07-17-2008, 05:50 AM
It seems to me that one can be a Unitarian in 3 ways. They are as follows:
(1) Christian. This however is a form of Christianity that is utterly different from the orthodox religion that bears the same name. Call it liberal, free, progressive, rational or what have you, it is very clearly not the same, given the absence of doctrine (besides the obvious Trinity/Deity of Christ other factors such as the view of the Bible, exclusivism, the Atonement, Eternall Hell, etc, are notably absent).
(2) Universal Theist. This would be similar to the form of Unitarianism espoused by Rev. Dorris, a post-religion religion that is monotheistic to the core but not sectarian. It is a simple faith that seeks out the best from the other religions of the world.
(3) Deism/Transcendentalism. I lumped these two together since for all intents and purposes they both represnt a similar impulse: The belief that "religion" is best known from the individual (the only different being really that Deism is reason (left-brain) centered, whereas transcendentalism is more mystical/intuition/emotion (right-brain) centered. For this form of Unitarianism no outside source is needed.
Am I correct in this assessment? I notice a gradual pattern here, as well: Unitarian Christianity reveres Jesus as the source, Universal Theism looks to all sources, and Deism views the individual's own attributes (and creation as a whole) as sufficient. Yet each is an element, very basic, faith.
Thoughts?
(1) Christian. This however is a form of Christianity that is utterly different from the orthodox religion that bears the same name. Call it liberal, free, progressive, rational or what have you, it is very clearly not the same, given the absence of doctrine (besides the obvious Trinity/Deity of Christ other factors such as the view of the Bible, exclusivism, the Atonement, Eternall Hell, etc, are notably absent).
(2) Universal Theist. This would be similar to the form of Unitarianism espoused by Rev. Dorris, a post-religion religion that is monotheistic to the core but not sectarian. It is a simple faith that seeks out the best from the other religions of the world.
(3) Deism/Transcendentalism. I lumped these two together since for all intents and purposes they both represnt a similar impulse: The belief that "religion" is best known from the individual (the only different being really that Deism is reason (left-brain) centered, whereas transcendentalism is more mystical/intuition/emotion (right-brain) centered. For this form of Unitarianism no outside source is needed.
Am I correct in this assessment? I notice a gradual pattern here, as well: Unitarian Christianity reveres Jesus as the source, Universal Theism looks to all sources, and Deism views the individual's own attributes (and creation as a whole) as sufficient. Yet each is an element, very basic, faith.
Thoughts?