This is the first in a new series of interfaith minister training to introduce readers to different religious denominations. Many of our ministers are interested in attaining at least a general understanding of the differences in people’s beliefs and this series will introduce you to common shared faiths.
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a branch of Protestant Christianity. For its adherents, social justice is an important way of expressing faith. Even though it came out of Protestant Christianity, the Unitarian Universalists welcome people from all faith backgrounds, including atheism and agnosticism, Buddhism, Islam, and all other world religions and philosophical backgrounds. It is different from other denominations in that there is not a set dogma and they do not necessarily believe in any specific deity; it is a completely non-creedal faith. While they do consult the Bible, they reject the concept of the Holy Trinity or that Jesus Christ is the metaphysical son of God.
In some ways, it is similar to the Universal Life Church. For both of these groups, faith is a completely personal matter. No outside agency has the right to force someone to believe anything. The journey of spirituality is something that every person has, and it leads to many different places. Religion is a matter of individual expression, but (for the UUA) social justice and acceptance are principles of the denomination.
The Unitarian Universalist Association was founded in 1961, out of the union of Unitarian and Universalist denominations. One of its basic principles is accepting the one-ness of humanity. To that end, they work toward justice for all people. For example, the UUA is accepting of people of all sexual orientations, and actively supports LGBTQ equality across the world. They worked for women’s suffrage and civil rights as well. They also teach that every person has a conscience, and has the right to express it by the democratic process.
Not every Christian sect does that. The Roman Catholics, for example, denounce homosexuality as a sin. The United Methodist Church, while still holding that all people are of sacred worth, claims that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.” The Episcopal Church, however, affirms the rights of LGBTQ people. Besides being against gay rights, all of these have a hierarchical structure, which is completely unlike the democracy the UUA teaches.
A major difference in the Universal Life Church and the Unitarian Universalist Association is that they do not require any specific minister training, unlike the UUA. Their minister training is very intense. They require a ministerial internship and a Master’s of Divinity degree (or equivalent) from a theological school or seminary. For them, the process to get ordained requires a good deal of time, money, and effort. The Universal Life Church’s process to get ordained is much simpler. There is an internet form to fill out, which the ordination committee review. The response to that form will come by email 2-3 days later.
Ultimately, there is more in common between these two faith communities than there is different. All people are equal, and deserve respect. Goals are simple: to live rightly, and help others along the way. These principles guide both groups, though they articulate them differently.