Unitarianism

Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Historic Unitarians believed in the moral authority, but not the deity, of Jesus. Unitarians are often identified through the ages as free thinkers and dissenters, evolving their beliefs in the direction of freedom, tolerance, rationalism, and humanism.

Forms of Unitarianism

There are four distinct schools of Unitarian thought:

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• 'Biblical Unitarianism'—God is one being Who consists of one person—the Father. Jesus is Messiah and Son of God, but not God Himself; the Son may be a pre-existent being (Arianism), the result of the union between the divine Logos and the human being Jesus (Servetism), or Jesus after being filled with the Holy Spirit (Socinianism). Biblical Unitarianism remains as the only or main theology among Unitarians in Transylvania, Hungary, France, and several countries in Africa. Famous BUs include Michael Servetus, Faustus Socinus, and Isaac Newton.
• 'Rationalist Unitarianism'—God is one being Who consists of one person—the Father. Jesus is not the Son of God, but merely a "good and wise man" who taught others how to lead a better life. Rationalist Unitarianism emerged from the German Rationalism and the liberal theology of the 19th century. Its proponents took a highly intellectual approach to religion, rejecting most of the miraculous events in the Bible (including the virgin birth.) They embraced evolutionary concepts, asserted the "inherent goodness of man" and abandoned many principles of Christianity. James Martineau (1805–1900) was one of their most prominent members. Rationalist Unitarianism is distinguished from Deism (with which it nevertheless shares many features) by the fact that RUs believe in a personal deity Who interacts with His creation, while Deists see God as an impersonal force which remains aloof from creation. Other relevant RUs were William Ellery Channing and Andrews Norton in theology and ministry, Joseph Priestley and Linus Pauling in science, Susan B. Anthony and Florence Nightingale in humanitarianism and social justice, and Frank Lloyd Wright in arts.
• 'Unitarian Universalism'—There is no formal creed or set of beliefs required to join a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation, reflecting an institutional consolidation between Unitarianism and Universalism in 1961 in the United States. Today, many Unitarian Universalists no longer consider themselves to be Christians http://www.uua.org/news/011205.html. Of those who do, there is no requirement of unitarian or trinitarian belief other than what the individual concludes on their own, although the Trinity itself, being a dogma, is generally rejected as such by this anti-dogmatic denomination. Unitarian Universalists promote a set of Principles and Purposes rather than a doctrine as their bond of union. Relevant Unitarian Universalists are Tim Berners-Lee, Pete Seeger, Kurt Vonnegut and Christopher Reeve.
• 'Evangelical Unitarians'—Since the 19th century and mostly in the United States, several Evangelical or Revivalist movements adopted a unitarian theology. Theologies among Evangelical Unitarians range from varieties of Socinianism (i.e. Jesus is a mortal man who did not exist before his conception and subsequent birth, conceived by the Holy Spirit, who later received immortality and divine nature), to Sabellianism (Jesus is God in the flesh, the manifestation of God, but not a Person of a Trinity). Evangelical Unitarians share their strict adherence to Sola Scriptura and their belief that Scripture is both inspired and inerrant. Christadelphians, the Churches of God, and Oneness Pentecostals are Evangelical Unitarians. Jehovah's Witnesses also have a unitarian theology with specific traits.

The development of the various forms of Unitarianism is intermingled. Unitarian Universalism is the most recent form, while Biblical Unitarianism is the oldest. Modern Unitarians in Europe are primarily Biblical or Rational Unitarians, while Unitarian Universalism is the predominant form of Unitarianism in the United States and Canada. Most Evangelical Unitarians are found in the USA and Great Britain. The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (founded in 1995) includes among its members groups from all theological persuasions except Evangelical Unitarians.

Related Topics:
Europe - Canada - USA - Great Britain - International Council of Unitarians and Universalists - 1995

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