We recently received an email from a Unitarian Universalist (UU).  This email came from a sincere (though somewhat condescending) person, and it kind of broke our hearts.  It also reminded us how dangerous the Unitarian Universalist movement truly is. 

The Unitarian Universalist movement is the result of the joining of the Unitarian religion with the Universalists.  The Unitarians got their start in the sixteenth century.  At that time, in central Europe, a group of humanists reviewed the Bible.  Finding no mention of the word “trinity”, the humanists affirmed the singular nature of God, and therefore called themselves Unitarians (Christians admit there is no mention of the word “trinity” in the Bible.  It is a word used to describe the triune nature of God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – which is fully Biblical.) 

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, liberal religious groups studied the Bible and found only a few references to hell.  Not wanting to believe that such a place of eternal suffering existed, they chose to disregard its mention altogether, and instead formed a belief that all people will go to heaven regardless of belief, faith, or deed.  In other words, they believed that salvation was universal - hence the name, “Universalists”. 

These two religious movements continued on, growing in popularity due to their belief that no one person is accountable to anyone but themselves.  As each grew more liberal, and more similar to the other, the two movements finally joined in 1961 to form the Unitarian Universalist movement.

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that claims to be “born of the Jewish and Christian traditions.”  They believe that personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final authorities in religion.  The UUA (Unitarian Universalism Association) website states, “In the end, religious authority lies not in a book, person, or institution, but in ourselves. We put religious insights to the test of our hearts and minds.” In other words, the UU’s espouse a humanist belief of each individual in a position superior to God or scripture.  The UU believes that each individual’s spiritual path for truth should not be hampered by a creed or set of rules.  It describes itself as a “free faith.”  Past this, it is hard to be very specific.  If the UU cult believes in anything, it is everything, and it stands for nothing.  Whew! 

One of the most disturbing aspects of UU belief though, is their view of salvation.  They do not believe in sin.  Since there is no sin, there is no penalty for sin, thus there is nothing from which to be saved.  In their view, all people will share in some version of what we call heaven, regardless of their personal beliefs.  The UU who wrote us said, “UUs are not accountable to God, they are accountable to society, and most importantly, to themselves.  Second, UUs do not profess that all will be saved.  We believe that there is nothing to be saved from.  We do not believe that we were born into sin as Christians do.  UUs work to fulfill themselves and other people.  They do not work towards fulfilling God, who may or may not exist.”  UU’s seek to escape accountability to God.  In my experience, most of the UU’s I’ve talked to take great pride – almost to the point of arrogance – in being “tolerant” of all faiths and lifestyles.  They feel they are somehow more enlightened, and are not encumbered by any claims to exclusivity.

The website of the UUA states that “The living tradition which we share draws from many sources,” and one of these sources is, “Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.”  What the UU fails to realize, is that there are spiritual laws in our universe, just as there are physical laws.  Gravity will keep my feet planted on earth, whether I believe in gravity or not.  I can’t see gravity.  I can only rely on evidences of its existence.  Many will claim that they do not believe in anything they cannot see.  Yet these same people will have no problem believing in gravity or inertia, even though these are forces that cannot be seen. In the same respect, there are immutable spiritual truths.  These truths do not cease being true in the face of disbelief.  These truths include:

1. There is one God, eternally existent in three persons;

2. God created everything in this universe, including all the physical laws;

3. God gave humans free will, to choose Him over sin;

4. Humans rebelled, and sin was introduced;

5. All mankind is inherently sinful;

6. The penalty for sin is eternal separation from God;

7. God is not willing that any of us should have to pay that penalty, so he came to earth, assumed the form of man (in the person of Jesus Christ), and paid the penalty for us; The gift of salvation is free to all, but the choice to accept it is up to each person.

I can choose to believe in these truths, or I can choose not to believe them, but they remain true regardless of what I believe.

One of the sources of spiritual tradition that is listed on the UUA website now, is the “Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.”  This particular source was not listed a year ago.  It is interesting that this focus on “earth-centered” spiritual teaching has arisen during the arrival of the United Religions Initiative and Earth Charter on the world scene.  Supporters of both, including former vice president Al Gore, are very much into the worship of “Gaia,” or “Mother Earth.”  While the Ark of Hope was flitting about the northeastern United States, toting a copy of the Earth Charter and Temenos artifacts, many of the celebrations along the way were held at individual UU churches.

Perhaps one of the most dangerous aspects of the UU movement is its ability to pass itself off as simply a liberal Christian denomination.  According to the UUA, each congregation is individually governed. Therefore, if the majority of a particular congregation were raised in Christian churches, they’ll use primarily Christian terminology in the conduct of their services.  This free use of Christian terminology has lured many new Christians or seekers into the UU fold.  Once inside though, each person will be pressed to relieve themselves of any exclusive notions (such as Jesus Christ being the way and the truth and the life.)  They will learn that to be a good UU, he or she must acknowledge that the Buddhists and Hindus, pagans and Muslims have as much claim to spiritual truth as any Christian ever thought of. 

The following text is taken from the UUA website, in their section, “About Unitarian Universalism.”

Unitarian Universalists say:

• "I want a religion that respects the differences between people and affirms every person as an individual."

• I want a church that values children, that welcomes them on their own terms—a church they are eager to attend on Sunday morning."

• "I want a congregation that cherishes freedom and encourages open dialogue on questions of faith, one in which it is okay to change your mind."

• "I want a religious community that affirms spiritual exploration and reason as ways of finding truth."

• "I want a church that acts locally and thinks globally on the great issues of our time—world peace; women's rights; racial justice; homelessness; gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights; and protection of the environment."

There is an overriding theme here:  “I want, I want, I want, I want, I want!”  Contrast that to the words of Jesus, when he said in John 8:58, “before Abraham was born, I AM!” (emphasis added)  It just doesn’t measure up.  No amount of noble intentions or lofty ideals can save one’s soul from the fiery pit.  Only Jesus can redeem.  UU’s “want”, a subjective desire.  Jesus IS – an immutable truth and state of being!

The writer of the email said, “UUs do not persuade people into following their ways.  It's a choice.  A choice that is becoming more and more popular.”  At the end of 2001, the UUA claimed adult membership of 156,968.  The number of adult members along with enrollees in the UU Religious Education (RE) program totaled 218,404.  RE is the UU equivalent of Sunday School.  While adult membership has steadily increased over the last several years at a rate between one and two percent per year, RE enrollment has increased at a slower and slower rate.  In fact, 2001 saw a decline in RE enrollment from the previous year.

The RE program curriculum further illustrates that the UU’s are not a Christian Church.  While some classes do use portions of the Bible for instruction (especially those portions that address “social justice”), other classes fly in the face of biblical Christianity.  Classes for adults include “Paganism 101” and “Thoreau as Spiritual Guide.”  It should be noted that Thoreau was a transcendentalist and a humanist – not a Christian.  A class available for primary age children (ages 5 to 8) is “Celebrating Our Origins in the Universe.”  This class teaches the “Big Bang” origin of the universe, as well as human evolution.  Children from ages 5 to 13 can partake in classes called, “Connecting with the Earth – Ecology and Spirituality”, “Honoring our Mother Earth”, and a class that describes the biblical view on homosexuality as “homophobia.”  Your high school child can take the class “Sacred Threads” which teaches various Asian religions over a course of twenty sessions.  These classes cited are listed on the official UUA website on RE curriculum.  Note the early indoctrination into the new age worship of “Gaia,” or Mother Earth.

If you know someone who is attending a UU church, pray for him or her.  Speak with them.  Tell them that their continued involvement will require them to compromise belief in the absolute, overwhelming truth of the universe – the truth of salvation from sin through faith in Jesus Christ.  Do not be deceived into thinking that the UU congregation is just another Christian church.  In Matthew 24:24, Jesus warned that in the last days, “false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect–if that were possible.”