There are different ways that you could define the beginning of Unitarianism. But many people would say that Unitarians were first defined as a distinct religious movement by William Ellery Channing, in a sermon given in 1819.
In this sermon, called “Unitarian Christianity” (or sometimes “The Baltimore Sermon,” because he gave it at an ordination in Baltimore), Channing laid out what he though were the particular beliefs of the group of liberal Christians who were sometimes referred to as “Unitarians.”
Unitarians, he said, did not believe in the trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Christ) and the Holy Ghost—which is what gave the group the name Unitarian, for the unity of God. But more than that, he described Unitarians as believing in human goodness, and believing in the importance of using reason in looking at religion.
Channing said that thinking is one of the most important gifts that we are given as human beings, and that surely God expected us to to use our gifts of reason in understanding religion as well as the rest of life.
In 1825, just six years later, the American Unitarian Association became the official organization of the Unitarians.
September 2016
Nourish beginnings… Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed. —Muriel Rukeyser
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I have a celly who says he’s going to procrastinate later. Then he laughs and we both smile. Read more →
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At the CLF we have steadily grown our commitment to being a public voice for justice and living out our UU values in the world. Read more →
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…that the CLF has welcomed three new learning fellows? Kevin Jagoe, Lauren Way and Amanda Weatherspoon will be joining us for the next two years. Read more →
Siri Allison is a storyteller with Story Circle at Proctors, the resident storytelling company at this performing arts center in Schenectady, NY. This story is from the Kanglanek people, who live near the source of the Colville River, a major river on the Arctic Coast of Alaska. (Story begins at 1:20 after some introduction.)
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The CLF would like to thank the following congregations who, between March 2015 and March 2016 have taken up collections to support our ministries. Read more →
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Shortly after I watched the full moon slide behind the trees on the ridge outside my cell window, Dusty, a young orange mackerel tabby tomcat, made his morning round meowing to everyone he met what sounded to me a lot like “Good Morning.” Read more →
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Quest for Meaning is a program of the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF).
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation with no geographical boundary, the CLF creates global spiritual community, rooted in profound love, which cultivates wonder, imagination, and the courage to act.