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Ask anything about my influences (religious/philosophical)

BenFranklinFan

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
What is a unitarian in your opinion, and how long have you been a unitarian? Are there unitarian churches/practices/rituals/foods?
In my opion, unitarianism is a Christian branch marked by reason, rejection of the trinity, belief that religion is necessary for humanity, and one that combines science and faith. There are no longer Christian Unitarian denominations, due to the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church. UU ministers may be Christian unitarians and many congregations are affiliated with the UU Christian Fellowship. I have been a unitarian for about a decade, after leaving the Catholic Church. Unitarians are highly individualistic and may or maynot partaking rituals. Practices very as well. As a side note, I am attempting to bring back the AUA with no luck but I'm giving up.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
In my opion, unitarianism is a Christian branch marked by reason, rejection of the trinity, belief that religion is necessary for humanity, and one that combines science and faith. There are no longer Christian Unitarian denominations, due to the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church. UU ministers may be Christian unitarians and many congregations are affiliated with the UU Christian Fellowship. I have been a unitarian for about a decade, after leaving the Catholic Church. Unitarians are highly individualistic and may or maynot partaking rituals. Practices very as well. As a side note, I am attempting to bring back the AUA with no luck but I'm giving up.
That is interesting and prompted me to look up the differences between Unitarianism, Universalism and Unity churches. In your opinion is it necessary for a Unitarian to reject the Trinity? Can Trinitarians be full members of a Unitarian church? What do people do in a Unitarian church? I mean do they sing, have Sunday school or what? Do they have festivals?

Universalist Church of America - Wikipedia
Unity or Unitarian? | Unity of Wimberley
Unitarianism and Universalism | religion
Unitarianism - Wikipedia
 

BenFranklinFan

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
That is interesting and prompted me to look up the differences between Unitarianism, Universalism and Unity churches. In your opinion is it necessary for a Unitarian to reject the Trinity? Can Trinitarians be full members of a Unitarian church? What do people do in a Unitarian church? I mean do they sing, have Sunday school or what? Do they have festivals?

Universalist Church of America - Wikipedia
Unity or Unitarian? | Unity of Wimberley
Unitarianism and Universalism | religion
Unitarianism - Wikipedia
First of all, Unitarianism is the opposite of Trinitarianism. Unitarian churches are like any other churches and have Sunday School and regular worship. To my knowledge, Unitarians don't have festivals but do celebrate Christmas and Easter. Now, Unitarian congregations welcome anybody who is open minded, including Trinitarians, Universalists, Deists and so on. Like Christian unitarianism, Christian Universalism has regular services and Sunday School. Universalism means everybody will eventually be saved.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
First of all, Unitarianism is the opposite of Trinitarianism. Unitarian churches are like any other churches and have Sunday School and regular worship. To my knowledge, Unitarians don't have festivals but do celebrate Christmas and Easter. Now, Unitarian congregations welcome anybody who is open minded, including Trinitarians, Universalists, Deists and so on. Like Christian unitarianism, Christian Universalism has regular services and Sunday School. Universalism means everybody will eventually be saved.
Are the Unitarians a movement intended to take the church back to a particular form that is considered to be orthodox? There are some non trinitarian movements that are. Do Unitarians believe in tithing? Do they practice exorcism? Do they believe in ghosts? Do they believe in an afterlife? You have said they believe in reason, so do they require belief? Do unitarians believe in divinely accurate scriptures?
 

BenFranklinFan

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Are the Unitarians a movement intended to take the church back to a particular form that is considered to be orthodox? There are some non trinitarian movements that are. Do Unitarians believe in tithing? Do they practice exorcism? Do they believe in ghosts? Do they believe in an afterlife? You have said they believe in reason, so do they require belief? Do unitarians believe in divinely accurate scriptures?
Christian monotheism (biblical or evangelical Unitarianism) tries to reclaim what Jesus preached, that he preached that god is 1 person, not 3 separate beings. These believers are much like modern day Protestants, meaning they believe the bible and everything in it, is absolutely true and perfect. Tithing may or may not be practiced my Christian monotheists and (to my knowledge) don't practice exorcisms or believe in ghosts. They also believe in the Protestant view of the afterlife. On the other side of the spectrum are Unitarian Universalists. Unitarians in this camp are non-creedal and hold different beliefs. Some may believe in ghosts, believe the Bible is perfect, and believe in heaven and hell. Others are less concrete about their beliefs. UUs in general don't intend to restore orthodoxy, since they don't having official creed. To put it another way, there's spectrum ranging from conservative (Christadelphians, JWs, Christian monotheists) and liberal/unorganized (UU Christian Fellowship, Deists, rational theists).
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
Christian monotheism (biblical or evangelical Unitarianism) tries to reclaim what Jesus preached, that he preached that god is 1 person, not 3 separate beings. These believers are much like modern day Protestants, meaning they believe the bible and everything in it, is absolutely true and perfect. Tithing may or may not be practiced my Christian monotheists and (to my knowledge) don't practice exorcisms or believe in ghosts. They also believe in the Protestant view of the afterlife. On the other side of the spectrum are Unitarian Universalists. Unitarians in this camp are non-creedal and hold different beliefs. Some may believe in ghosts, believe the Bible is perfect, and believe in heaven and hell. Others are less concrete about their beliefs. UUs in general don't intend to restore orthodoxy, since they don't having official creed. To put it another way, there's spectrum ranging from conservative (Christadelphians, JWs, Christian monotheists) and liberal/unorganized (UU Christian Fellowship, Deists, rational theists).
Thanks for that explanation. So 'Unitarian' is both a specific group and also the word for any non-trinitarian groups. So all of these groups from JW's to Deists are are unitarian but not necessarily Unitarians?
 

BenFranklinFan

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
Thanks for that explanation. So 'Unitarian' is both a specific group and also the word for any non-trinitarian groups. So all of these groups from JW's to Deists are are unitarian but not necessarily Unitarians?
"Big" u unitarian historically speaking refers to a specific movent (specifically 1825-1961, the movement I want to revive) and "small" u unitarian describes someone who is affiliated with no religion who believes that God is unitary, rather than a trinity. Deists and Pan-/Panen-theists would be "small" u unitarians. I forgot to mention that I personally don't consider JWs and other Arians as either "big" or "small" u unitarians because they hold Jesus preexisted before his human birth.
 
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Curious George

Veteran Member
How in general did your childhood impact your philosophical views?

What was the most philosophically influential moment of your life?
 

BenFranklinFan

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
How in general did your childhood impact your philosophical views?

What was the most philosophically influential moment of your life?
My childhood didn't impact my views simply because I did you care about philosophy. When I was a junior in high school, I was exposed to Buddhist philosophy. That's when i seriously began philosophical inquiry. Buddhism is no longer part of my life but has been replaced with skepticism.
 

Curious George

Veteran Member
My childhood didn't impact my views simply because I did you care about philosophy. When I was a junior in high school, I was exposed to Buddhist philosophy. That's when i seriously began philosophical inquiry. Buddhism is no longer part of my life but has been replaced with skepticism.
One needn't care about philosophy to have their own philosophy impacted.
 
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