Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Unitarian Universalist	Amanda	Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Question: Dear Brother, I use to have a co-worker who was a Unitarian Universalist and I attended a church service with her once which was really nice. I remember the sermon was focused on forgiveness which was enlightening and the people were very positive and filled with peace. I've read many things about Unitarian Universalist stating that they are a cult because they disregard the Holy Trinity and do not have a creed. When I asked my friend about this, she explained that because the church is based on an individual's faith and beliefs, the trinity isn't used, as many view Jesus' differently and the Holy Spirit is the spiritual enlightment we feel within ourselfs from the good deeds we do for others. My question is why would Unitarian Universalist be considered a cult if they are promoting peace within different cultures and dominations to live in harmony with one another and accept each other for whom and what they are? As I have met many Christian people who are intolerant to others because of their religious beliefs and also because of their race and/or culture and have been critical and judgmental. Also I have heard many people make comments about people who promote peace and well-being stating that they are heretics and misinformed when it comes to God because they may not believe in the traditional Christian way of beliefs. But if Jesus accepted and loved everyone and taught us how to live righteously with each other, why would Unitarian Universalist teachings be wrong? Could you please explain. God Bless, Amanda
Question Answered by Dear Amanda: The word "cult" has several meanings. Merriam-Webster has this definition: 1) formal religious veneration : worship 2)a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents 3) a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents 4) a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator cults 5a) great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad 5b) the object of such devotion 5c) a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, states: 1a) A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader. 1b) The followers of such a religion or sect. 2) A system or community of religious worship and ritual. 3) The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual. 4) A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease. 5a) Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing. 5b) The object of such devotion. 6) An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest. Cult can refer to the Cult of Mary (meaning a group who venerates Mary), the Cult of Baseball (people who follow Baseball), Cult of Christianity (a group that worship the True God). The type of "cult" probably used by people disparaging the Unitarian Universalist is "A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader." The Unitarian Universalist are not that type of cult. The Unitarian Universalist, along with every Christian Church, Jewish Synagogue, and other religious body, is a cult in the sense of "A system or community of religious worship and ritual" and "The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual." Christian, however, see the Unitarian Universalist also as "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious". The reason for this definition used by Christians is the the Unitarian Universalist hold views that are heretical, such as disbelief in the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus. With such heretical views and since the Unitarian Universalist do not have a valid baptism, they are not Christian. I have been a the Unitarian Universalist parish. What I found was a pretense to intellectual and philosophic discourse. The discussions would barely count as a Philosophy 101 class. You asked: Also I have heard many people make comments about people who promote peace and well-being stating that they are heretics and misinformed when it comes to God because they may not believe in the traditional Christian way of beliefs. But if Jesus accepted and loved everyone and taught us how to live righteously with each other, why would Unitarian Universalist teachings be wrong? Truth is objective. It is not up to opinion. Freedom comes from knowing the Truth and acting upon that Truth by following Christ's teachings: (John 8:31-32) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth: and the truth shall make you free. (John 14:15) If you love me, keep my commandments. A person or group can be wrong and still promote peace. Satanist sometimes promote peace, even though they are Satanist. Hitler is correct if he posted 1+1=2. Another example is our children. Do not we still love them even if they disown us, their parents. God loves everyone. Not everyone loves God. From God position he loves those unbelievers anyway. There is no one that God does not love. God loves Hitler, Stalin, Mao. He loves everyone. Because he loves us he gave us a rational soul so that we can choose to love him and each other. With that gift comes the possibility of choosing against God. God loves them anyway. Love rejoices in righteousness (1 Cor 13). If we follow any path that is not loving (as God defines it), that rejects His Son (a very not loving path), and rejects the teaching of Jesus, then we are not in righteous and know nothing of love. Love does not force. God will never force anyone into his heaven. Those who go to hell choose to go to hell by their refusal to accept God's teaching, love, forgiveness, and mercy. The Unitarian Universalist have chosen against God and instead "in essence" worship their intellect. Jesus mentioned hell more than any of the disciples. Hell is a real place that is set aside for those who reject Him. The creation of Hell is actually an act of God's love and mercy. Instead of zapping us out of existence those who reject God and wish to be the god of their own self. Since He will not force anyone to love Him, God, in God's great love and mercy, created Hell for the good of those persons who have rejected Him. Why? To be in Hell is less painful that for these damned souls to be in the presence of God. Thus, God applies mercy even to the damned. We must understand that Sin is repugnant to God. To sin is to reject God no matter how many good works we performed. We cannot "work" our way to heaven. Heaven is a free gift (grace) to those who accept God's offer of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus. The Unitarian Universalist have rejected God's love, ignore any of His teachings that they do not like and construct for themselves their own god — the god of the Question Mark is how I refer to the Unitarian Universalist. They know nothing of genuine love since they have reject the one whom is Love. You asked: My question is why would Unitarian Universalist be considered a cult if they are promoting peace within different cultures and dominations to live in harmony with one another and accept each other for whom and what they are? As mentioned the Unitarian Universalist are not a cult, but they are not Christian either. Do the good work of peace and genuine tolerance of other person, does not mean that we agree with or tolerate errant thinking. Both, Bishop Sheen and Louis de Wahl have commented on the issue of tolerance: In 1931, then Msgr. Sheen wrote the following essay, A Plea for Intolerance: “America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance—it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded. “Tolerance is an attitude of reasoned patience toward evil . . . a forbearance that restrains us from showing anger or inflicting punishment. Tolerance applies only to persons . . . never to truth. Tolerance applies to the erring, intolerance to the error . . . Architects are as intolerant about sand as foundations for skyscrapers as doctors are intolerant about germs in the laboratory. Tolerance does not apply to truth or principles. About these things we must be intolerant, and for this kind of intolerance, so much needed to rouse us from sentimental gush, I make a plea. Intolerance of this kind is the foundation of all stability.” Louis de Wahl in his 1959 essay, "Against Tolerance:" Tolerance is not a virtue. It is no more than amiable weakness. It is typical of the confused thinking of our time that many people regard it as a virtue and believe they are giving praise when they say a man is tolerant. To tolerate something means to accept it or to permit it, even though one does not agree with it. Tolerance is an entirely passive concept, and only too often serves as a cloak for indifference and cowardice. It is, as somebody once said, "the lowest form of collaboration"; and for exactly that reason, it entails a great deal of personal responsibility. He who tolerates evil becomes an accessory to it. Truth, because of its very nature, is absolutely intolerant. two plus two equals four. Truth must protest any other result of this addition. It will not accept seventeen and will not accept three and nine-tenths. Only four. Besides, there is a certain measure of condescension about tolerance. I tolerate your proximity. Nice of me, isn't it? But the worst thing about tolerance is knows nothing of love. It is, at best, the pale stepsister of patience. All this does not imply that intolerance is a good thing. The opposite of a swelling on your head is a hole in your head, and that is not so good either. Jesus did not tolerate sin. He "loved the sinner, but not the sin" as the old cliché goes. We are to follow in His footsteps to hate the sin, but love the sinner. He also did not accept just anyone. Here's one example: Mat 7:21-27 "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.' "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." You said: As I have met many Christian people who are intolerant to others because of their religious beliefs and also because of their race and/or culture and have been critical and judgmental. Christians are fallible human being like everyone else. The proper Christian stance is to preach the Truth and not back away from it, but love the one that does not believe. Love, however, is defined as God defines it in 1 Corinthians 13. Discrimination based on race, culture, or religion is sin against Charity. Any Christian doing this is sinning. I hope this help to clarify things. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

5a) great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad

5b) the object of such devotion

5c) a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, states:

1a) A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

1b) The followers of such a religion or sect.

2) A system or community of religious worship and ritual.

3) The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual.

4) A usually nonscientific method or regimen claimed by its originator to have exclusive or exceptional power in curing a particular disease.

5a) Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion to or veneration for a person, principle, or thing.

5b) The object of such devotion.

6) An exclusive group of persons sharing an esoteric, usually artistic or intellectual interest.

Cult can refer to the Cult of Mary (meaning a group who venerates Mary), the Cult of Baseball (people who follow Baseball), Cult of Christianity (a group that worship the True God).

The type of "cult" probably used by people disparaging the Unitarian Universalist is "A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader."

The Unitarian Universalist are not that type of cult. The Unitarian Universalist, along with every Christian Church, Jewish Synagogue, and other religious body, is a cult in the sense of "A system or community of religious worship and ritual" and "The formal means of expressing religious reverence; religious ceremony and ritual."

Christian, however, see the Unitarian Universalist also as "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious".

The reason for this definition used by Christians is the the Unitarian Universalist hold views that are heretical, such as disbelief in the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus.

With such heretical views and since the Unitarian Universalist do not have a valid baptism, they are not Christian.

I have been a the Unitarian Universalist parish. What I found was a pretense to intellectual and philosophic discourse. The discussions would barely count as a Philosophy 101 class.

You asked:

Also I have heard many people make comments about people who promote peace and well-being stating that they are heretics and misinformed when it comes to God because they may not believe in the traditional Christian way of beliefs. But if Jesus accepted and loved everyone and taught us how to live righteously with each other, why would Unitarian Universalist teachings be wrong?

Truth is objective. It is not up to opinion. Freedom comes from knowing the Truth and acting upon that Truth by following Christ's teachings:

(John 8:31-32) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth: and the truth shall make you free.

(John 14:15) If you love me, keep my commandments.

A person or group can be wrong and still promote peace. Satanist sometimes promote peace, even though they are Satanist. Hitler is correct if he posted 1+1=2.

Another example is our children. Do not we still love them even if they disown us, their parents. God loves everyone. Not everyone loves God. From God position he loves those unbelievers anyway.

There is no one that God does not love. God loves Hitler, Stalin, Mao. He loves everyone. Because he loves us he gave us a rational soul so that we can choose to love him and each other. With that gift comes the possibility of choosing against God. God loves them anyway.

Love rejoices in righteousness (1 Cor 13). If we follow any path that is not loving (as God defines it), that rejects His Son (a very not loving path), and rejects the teaching of Jesus, then we are not in righteous and know nothing of love.

Love does not force. God will never force anyone into his heaven. Those who go to hell choose to go to hell by their refusal to accept God's teaching, love, forgiveness, and mercy.

The Unitarian Universalist have chosen against God and instead "in essence" worship their intellect.

Jesus mentioned hell more than any of the disciples. Hell is a real place that is set aside for those who reject Him.

The creation of Hell is actually an act of God's love and mercy. Instead of zapping us out of existence those who reject God and wish to be the god of their own self. Since He will not force anyone to love Him, God, in God's great love and mercy, created Hell for the good of those persons who have rejected Him. Why? To be in Hell is less painful that for these damned souls to be in the presence of God. Thus, God applies mercy even to the damned.

We must understand that Sin is repugnant to God. To sin is to reject God no matter how many good works we performed. We cannot "work" our way to heaven. Heaven is a free gift (grace) to those who accept God's offer of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus.

The Unitarian Universalist have rejected God's love, ignore any of His teachings that they do not like and construct for themselves their own god — the god of the Question Mark is how I refer to the Unitarian Universalist. They know nothing of genuine love since they have reject the one whom is Love.

You asked:

My question is why would Unitarian Universalist be considered a cult if they are promoting peace within different cultures and dominations to live in harmony with one another and accept each other for whom and what they are?

As mentioned the Unitarian Universalist are not a cult, but they are not Christian either. Do the good work of peace and genuine tolerance of other person, does not mean that we agree with or tolerate errant thinking.

Both, Bishop Sheen and Louis de Wahl have commented on the issue of tolerance:

In 1931, then Msgr. Sheen wrote the following essay, A Plea for Intolerance:

“America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance—it is not. It is suffering from tolerance. Tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded.

“Tolerance is an attitude of reasoned patience toward evil . . . a forbearance that restrains us from showing anger or inflicting punishment. Tolerance applies only to persons . . . never to truth. Tolerance applies to the erring, intolerance to the error . . . Architects are as intolerant about sand as foundations for skyscrapers as doctors are intolerant about germs in the laboratory. Tolerance does not apply to truth or principles. About these things we must be intolerant, and for this kind of intolerance, so much needed to rouse us from sentimental gush, I make a plea. Intolerance of this kind is the foundation of all stability.”

Louis de Wahl in his 1959 essay, "Against Tolerance:"

Tolerance is not a virtue. It is no more than amiable weakness. It is typical of the confused thinking of our time that many people regard it as a virtue and believe they are giving praise when they say a man is tolerant. To tolerate something means to accept it or to permit it, even though one does not agree with it. Tolerance is an entirely passive concept, and only too often serves as a cloak for indifference and cowardice. It is, as somebody once said, "the lowest form of collaboration"; and for exactly that reason, it entails a great deal of personal responsibility. He who tolerates evil becomes an accessory to it.

Truth, because of its very nature, is absolutely intolerant. two plus two equals four. Truth must protest any other result of this addition. It will not accept seventeen and will not accept three and nine-tenths. Only four.

Besides, there is a certain measure of condescension about tolerance. I tolerate your proximity. Nice of me, isn't it?

But the worst thing about tolerance is knows nothing of love. It is, at best, the pale stepsister of patience.

All this does not imply that intolerance is a good thing. The opposite of a swelling on your head is a hole in your head, and that is not so good either.

Jesus did not tolerate sin. He "loved the sinner, but not the sin" as the old cliché goes. We are to follow in His footsteps to hate the sin, but love the sinner. He also did not accept just anyone. Here's one example:

Mat 7:21-27 "Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.'

"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

You said:

As I have met many Christian people who are intolerant to others because of their religious beliefs and also because of their race and/or culture and have been critical and judgmental.

Christians are fallible human being like everyone else. The proper Christian stance is to preach the Truth and not back away from it, but love the one that does not believe. Love, however, is defined as God defines it in 1 Corinthians 13.

Discrimination based on race, culture, or religion is sin against Charity. Any Christian doing this is sinning.

I hope this help to clarify things.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary