Unitarian Universalism | |
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An early logo of the Unitarian Universalist Association which includes a flaming chalice, the most widely used symbol of UUism.
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Abbreviation | UUism, Unitarianism |
Type | Liberal religion |
Scripture | All sources admissible, none required. Members are free to observe their own personally-favored literature. |
Founder | Members of American Unitarian Association and Universalist Church of America via consolidation |
Origin | May 1961 |
Congregations | 1,070 worldwide |
Number of followers | 199,850 members of Unitarian Universalist Association congregations in the United States; 800,000 identify as Unitarian Universalist throughout the world (this number includes the United States total). |
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion characterized by a "free and responsible search for truth and meaning". The Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church does not have a creed. Instead, UUs are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth. As such, UU congregations include many agnostics, theists, and atheists among their membership. The roots of UU are in liberal Christianity, specifically Unitarianism and Universalism. Unitarian Universalists state that from these traditions come a deep regard for intellectual freedom and inclusive love. Congregations and members seek inspiration and derive insight from all major world religions.
The beliefs of individual Unitarian Universalists range widely, including atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, deism, Judaism, Islam,Christianity, neopaganism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Humanism, and many more.
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) was formed in 1961, a consolidation of the American Unitarian Association, established in 1825, and the Universalist Church of America, established in 1793. It is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, and serves churches mostly in the United States. A group of thirty Philippine congregations is represented as a sole member within the UUA. The Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) became an independent body in 2002. The UUA and CUC are, in turn, two of the seventeen members of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.