we have our heroes and heroines. We have a system of democratic polity, like the Baptists, with the congregation acting as the ultimate authority. There is an elected Board of Trustees, and a pulpit characterized by freedom of expression. As with the Confucianists, we have emphasized reason, wisdom, and knowledge. We have an eclectic system of theology, like the Hindus, which encourages each individual to develop a personal faith that is not dependent on the demands of an institution. These similarities of belief are not an accident of history. Rather, they spring from the receptivity of Unitarian Universalism (UUism) to the surrounding culture. While our roots are deep in the Christian tradition, they also extend to the Greek philosophers, the Hebrew prophets, the Renaissance thinkers, the mystics of the East, and the secular things of the modern world. (reference: “The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide” – ISBN 0-933840-45-4)
I'm not sure if this gives you any clarity in responding to your professor, but this is the best I can offer. Good luck in discussing this with your professor. If you'd like more information, please feel free to check out our web site http://uua.org/
Thank you for taking the time to submit your question and good luck!
