Secret footage smuggled out from Unitarian Jihad...

[Sibling DavidH]

Where did you get this? It's classified information that we Unitarians sing this in the shower every morning, with our cats. I'll sue!

Are you a Unitarian, Opsa?  My wife comes from a Unitarian family and her father was a minister.  We've drifted away from them lately.

[Opsa]

I was raised Unitarian, and went to a very wonderful UU church growing up. I hear that some of them are pretty crunchy, but ours was fairly conservative, possibly because it was in the metro D.C. area. Basically, I always thought it was pretty much like other church services, only with more encouragement to seek truth as an individual. We had an altar, a choir, a Reverend in robes,and two services on Sunday with coffee afterward. Sunday School was pretty much like a relaxed regular school class with a spiritual curriculum. In upper grades you could choose subjects. One year I took Bible studies, but I didn't have to.

I guess some UU churches (notoriously in California) are pretty way-out and easy targets for spoofing, but most Unitarians don't mind. Also, a lot of spoofing comes from people who do not approve of the UU's acceptance of Paganism as a legit religion, and their openness to letting Pagans use their churches to meet in. So there's an understandable bit of xenophobia involved in the spoofs. If you think Pagans are devil-worshippers instead of hearing the truth about them, you may be pretty weirded out by those that accept them.

[Sibling DavidH]

I knew only a few US and Canadian Unitarians, mainly English ones.  The Churches / groups vary enormously - my father-in-law ran a fellowship which met in all sorts of places.  Well, he also ran a church but retired from that before I really knew it.
I never considered myself a Unitarian but got on fine with them an participated in many activities.

[Sibling Qwertyuiopasd]

UU check-in?

Here's the actual "UU Jihad", which is just written word, though it's better when read in person. (There are two pages)

It's much more clearly a parody, and does a better job pointing out some of the interesting UU quirks. Mostly: pluarlism and subcommittees


It's interesting that you say just Unitarian. I always like to make a point of saying Unitarian Universalist, because they are technically different. Really, if I had to pick one word, I'd go with universalist, as the idea of universal salvation probably rings truer with most UUs than rejecting the trinity.

And yeah, congregations can get a little varied, and interesting out in more liberal areas. Just check the the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) to see how it all comes together. Governance is ground-up, so the UUA is just delegates from congregations, and the people they elect to provide services to the congregations, essentially.

[Aggie]

Our local church just goes by 'Unitarian' I think.  I might attend a sermon this Sunday, if I'm up and about early enough - have been meaning to go for a while now.

Interesting take on "Unitarian" = rejection of the Trinity.  Obviously you may have an inside scoop with the UU interpretation of this, but I'm partial to the interpretation that the Trinity is a Unity, and this is where the power of the idea of the Trinity derives from.

Mind you, I'm seeing unity in everything these days. Including the universe.

[Sibling DavidH]

English Unitarians are all over the place.  There are wide variations between groups and usually within them.  My father-in-law refused to tell his congregation whether he believed in a deity, and they're still not sure.
As an out-and-out atheist it was possible for me to fit in the group socially, which wouldn't have worked had he been, say, a Baptist!
I used to say it was probably the most harmless of all religions.

[Opsa]

I'm so glad Qwerty came in and commented. I hoped he would. 

I think the idea of the Unitarians rejecting the Trinity is rather an anti-Unitarian idea, as to me it is not so much a rejection as an acceptance of Everything to be included in the scope of what's "God". We are one Unit with the All. That kinda crunchy stuff.

[Griffin NoName]

UU check-in?

Here's the actual "UU Jihad", which is just written word, though it's better when read in person. (There are two pages)

A good read. I am the better for it. Thanks Q.

[Sibling Qwertyuiopasd]

That's true, Ops. I was going to add that there are possibly plenty of UUs who believe in the trinity. In fact, that's essentially what I implied.

I just say it that way because of the historical context. A large part of Unitarianism becoming it's own sect was disagreeing with the trinity.

William Ellery Chaning, 1819, Sermon "Unitarian Christianity"

In that address he explicated the distinctive tenets of the Unitarian movement, only one of which was the rejection of the Trinity. Other important tenets were the belief in human goodness and the subjection of theological ideas to the light of reason.

I had it explained to me as "What is this trinity bullshit? If there's one god, there's one god, not multiple." Of course the trinity is more complex than that. It's really just an etymological point.

It's always been liberal, free-thinking and religious in nature. Then in the 1960's they joined with the Universalists (or, nobody goes to hell) because it was like "Wow, we're totally doing the same things here."

I suppose in England they might not have merged, and therefore there's not any sort of Unitarian Universalism there, but I dunno. I know Canada has a national level association like the US.


Glad I could share, Griff.

[beagle]

Newton was a Unitarian. That's why he couldn't become master of the  college (well it was called "Trinity"). He went off to London and became Master of the Royal Mint instead. You lose some you win some.

[Sibling Qwertyuiopasd]

We also claim Thomas Jefferson as one of ours. Not entirely how fair that is, but he'd certainly agree with us, from what we know about him.

[beagle]

And Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the drugs, prostitutes and poems bloke, also creator of the Monty Python Albatross sketch (allegedly).