From Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary:
denomination: a religious organization uniting in a single legal and administrative body a number of local congregations.
UUism is a 400-year-old tradition, with roots over a thousand years older and more than 100,000 current members in North America, about 75% of whom are college graduates. "What Unitarians Believe" will vary from one individual to another, but you will usually find the following common characteristics:
We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every human being.
We believe in the authority of reason and conscience, and the never-ending search for truth.
We believe in the importance of the democratic and consensus processes, and the necessity of things like community, good group dynamics, caring, and connectivity.
The Unitarian Universalist Association is a church denomination; much of its heritage and that of its root faiths - Universalism and Unitaroamism - revolves around controversies which began with the Council of Nicea in 356 C.E. and which grew during the early Middle Ages and the Protestant Reformation. The names of those early faiths came from beliefs in "universal salvation" and the "unity (as opposed to Trinity) of God". With those heretical foundations as a start, contemporary UUism has evolved into an alternative to creed-based religions, a melting-pot of the religious ideas of the world, and a home for individual reconciliation of meaning and worth with the stark realities of life and death.
UU sermons, workshops, retreats, and conferences tend to have as themes such issues as personal growth, social action, relationships and marriage, civil rights, career development, homelessness, religions, the environment,...
If you live in a metropolitan area of 100,000 or more (and even some smaller), there are very likely one or more Unitarian Universalist churches, fellowships, or societies near you. Check your local phone book. Most have day-care and children's programs and youth groups, and many are now developing programs and peer and social groups for young (college and early professional) adults. Adult forums and discussion groups often preceed Sunday morning services, and there are often various events going on at the church during the week.
For more information on the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), specifically for keeping in touch with UUs who have no local congregation, write to CLF, 25 Beacon Street, Boston Massachusetts 02108, USA. Phone: 617-742-2100. Email: clf@uua.org .
For public relations or marketing questions, newsletter questions, advertising questions, and questions concerning general information, archives, research, churches near you, etc., write to the UUA's Department of Public Information, Deborah Weiner at dweiner@uua.org .
Last uploaded on January 9, 1996.
(c) 1996 Alan Hamilton <alan@spdcc.com>
You can also contact the Unitarian Universalist Association at
25 Beacon Street, Boston Massachsetts 02108, USA.
http://www.uua.org/ Phone:617-742-2100