Unitarian Universalism

Last Sunday, October 3, 2010, Unitarian Universalists all over the nation celebrated 50 years of the merger between the Unitarians and the Universalists. I went to the service of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, a UU Meeting House on North Pleasant Street in Amherst Center.

Picture of the UUSA courtesy of the UUSA website.

According to the Unitarian Universalist Association website, Unitarians and Universalists merged in 1960 when 70% of the nation's Unitarian Societies and Universalist Societies soundly approved the merger.

This is a picture of the stain glass window inside Unitarian Meeting House in Amherst, MA. Photo courtesy of Google Images.

50 years later, Unitarian Universalists still have many of the same ideas and values. Whenever I am asked what Unitarian Universalism is, I say that it is a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, rather than worshipping Jesus Christ or some form of God.

Photo from the inside of the UU Meeting House in Amherst, MA. Photo courtesy of the UUSA's website.

The Rev. Alison Wohler, of the UU Society of Amherst, said "I often refer to Unitarian Universalism as 'the institutionalization of religious freedom.' It's a powerful idea that for so many centuries was impossible."

This is the major symbol of Unitarian Universalism, the flaming chalice. Courtesy of the UUSA's website.

"I particularly love the ability to doubt and question and explore ideas that Unitarian Universalism not only allows, but provides," said Reverend Wohler. "I also love the fact that UU provides the opportunity to be ''religious' in a different way- that we can have faith without specific beliefs. (Faith [as] in the sense of knowing we are held and known in the universe, not faith in a supernatural deity.)"

50 years ago, the Unitarians and the Universalists merged to make the religion known today as Unitarian Universalism. The religion is practiced all over the nation, and all over the world. For more information, visit the Unitarian Universalism Association's website (http://www.uua.org/).