An Exploration of Unitarian Universalism
The Unitarian Universalist (UU) religion began as two separate belief systems: Unitarianism and universalism. Unitarians believed there is only one God, and Jesus, a human, was beneath him; as such, they maintained that people “must follow Jesus, not worship him” (Harris xxii). Universalists believed that God loved everyone; this belief was instrumental in forming their belief that every religion contained some truth, and that every person, regardless of their sex, class, religion, race, or sexual orientation, has worth and dignity. Upon realizing that these two religions had similar beliefs and that their influence would be stronger if they joined forces, the leaders of these two religions formed one
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UU Buddhists have introduced Eastern traditional beliefs to the UU religion, and many UU Sunday services now have a meditation component (Buddhist, www.uua.org). Both UU and Buddhism also search for ways to live in harmony with the world around them. UU Jews are also able to experience their religious practices within their UU congregation with Yom Kippur and Seder services (Jews). The UU religion has also incorporated an earth-centered approach to religion in their practices (Pagan, www.uuc.org, Welcome). This earth-centered approach is appealing to UU Pagans, as is the UU’s belief that all things are …show more content…
With some members believing in a deity, some disbelieving, others content on letting it remain a mystery, and still others believing in a universal life force, it is no wonder that the UU religion as a whole does not have a declared stance on deities or the afterlife.
With so many different faiths incorporated into the religion, one might wonder what brings the UUs together. According to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), UUs are united through their belief in the Seven Principles and their life experiences.
The Seven Principles of the UU serve as values and moral guides for all UUs; they are the closest thing the UU has to a creed. They are a statement of what the UU stands for and how its members should act. The Seven Principles
Through the close study of two of the aspects shown in the diagram, their contributions allow Christianity to be considered a living religious tradition. The significant contributions of Pope John XXIII, during both his papal and Pre-papal life have had everlasting effects on not only Catholicism, but Christianity as a whole and lead to the sense of Christianity being a living religious tradition. His works include two Papal encyclicals, Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris, along with his work being Apostolic Delegate of Greece and Turkey. Moreover, The significant practice of Baptism has further contributed to Christian being considered a living religious tradition as it accounts for the premise of most Christian beliefs to be initiated, especially in terms of salvation and affirming the beliefs in the trinity and following the teachings of Jesus Christ.
If we were to follow the four principles we would first need to look at the principle of autonomy
Albanese’s definition of religion that focuses on the social (community), the material (symbols), and the mythical (extraordinary) dimensions of religion best incorporates religions from all over the world. Western religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism fit easily into the mold that Albanese lays out, while practices such as Native American, African Diaspora, Chinese, and Japanese religions manage to squeeze into the mold in more obscure ways. Each of these religious practices contain elements of community, symbolism, and interaction with the extraordinary, from the Native American “dama” ritual to Christianity’s creation narrative to Daoism’s Yin-Yang symbol. Although religions from India, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, might be used as counter examples, these religious practices ultimately touch on each aspect of Albanese’s definition. Buddhism and Jainism still acknowledge supernatural forces even though they are not a main focus. Hinduism still is a community of believers even though they accept all religions to be a part of their own. With all this being said, Albanese’s definition of religion is just vague enough. By only focusing on three religious dimensions instead of all seven, all the religious traditions studied in this class can, in fact, be labeled
Document A is about how they need to united and love one another. They will all work together and will suffer together. The colonist looked up to the Puritans and when they do something sinful God won't be happy. As a result they believed that the world will treat them badly. They wanted community in the New World and there faith in God got them through there new life.
Free speech comes in many forms, some offensive and some non-offensive. One of the more offensive sites on the Internet is the homepage for the World Church of the Creator.
The most defining characteristic of Unitarian Universalism is that it follows no specific set of beliefs and holds no official creed. Members are given absolute freedom to search out and find their own truths regarding such topics as existence, nature, the meaning of life, creation, and the afterlife. Instead of formal standards or beliefs, the Unitarian Universalist Association has embraced “Principles, Purposes, and Sources” which its members confirm, promote, and share as part of their faith.
The crux of Emile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life lies in the concept of collective effervescence, or the feelings of mutually shared emotions. Through a hermeneutical approach, Durkheim investigates the reflexiveness of social organization, the balance between form and content, and the immense cooperation in collective representations. In his work, society is the framework of humanity and gives it meaning, whereas religion acts as the tool to explain it. Since society existed prior to the individual, the collective mind must be understood before the concept of the individual can be grasped. However, one component seems missing from his social theory – what underlies society in terms of rituals and rites? Only when this element is fleshed out can the individual be comprehended with respect to the collective conscience. One, out of many, possibilities is the often-overlooked influence of emotions. What is the connection between social functions and emotions? Perhaps emotions reify social solidarity by means of a collective conscience. Durkheim posits the notion that society shares a bilateral relationship with emotional experiences, for the emotions of collective effervescence derive from society but also produce and maintain the social construct.
principle (being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, achieving economic well-being and making a positive a positive contribution.
Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions, but Buddhism differs from those religions as it is considered more of a ‘lifestyle’ than a specific type of religion. Buddhism centers around ...
“The changing meanings of religion. Sociological theories of religion in the perspective of the last 100 years” is a research article written by Irena Borowik and the final version of the same was published in March of 2011. This article is targeted to other sociologists and academics of similar branches. Borowik states that the purpose of the article lies in discussing the conceptual framework for defining religion from a sociological perspective. In her article Borowik start by discussing when and how the first impression of religion from a sociological perspective appeared, and how such reflection on religion in the framework of sociology may be organized in a way that highlights dominant characteristics. According to Borowik the sociological
The Baptist faith believes in the precepts of Trinity, Heaven, and Hell. Surprisingly Mary does not have a special place in the Baptist religion. They don’t teach the assumption of Mary because Mary is seen as just Jesus’ mother. As for the belief in Saints, they really don’t designate saints because they believe that we all have been saved and we are all God’s messengers. Unlike Christianity, Baptists don’t have bishops or Cardinals. The Baptist religion has a much more loose structure than the Catholic faith.
From the time it was introduced to America in 1766, by Phillip Embury in New York and Robert Strawbridge in Maryland (Methodism 2) until the middle of the 19th century, Methodism enjoyed a meteoric rise. At the time of the American Revolution Methodists comprised a very small percentage of the American religious population, and yet by the mid 1800s Methodism was a dominant religious movement. In fact, historian William Warren Sweet claims that while “of all the religious bodies in America at the close of the American Revolution, the Methodists were the most insignificant,” it can now safely be said that “Methodism was to the West what Puritanism was to New England,” (3) that is, the dominant cultural and religious force. In fact, he claims, “no single force had more to do with bringing order out of frontier chaos than the Methodist circuit-rider,” (3). So, how was it that Methodism, so insignificant at the founding of our country, became, within a generation, a dominant cultural and religious force? Before we can answer this question; before we can speak to this meteoric rise of Methodism in America, we first have to understand the origins of Methodism in England.
The sociological approach looks at religious belief and practice in relation to the society. Sociologists are interested in two themes, the centrality of religion in society and the diversity of forms it inhabits (Hamilton 1995/2001:1). It regards religion as a social fact subject to empirical observation, which produces empirical evidence (Dillon 2003:7). The sociology of religion is a product of the enlightenment, from which it inherited a tendency to dismiss religion as incompatible with rationality (Dillon 2003:6). This dismissal has had significant impact on the attitude towards religion and it is the basis for the most influential paradigm in the history of the field; secularisation. The secularisation theory claims that religion is or will be on the decrease in society. So profound was its impact that modern sociology often aims to account for the continued presence of religion in society and has generally held a rather negative view of religion as being an unworthy subject of study(Davies 2007:2).
Durkheim’s study of religion in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life is widely renowned to be one of the founding theories and definitions of the sociology of religion. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life presents Durkheim’s core belief that sociology of religion should be studied in a rational and objective manner. This essay will go into the definition of religion provided in chapter 2 in depth, particularly Durkheim’s sacred and profane dichotomy, which he views as fundamental to religion, and his controversial denial of the divine being necessary for all religions. This essay will examine the counterargument of how the Divine could arguably be a feature common in all religions. Furthermore, we will focus on Durkheim 's problematic
The ideal of unity seems to be of great importance in the religious world, but rarely is it ever achieved among professed Christians. However, it is vitally important to comprehend unity in its Biblical light. Jesus prayed in John 17:21, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” By definition, unity is the state of being one. In order to have a unified church every member must be one one with the Father and the Son. Subsequently, to achieve such an oneness, each member must be perfectly holy, because God is holy. Unfortunately, this is where a clear contrast is made between the saints and mere religious professors.