Unitarian church

Ade

Hi everyone,
We have a Unitarian Church nearby and i'm interested in maybe visiting, anyone got any firsthand experience of this particular group, Their beliefs, understandings etc.

All the best
Ade

Well, there are differant kinds of unitarians so I guess it depends upon the group. Are they Biblical Unitarians? If so you can view some of their ideas here:
Biblical Unitarians
There is also Unitarian Universalism which is very differant. It teaches that truth is what is true for you, and that all religious beliefs are acceptable. More on them can be found here:
uua.org
I have no expierance with either group and can't really give much opinion either way.

Sunspot

Hi Ade!

I can't tell you a thing about this church, but I CAN suggest going to BELIEFNET.COM and looking into their many discussion boards. They have some that are "debate" forums where different churches (including the JWs) are questioned about their beliefs.

You can tell a lot of what they believe by the questions (and the answers ) that are given by the posters there.

Maybe this will help you.

hugs,

Annie

Gretchen956

Hi Ade,

I have been to the Unitarian Universalist. They believe that all belief systems are valid and to be respected. If you are looking for a place where they talk about the bible and jesus, this would not be your gig. They do talk to them, but as much as buddha, the Goddess, and many others.

I actually kind of liked it, except the pastor had some weird mannerisms that got on my nerves, and I ended up finding something closer to my particular path.

One thing that I thought was really cool, I visited their Sunday School, and the kids there were spending 2 weeks to a month learning about every religion. Who their holy person/s were, their major beliefs, their holy days, etc. They then made up a project about them. I think teaching tolerance is one thing, and it just means to begrudgingly accept, but truly trying to understand where another person draws their spirituality from can go a long way towards creating a more peaceful type of acceptance.

I think the music at the UU is probably the strangest I have encountered, but its kind of fun at the same time. The people at the one I attended were mostly very highly educated, politically motivated towards social justice, and very friendly.

Good luck on your search!

Sherry

Robert K Stock

Thomas Jefferson wrote that he expected most Americans to become Unitarians. I no longer have the book containing Jeffersons' writings so I can't quote the specific letter. Jefferson thought that Unitarians appeal to reason and science as opposed to blind faith in miracles would appeal to Americans as they educated themselves out of superstitious credulity.I am sure that the religious belief of George W. Bush has poor Tom spinning in his grave.

lesterd

What didnt learn your lesson with the dubs?

moshe

I visited the Unitarian Universalist Church a few times. I could never see the reason people attended their religious services. My definiton of a religion is one that "has a belief system to explain the unexplainable" . Unitarians aren't even looking or trying to formulate a belief system that will answer man's questions about life and God.

Not that any true system has yet been devised or revealed to Man yet. Unitarianism exists as an altruistic outlet for decent nonreligious people- as such they do no harm to fellow man, but instead help the needy. I can't say that about Jehovah's Witnesses in general.

Ade

Hi,
Let me just set a few matters straight lol, i have NO intention of joining a religion i merely wondered what they do, as i didnt want to go somewhere and have some geeks trying to speak to me in tongues or help me communicate with angels etc lol.

i HAVE learned my lesson from the previous mind controlling group although i will even visit them from time to time to remind me why i'm no longer a member "listening to those in the seat of Moses, but not doing as they do"

many people have valid points to offer , but none have all the answers.

God bless you all
many thanks fro the replies
Ade

DesertRat

There is a UU (Unitarian Universalist) church in my neighborhood that I have visited five or six times. Though I still have no desire to identify myself completely with any particular religion or belief system (I wonder why..), I have enjoyed those visits & meeting some of the people there.

If you are looking for an eclectic approach to spirituality (i.e., a Sunday service consisting of anything from a Bible topic to readings from the Buddhist sutras to the visit of a Native American speaker, etc.), I would definitely check it out. You might also want to visit the Belief.net site & try out their 20-question survey (very interesting & informative). The UU church consistently comes out in my own 'Top Ten.'

My very best wishes for your own spiritual search..

DR

restrangled

My Mother inlaw is a Unitarian, and I think Universalist. I have attended church with her when she visits here. It is a very open, accepting group.

I found it very interesting. The Orlando group has a lesbian minister, and it wasn't exactly Bible based but it was comfortable and entertaining to say the least. If you attend you will not be hounded to convert and will be treated with respect and a nice welcome. They had a great music program with lots of talented people which is spiritual in its own right. They are also very community oriented, holding sales etc. to benefit those in need.

Good luck in your search.

r.