A brief summary of the beginnings of the Unitarian Universalist Church.
- How has this shaped the church's mission?
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A reflection of our visit to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Providence by Nina Carriero, Lauren Santiago, Alicia Hartley, and Michelle Un.
The Unitarian Universalists are proud to be a “liberal religious denomination.” It is a pluralistic religion that includes theist, atheist, agnostic, humanist, pagan, Christian, Jew, and Buddhist beliefs. The Unitarian Universalists came about from the merging of two religious groups, the Unitarians and the Universalists.
ReplyDeleteAfter the time of Jesus many diverse religious groups emerged, two of which were the Unitarians and the Universalists. The Unitarians believed that everyone had a choice of what religion they want to be a part of. The Universalists didn’t believe in hell—they believe that all people will be saved. Beginning in the fourth century, these religions were heavily persecuted. However, the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century brought relief from the persecution. The Universalists came to the United States in 1781 and they officially organized in 1783. The Unitarians came to the United States in 1791 and were officially established in 1825. They Universalists were the first religious group to ordain a female minister, Olympia Brown, in 1863. In 1961, The Unitarians and the Universalists merged to become the Unitarian Universalists.
Throughout their history, they have always helped minorities and marginalized groups. For example, the Unitarian Universalists played a large role in the civil rights movement. As official supporters of the LGBT movement, the church officially affirmed same-sex marriage in 1996. As of 1999, 50% of their ministers are women.
In the church resource book, "First Unitarian Church of Providence Resource Book 2009 to 2010," the church gives the reader the following brief history of how their church came to be:
ReplyDeleteThe First Unitarian Church traces its beginnings to 1723, when a small group of congregationalists erected "a house of worship up Rosemary Lane from Towne Street." Our second house of worship, built in 1795, stood on the corner of Benefit and Benevolent Streets until 1814, when it was destroyed by fire. The third and present Meeting House was dedicated in 1816.
Our congregation has long been liberal in spirit. During the ministry of Dr. Henry Edes, 1803-1832, the church became definitely Unitarian in theology and affiliated with the Unitarian movement in America. For many years it was known as The First Congregational Church (Unitarian). In April 1953, the congregation voted to change the name to The First Unitarian Church of Providence.
One common symbol that I noticed, as seen in the picture above on the right, is that of the flaming chalice. The two overlapping rings supposedly represent the union between Unitarianism and Universalism that Nina metnioned above. Many UU congregations light a chalice at the beginning of each worship service. A similar symbol is also common among other liberal Christian religions.
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