tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post5888276573128428099..comments2023-11-05T08:28:56.756+00:00Comments on Still I Am One: Unitarian and/or Free Christian?Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16524515731574941354noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-56243209753351728982011-06-19T20:56:07.513+01:002011-06-19T20:56:07.513+01:00Sue, thanks for a very interesting post. It raises...Sue, thanks for a very interesting post. It raises what I consider to be an important point. Like Joseph, I would also consider myself a Unitarian Christian. I came from a Christian background (Methodism), yet left the church as I couldn't reconcile my beliefs with the Nicene Creed. I have been shocked by some of the anti-Christian attitude in Unitarianism, especially by the recent article in the Inquirer: NUF asks a difficult question (14th May).<br /><br />In my mind, we ought to be trying to reclaim the Christian message from the fundamentalists out there. The message of service to humanity. For example, you write about the concept of original sin. This concept only exists in the Western church, the protestant denominations having kept the doctrine from their Catholic roots. The Eastern churches reject this doctrine, as we do. This rejection caused the schism that created the Eastern churches.<br /><br />I agree with Ash. I see Christians put off Christianity by modern evangelical fundamentalism as being our growth area. It is these people who we ought to make aware of Unitarianism.<br /><br />To quote Minot Savage (Our Unitarian Gospel):<br />"I am ready now to make the claim that we liberals of the modern world are the ones who come nearer to preaching the gospel of Christ than any other part of the so-called Christian Church."<br /><br />Regards,<br />IanAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783055352523115895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-19586662734229232192011-06-07T22:15:06.005+01:002011-06-07T22:15:06.005+01:00Dear Sue, what a great post. I can't wait to m...Dear Sue, what a great post. I can't wait to meet you and to continue the conversation. VictoriaPeaceBanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11431551457505981195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-17412989003016484322011-06-06T22:01:09.513+01:002011-06-06T22:01:09.513+01:00Well done Sue, for raising this thorny yet importa...Well done Sue, for raising this thorny yet important issue. There is no doubt in my mind that Liberal Christianity, either unwittingly or otherwise, has received scant attention within some parts of the Unitarian movement. Rather ironic as you point out, given that Unitarians are by nature open-minded, tolerant and reasonable.<br /><br />Disaffection with traditional (or overly evangelical)Christian worship and belief should, after all, be a seed bed for Unitarian growth; it remains for many the reason they joined the Unitarian family. Yet the undertones of the historic schism still rumble on in some quarters, together with unintentional yet unhelpful inferences that Christians are,almost by definition, burdened by sin and dogma.<br /><br />Well those feeling that way need to lighten up a little in my opinion, because this certainly isn`t the case- well at least with Christians I know. In fact, they`re mostly as liberal as we claim to be, with the very same fears and doubts.They mostly lead blameless and socially supportive lives.They might even choose to join with Unitarians, were they to know more about us, and be assured of a level playing field.<br />Ultimately of course, none of these definitions or nuances of name count for anything, unless our actions make a positive difference in our communities; and there are many Liberal Christians who could teach us a thing or two in that quarter.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15253752263822161683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-85211945797669220192011-06-05T16:30:12.673+01:002011-06-05T16:30:12.673+01:00I am not a Christian but I like hearing liberal Ch...I am not a Christian but I like hearing liberal Christian interpretations of the Bible and stuff because it heals the part of me that was wounded by evangelical Christianity. Whenever I use Christian material in my services, I try to balance it with other things so that non-Christians don't feel excluded. It can be quite difficult sometimes, as I used a poem from the Carmina Gadelica (collection of Celtic prayers from the Highlands and Islands) which mentioned the kingdom of Christ and I got heckled. Most of the time I use a mixture of stuff; I start from the theme I have chosen and then consider which religious traditions best address that theme. So that's how I try to be inclusive of everyone.<br /><br />As long as Unitarian Christians (or Christian Unitarians) make it clear that they do not think that Christianity is the only valid religion, then I am quite happy to have Christian material and Christian worship leaders. <br /><br />Like Joseph, I reject vicarious atonement, and I think the classical version of the Trinity (with Jesus as the one and only human avatar of the Divine) is necessarily exclusivist - but there are other more liberal interpretations of the Trinity.<br /><br />I was quite surprised at how high Victoria Weinstein's Christology is, but her theology still seems very liberal to me.Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-46678729294120634502011-06-05T16:09:50.987+01:002011-06-05T16:09:50.987+01:00I have had a similar conversation with Jim - very ...I have had a similar conversation with Jim - very enjoyable it was too.<br /><br />Personally I have settled on James Martineau's excellent formulation: <br /><br />"The incarnation is true, not of Christ exclusively, but of Man universally, and God everlastingly. He bends into the human to dwell there; and humanity is the susceptible organ of the divine..."<br /><br />In other words we are all children of the Divine (for me, the Divine includes both genders and also transcends gender).Yewtreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02028699564003381058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7611082749531307901.post-54225771248875642582011-06-04T22:04:35.567+01:002011-06-04T22:04:35.567+01:00I am really pleased to read this well written and ...I am really pleased to read this well written and important post. This is part of a debate which I feel is desperately needed in the UK Unitarian world, but one that is often side-stepped. I myself refer to myself as a Unitarian Christian. The Unitarian bit is the most important for me, as it expresses my belief in, and devotion to an absolute monotheistic conception of God. The Christian part, mainly expresses my attachment to what I suppose can be called "traditional" or "classical" Unitarianism, which was clearly a Christian denomination. While rejecting most orthodox Christian beliefs (trinity, vicarious atonement etc) I strongly believe that Jesus' teachings guide us in good living and draw us near to our Creator. I think Unitarianism's tolerance and commitment to respecting the deeply held beliefs and unbelief of others is central to our faith, and as such I think that Free Christians, including those who hold Trinitarian beliefs, are an integral part of our denomination. Personally speaking the only requirement for me, congregationally, is that worship be directed to God alone. I could not in conscience worship in any other way. How individuals understand The Divine, is between them and Him, and need not, and should not exclude them from Unitarian fellowship.Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326358224522029847noreply@blogger.com