Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

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DarkJedi
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Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

Post by DarkJedi »

I've thought about this post for quite some time and never got around to writing it. Some other recent posts and events have brought my mind back around to it.

Universalism is a primarily Christian theology developed in the late 1700s but based on what is thought (probably rightly) the earliest Christians believed. It is the idea that all people will be redeemed and reunited with their loving God (universal reconciliation). The possibility of a purgatory or temporary hell exists but there is no eternal hell or punishment in universalism. Theosis is also a possible understanding of the end game of universalism. There are many elements of universalism in our own theology, the idea of hell and eternal punishment being the most divergent although after some study on the subject one might come to a conclusion different than what we might hear in Sunday School.

Unitarianism is the belief that God is one being/entity as opposed to a trinity. Unitarian Christians believe Jesus to be the Savior but not a God himself and claim that Jesus never professed to be God (based on the NT). Jesus was however an exemplar of how to lead our lives. Unitarians embrace free will and reason and reject original sin and predestination as well as eternal damnation. Unitarians do not believe the Bible is inerrant, rather that the writers were human and subject to human errors. Unitarianism as we know it also developed in the late 1700s. Elements of unitarianism also are reflected in our own theology, again parting ways with the idea of eternal punishment but also the Godhead.

The ideas of universalism and unitarianism were floating around and likely regularly discussed in the time of Joseph Smith and his immediate ancestors (parents/grandparents) in New England and upstate New York. Some of the purported Protestant religious fervor of Joseph's day was likely related to a conservative Christian pushback of the ideas of both universalism and unitarianism, even though unitarianism traces its roots to the Puritans. Joseph was likely acquainted with the thoughts of both theologies. There is evidence that Joseph's grandfather Asael Smith was a Universalist preacher and that Joseph's father was a believer in universalism and that his mother was also very familiar with universalist ideas.

Unitarian Universalism is a more or less a denomination (Unitarian Universalist Association) formed by the merging of the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association, both of which had roots in early American history. The modern denomination is very inclusive and does not necessarily hold to the pure ideals of either universalism or unitarianism. Atheists and agnostics, who may deny there even is a God, single entity or not, can be Unitarian Universalists as can be practically anyone of any belief system. UU rejects creeds but does believe in the worth and acceptance of all people, truth/meaning regardless of source, and justice, equity, compassion, peace and liberty.
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

My Introduction
Roy
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Re: Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

Post by Roy »

Great analysis and review of these concepts DJ. Thank you for sharing!
"It is not so much the pain and suffering of life which crushes the individual as it is its meaninglessness and hopelessness." C. A. Elwood

“It is not the function of religion to answer all the questions about God’s moral government of the universe, but to give one courage, through faith, to go on in the face of questions he never finds the answer to in his present status.” TPC: Harold B. Lee 223

"I struggle now with establishing my faith that God may always be there, but may not always need to intervene" Heber13
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Re: Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

Post by Old-Timer »

It is good to have this here at the site, since I know people have asked questions about it in the past.
I see through my glass, darkly - as I play my saxophone in harmony with the other instruments in God's orchestra. (h/t Elder Joseph Wirthlin)

Even if people view many things differently, the core Gospel principles (LOVE; belief in the unseen but hoped; self-reflective change; symbolic cleansing; striving to recognize the will of the divine; never giving up) are universal.

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken
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DarkJedi
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Re: Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

Post by DarkJedi »

I think one of the most striking things in these brief summaries is that we sort of see Unitarian Universalism as this nice bunch of people who accept any and all beliefs, including unbeliefs. That's absolutely true. They seem to be all loosely unified in some sort of common belief (perhaps more akin to humanism than any religious belief system) and their acceptance is universal. At first glance or only looking at the name it's easy to miss that their roots are in two theologies that still exist but were quite common and known 150-200 years ago - but that aren't really directly part of who they are as an organization today. I'm sure there are strict unitarians and strict universalists and those who espouse both in their ranks, but that's not really what they're about these days.

That said, the other striking thing might be that Unitarianism, which does include Christians, don't believe in a Trinity or Godhead. That is, there is only one God who we would call Heavenly Father. Unless they have individual beliefs outside their mainstreams, Muslims and Jews are all unitarian, and the Muslim description of Jesus being a good person and perhaps a prophet fits. Christian unitarians would need to believe that Jesus is only the son of God the way all the rest of us are children of God; or somehow twist the Trinity to fit a single God description (attempts to do so in describing the Trinity don't work for me); or believe that Heavenly Father and Jesus are actually one-in-the-same. None of that really seems to fit with Mormon theology. I have questioned my own beliefs on this topic for many years, including my years as a Catholic before joining the church ("BC" ;) ). I see some credibility in unitarianism, especially related to the other Abrahamic religions and the Old Testament. That does create some other questions (as opposed to doubts) about Jesus and his status and role, especially in LDS doctrines and beliefs. As you're probably aware if you've read some of my posts, I'm perfectly OK with the church being wrong about some things and some things related to Jesus and God are included in that principle. I'm OK with the possibility that Jesus is not the literal/physical son of God, that Jesus was not sinless, and perhaps even that Jesus is not a savior in the same way we believe (or maybe at all) - but I don't think most Christians or members are anywhere near that point in Fowler's stages (probably stages 5 or 6). I should also note here that I do find meaning in the sacrament and in the principles grace and mercy (my universalist side).

This post was meant to give more of an idea of what I have learned and express my own perspectives a bit more than the definitions. At the outset I didn't really mean this post as a discussion thread, but thoughts and perspectives are always welcome. One of the things I love about this place is the variety of perspectives, and that's not only OK, it's good. We can have our perspectives and we don't necessarily need to be "right" or "true" or "correct" and we don't need to convince anyone else ours is the only right, true or correct point of view. We can both be all those things and all their opposites at the same time. That's probably OK in some very open wards, but it's definitely OK in UU.
In the absence of knowledge or faith there is always hope.

Once there was a gentile...who came before Hillel. He said "Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it."

My Introduction
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felixfabulous
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Re: Of universalism, unitarianism, and Unitarian Universlism

Post by felixfabulous »

One criticism of the Book of Mormon is that the anti-Christs seem to espouse common religious ideas of the day and the BOM narrative embodies the conservative Christian push back you mentioned. Sharem seems to espouse Unitarian beliefs, that there should be no Christ. Nehor is a universalist and Korihor is an atheist. Nehor also promotes the idea that priests should be paid. I don't think our Church has been very comfortable with Unitarians/Universalists. From what I understand the Unitarian congregation in Salt Lake is very old and is often left off Church-sponsored lists of oldest congregations in Utah. I think that the idea of not recognizing the divinity of Jesus is seen as extremely offensive to many Church leaders. I think this is part of what has made the BOM resonate so much with an American audience.

In the old temple endowment, there was a sectarian minister. I know people have different feelings about looking up this information and I will be respectful and discreet. The minister teaches nonsensical Christian doctrines that are put forward for some comic relief and to show the absurdity of Christian creeds. As someone who never experienced this in the temple, now I realize where many of our long-held biases against other churches come from, especially our opposition to a paid ministry, religious credentials from a seminary and the doctrine of the trinity.

I spent some time shopping for a "side Church" where I could get some supplemental insights from listening to sermons. I tried the Salt Lake Unitarian/Universalist church for a few sermons. They typically have the Universalist pastor speak first then the Unitarian pastor. I didn't really love it, felt really watered down and secular. There was not much mention of God, just a celebration of the human spirit and a call for social justice.
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