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Examining
The UNITARIAN
UNIVERSALIST Association
(Unitarians)
A RELIGION OF CHANGE
Unitarians call themselves by that name because they claim to see a basic unity
underlying all diversities. Their pamphlets state that they hope "to forge
reasonable beliefs for ourselves without turning religion into no more than
an intellectual exercise; to respect all persons while feeling free to disagree
openly with points of view expressed." In 1961 the Unitarians merged with
the Universalist Church of America to form the Unitarian Universalist Association
of North America. They are affiliated with the Unitarian General Assembly in
London, and the International Association of Religious Freedom worldwide.
A RELIGION OF DENIAL
Early dates for the Unitarian movement vary from publication to publication,
and a clear date for a beginning is difficult to establish. The movement, with
roots as far back as the sixteenth century, but more defined by the nineteenth
century, began with denial of basic Christian doctrine, a pattern which continues
to this day. We really cannot refer to the teaching of the Unitarians as "doctrines"
or "creeds", since they do not have any, and in fact believe all truth
is relative. However, when reading their literature, it becomes apparent that
they do have some very definite beliefs in the form of denials. They deny the
Trinity, the Christian concept of God, the Deity of Jesus Christ, the Bible
teaching on sin, the inerrancy of Scripture, and hellfire, to name the major
ones. Yet, with all these denials of the fundamentals of Christianity, they
still apply the term "Christian" to themselves, and profess belief
in Jesus Christ. Traditional Christians are often assured that they may become
Unitarians and still keep their Christian beliefs intact. We do not believe
this to be the case.
THE MERGER AND
RESULTING CHANGES
The Universalist Church believes in Universal salvation, that is, that all will
attain to heavenly glory regardless of beliefs. The Unitarians did not necessarily
believe in any kind of an afterlife. A compromise hammered out during the merger
eliminated the name of Jesus from the association's statement of principles,
according to Time Magazine of June 27th, 1983. This article also reported that
a proposal was put forth that..."reference to God be replaced with a statement
that the churches "reflect various forms of Theism, Christianity, Humanism,
Feminism and other religious traditions"." The article concluded with
these words "Over the past seven years the U.U.A. has experienced a decline
of nearly 31% (to 136,500), the most severe membership loss ever suffered by
any church body in North America."
A CONSTANT STATE OF FLUX
As can well be imagined, a religion that permits all kinds of teachings will
have all kinds of differences, despite a real desire to be open-minded and consider
the views of all. We are reminded of the phrase, "if you do not stand for
something, you will fall for anything!" This appears to describe the current
state of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
UNITARIAN VIEW OF THE
EXISTENCE OF GOD
A recent report by Nicholas Read in the Vancouver Sun reported on a questionnaire
distributed to Unitarians. It is interesting to note the replies given by the
400-member First Unitarian Church of Toronto. "Asked about the existence
of God, 40% checked a definition that read, "Appropriately used as a name
for some natural process within the universe, such as love or creative evolution."
29% said God was the root of all being; 26% found faith in God "an irrelevant
concept"; and 3% found the concept of a supreme being one that is "harmful
to a worthwhile religion"; only 2 % saw God as a well-documented supernatural
being."
Truly, a Christian with a love and respect for the Eternal God of the Bible
could not be comfortable in such an environment. When reviewing the history
of Unitarianism it becomes apparent over the years that the Christian, Biblical
concept of a loving, personal God was at first questioned and then denied by
this group. They are now leaning heavily towards an Eastern concept of a "God
force", or even an acceptance of plural gods. In the Vancouver Sun of Saturday,
June 19th, 1982, an article appeared under the heading, "No God, Unitarian
believes".
Ruth Patrick, national president of the Unitarian Church doesn't believe in
God. Patrick, 59, helped found the Unitarian Church of Edmonton, served as its
chaplain at one time and was recently elected president of the Canadian Unitarian
Council. But although the mother of three said she does not believe in God,
she is not an atheist. She said she believes in a "creative force"
but not the traditional "patriarchal being called God"." This
is but one example of how far the Unitarians have gone in their denial of the
God of the Bible. The "creative force" of Eastern religions is a far
cry from the personal, loving Creator-God of the Bible, who offers us a relationship
with Himself through Christ Jesus. Why not look into this alternative in this
time of confusion over the nature of God in the Unitarian churches?
UNITARIAN VIEW OF THE BIBLE
In 1960, a well-known Unitarian minister, Mr. J. Mendelssohn wrote in his book,
"Why I Am A Unitarian", on page 34, "Churches, Bibles and creeds
are the creations of men who once exercised their freedom to create." On
page 125, he gives his Unitarian opinion of the Bible, namely that it "is
replete with inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and errors". If a person relied
on Unitarian literature concerning the Bible, he would have a very dim view
of it, indeed. The Bible has proven itself to be correct historically, prophetically
and doctrinally. It agrees with true science. While we place absolute trust
in the Bible personally, we have not quoted from the Bible in this tract due
to the fact that Unitarians have small regard for it, and so would not be willing
to accept correction of their doctrine, based on the authority of Scripture.
We do, however, make this appeal to Unitarians. Please try setting aside your
ever-changing Unitarian literature, and try reading the Bible alone. Begin with
the New Testament and look carefully at the claims of Jesus Christ. You will
find a very different Jesus Christ that the one presented to you by your church!
WHAT THE UNITARIANS
THINK OF CHRIST
Unitarian-Universalists deny the Jesus Christ of the Bible and historic Christianity.
In "The Unitarian Way" by Phillip Hewett, we find this statement under
the heading "Wider Horizons" on page 89, "If the term Christ
is to be interpreted in such a way as to give Jesus a uniquely superhuman status,
then discussion of this allegation ends before it begins." Here we see
an unwillingness to even consider the Bible claims for Jesus by the Unitarians.
In this same publication on page 90, Jesus is referred to as being "transfigured
into the central figure of a mythology which has had an incalculable influence
on human history." The idea is then presented that it was Jesus' followers
who didn't want to believe He was dead, and so began to teach that He was alive
forevermore. "Jesus was essentially a poet", this publication goes
on to say. What a sad misrepresentation of the Lord of Glory! Still, it is not
too late for honest-hearted Unitarian-Universalists to look directly into the
Bible and find out who Jesus Christ really is, truly God and truly man.
IN CONCLUSION
The decline in the numbers of the Unitarian-Universalists points to the fact
that many people are finding little satisfaction in this ever-changing religion.
Endless compromise never made anyone happy, only tolerant. Even that has its
limits, and perhaps you find yourself dissatisfied at this very moment. Perhaps
this is your time to try something stable, unchanging, and satisfying. Many
of us found real peace and fulfillment in a relationship with God through Jesus
Christ.
Please write to us if you would like to enter into dialogue on this subject,
or if you have any questions about the Christian life.
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