I am particularly interested to read about your services Lilithu.They seem very moving. I was at my local Unitarian Church yesterday, (Brighton, England) and over coffee there were discussions about the Christian Unitarian perspective contrasted with the more Universalist approach. In our church there are people who attend the local Buddhist Centre, people like myself who can attend occasional neo-Pagan events, and can meditate on a mantra to Shiva as well as attend the local Unitarian Church. I think that this the role of Christianity within Unitarianism is about to become a hot issue again in Britain.
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Misconceptions/questions about Unitarian Universalism
- Thread starter Green Gaia
- Start date
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Namaste Nozem,Nozem said:
Would you say that in Britain Unitarianism is less Christian-centered than Universalism? In the U.S., that has historically been the case. I was under the impression that European Unitarianism is basically anti-trinitarian Christianity, but from what you write, that doesn't seem to be the case. This could be a continuing misconception on my part. It also seems like there may be a lot of variety between Unitarian churches in different parts of Europe.
Also, do you guys have a bishop or are you congregational? At some point, I really am going to have to learn more about the history of Unitarianism outside of the U.S.
Hello Lilithu
I am still a newcomer to Unitarianism so can only give an individual opinion. What I can gather the more Christian based Unitarianism flourishes in northern England and Wales. I am not sure about Scotland, there are only 3-4 Unitarian churches in Scotland. Where I live, the city of Brighton and Hove on the south coast, we have many diverse spiritual movements; Brighton more than Hove is famous for having a more Bohemian 'alternative' current going back before the 1960's. We have a large Yoga scene, a large Buddhist scene, and so perhaps it is not suprising that the cultural environment has influenced the Unitarian Church.A useful soure with regard to Unitarianism in Britain is http://www.unitarian.org.uk/
I have heard that the Norwegian Unitarian Church is the most Christian orientated in Europe, but I have not really read their point of view in their own words. Regards
I am still a newcomer to Unitarianism so can only give an individual opinion. What I can gather the more Christian based Unitarianism flourishes in northern England and Wales. I am not sure about Scotland, there are only 3-4 Unitarian churches in Scotland. Where I live, the city of Brighton and Hove on the south coast, we have many diverse spiritual movements; Brighton more than Hove is famous for having a more Bohemian 'alternative' current going back before the 1960's. We have a large Yoga scene, a large Buddhist scene, and so perhaps it is not suprising that the cultural environment has influenced the Unitarian Church.A useful soure with regard to Unitarianism in Britain is http://www.unitarian.org.uk/
I have heard that the Norwegian Unitarian Church is the most Christian orientated in Europe, but I have not really read their point of view in their own words. Regards
Storm Moon
â Spiritual Warrior â
My boyfriend and I did attend a UU church where I live and it seemed to be classist to me. There were hardly any younger people there, including teens and young adults. It seemed to revolve more around secular humanism and discluded almost everything else. I guess it this was just me, but I felt I was being shunned because I didn't go to the local college nor was I middle-class. A lot of times, both me and my boyfriend were talked down upon and it angered both of us for a long time. For that, I dont know if I'll ever attend any kind of church again...
Davidium
Active Member
Every UU Church is different.
Some have active Young Adult and CUUPS movements, and some do not. (If you are not familliar with CUUPS, it is the "Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans". But the other point is that matter what is going on in a UU Church, get involved and you can make a place for you within the church.
You can start a CUUPS group, You can start a young adult group.
All Churches take on specific flavors, and they even can become set in their ways. The beauty of UU is that the ultimate authority lay in each individual member. That means that you can change the church to suit you much easier than you can in other denominations.
If you try and they tell you to stop, let me know. They have a misunderstanding about what our denomination means.
Yours in faith,
David
Some have active Young Adult and CUUPS movements, and some do not. (If you are not familliar with CUUPS, it is the "Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans". But the other point is that matter what is going on in a UU Church, get involved and you can make a place for you within the church.
You can start a CUUPS group, You can start a young adult group.
All Churches take on specific flavors, and they even can become set in their ways. The beauty of UU is that the ultimate authority lay in each individual member. That means that you can change the church to suit you much easier than you can in other denominations.
If you try and they tell you to stop, let me know. They have a misunderstanding about what our denomination means.
Yours in faith,
David
Green Gaia
Veteran Member
Storm Moon -
As David pointed out, all UU churches have a different focus. In fact, the church I am a member of now broke off (with well wishes) from another local church that had a most humanist focus, and some members wanted a more spiritual approach. Comparatively, we are young church. We don't have a CUUPS group yet, and we are still going through the process of being certified as a Welcoming Congregation. But it is through the members desires for these groups and programs that we will get them done and added to our church. I would love to see a Buddhist meditation group (we had one at my former church), and I can get that added if I go through the committee process.
If you feel that you were shunned at a UU church for any reason, I would go back and call them on it. They should know better and should be called on it before they lose more people who know how UUs should behave towards others. What exactly did they say to you and your boyfriend?
Amy
As David pointed out, all UU churches have a different focus. In fact, the church I am a member of now broke off (with well wishes) from another local church that had a most humanist focus, and some members wanted a more spiritual approach. Comparatively, we are young church. We don't have a CUUPS group yet, and we are still going through the process of being certified as a Welcoming Congregation. But it is through the members desires for these groups and programs that we will get them done and added to our church. I would love to see a Buddhist meditation group (we had one at my former church), and I can get that added if I go through the committee process.
If you feel that you were shunned at a UU church for any reason, I would go back and call them on it. They should know better and should be called on it before they lose more people who know how UUs should behave towards others. What exactly did they say to you and your boyfriend?
Amy
Green Gaia
Veteran Member
I'd like to bump this thread up again for anyone who has joined recently (and you oldies too) and who have a question about UU. We'd love to try and answer it for you!
hartlandcat
Member
Good idea!
When people hear that I'm a Unitarian, they usually assume that I am this because I 'reject the divinity of Jesus', or that I'm an 'anti-Trinitarian Christian' or something to that effect. Essentially, they often have an outdated view of Unitarianism. When I tell them otherwise, they often suggest that we change our name because it's 'misleading'.
Another misconception I often hear is that we 'don't believe in anything'.
Or sometimes, people confuse the Unitarian Church with other churches. A common confusion is with the United Reformed Church, which is an amalgamation of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists in England. Or much worse, they think I'm a Moonie (Unificationist).
When people hear that I'm a Unitarian, they usually assume that I am this because I 'reject the divinity of Jesus', or that I'm an 'anti-Trinitarian Christian' or something to that effect. Essentially, they often have an outdated view of Unitarianism. When I tell them otherwise, they often suggest that we change our name because it's 'misleading'.
Another misconception I often hear is that we 'don't believe in anything'.
Or sometimes, people confuse the Unitarian Church with other churches. A common confusion is with the United Reformed Church, which is an amalgamation of the Presbyterians and Congregationalists in England. Or much worse, they think I'm a Moonie (Unificationist).
lilithu
The Devil's Advocate
Well some Unitarians are anti-trinitarians. At least some of the European ones that I met on the UUA-UU theology list serve. They were very different from American UUs. Kept saying that our non-credal stance was stupid and that we should stand for something. ie - they feel we don't believe in anything. lol.hartlandcat said:
My church is directly across the street from the moonie church. And for historical reasons we don't call ourselves a Unitarian Universalist church, even tho we are. We call ourselves Unitarian, period. So there's the Unitarian church on one corner and the Unification church on the other corner. (And a baptist church on yet another corner.) It can be very confusing for someone shopping for a church in DC.
The United Reformed Church sounds kinda like our United Church of Christ here. (UCC for short). I call them our cousins because of the congregationalist link, but whereas UU in the U.S. is the result of a merger between Unitarians (liberal congregationalists) and Universalists (a pietist/evangelical liberal Christian denom from the first great awakening), the UCC is a result of a merger of Congregationalists and the Reformed church, which is Presbyterian.
And your United Reformed Church is not to be confused with the United Reformed Church of America, which is an extremely conservative Calvinist church. And more than once I have confused UCC with Churches of Christ, which is also pretty conservative. (Luckily, Maize is around to set me straight.
)So yeah, all very confusing.
Think I posted in this thread already but another misconception about UUs that is common even amongst UUs is that "we can believe anything we want." That one drives me bonkers. :bonk: