Unitarianism

Unitarianism is a doctrine of God that stands in opposition to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Historic Unitarians believed in the moral authority, but not the deity, of Jesus.

Orthodox Christianity generally views unitarianism as "a theological error that holds to the unity of God by denying the Trinity, the deity of Jesus, and the deity of the Holy Spirit. Unitarians teach the unity of God and hold to a common system of believing as you will about God, salvation, sin, etc.  They often profess to have no dogma.  Unitarians also hold to the universal redemption of all mankind." (Carm)

Some have characterized Unitarians through history as "free thinkers" and "dissenters," evolving their beliefs in the direction of rationalism and humanism.

Throughout the world, many Unitarian congregations and associations belong to the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists. In the United States many Unitarians are Unitarian Universalist or UU, reflecting an institutional consolidation between Unitarianism and Universalism. Today, most Unitarian Universalists do not consider themselves Christians, even if they share some beliefs quite similar to those of mainstream Christians.

Forms of Unitarianism
There are four distinct schools of Unitarian thought:


 * Biblical Unitarianism— God is one being Who consists of one person—the Father. Jesus is Messiah and Son of God, but not God Himself; the Son may be a pre-existent being (Arianism), the result of the union between the divine Logos and the human being Jesus (Servetism), or Jesus after being filled with the Holy Spirit (Socinianism). Biblical Unitarianism remains as the only or main theology among Unitarians in Transylvania, Hungary, France, and several countries in Africa. Famous BUs include Michael Servetus, Faustus Socinus, and Isaac Newton.


 * Rationalist Unitarianism— God is one being Who consists of one person—the Father. Jesus is not the Son of God, but merely a "good and wise man" who taught others how to lead a better life. Rationalist Unitarianism emerged from the German Rationalism and the liberal theology of the 19th century. Its proponents took a highly intellectual approach to religion, rejecting most of the miraculous events in the Bible (including the virgin birth.) They embraced evolutionary concepts, asserted the "inherent goodness of man" and abandoned many principles of Christianity. James Martineau (1805–1900) was one of their most prominent members. Rationalist Unitarianism is distinguished from Deism (with which it nevertheless shares many features) by the fact that RUs believe in a personal deity Who interacts with His creation, while Deists see God as an impersonal force which remains aloof from creation. Other notable RUs include William Ellery Channing and Andrews Norton in theology and ministry, Joseph Priestley and Linus Pauling in science, Susan B. Anthony and Florence Nightingale in humanitarianism and social justice, and Frank Lloyd Wright in arts. Many Hungarian Unitarians embrace the principles of RU - in fact, the only Unitarian high school in the world (John Sigismund Unitarian Academy in Kolosvar, Romania) prides itself on its teachings of Rationalist Unitarianism.


 * Unitarian Universalism— There is no formal creed or set of beliefs required to join a Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregation, reflecting an institutional consolidation between Unitarianism and Universalism in 1961 in the United States. Today, many Unitarian Universalists no longer consider themselves to be Christians [2]. Of those who do, there is no requirement of unitarian or trinitarian belief other than what the individual concludes on their own, although the Trinity itself, being a dogma, is generally rejected as such by this anti-dogmatic denomination. Unitarian Universalists promote a set of Principles and Purposes rather than a doctrine as their bond of union. Notable Unitarian Universalists are Tim Berners-Lee, Pete Seeger, Kurt Vonnegut and the late Christopher Reeve.


 * Evangelical Unitarians— Since the 19th century, several Evangelical or Revivalist movements adopted a unitarian theology. Theologies among Evangelical Unitarians range from varieties of Socinianism (i.e. Jesus is a mortal man who did not exist before his conception and subsequent birth, conceived by the Holy Spirit, who later received immortality and divine nature), to Sabellianism (Jesus is God in the flesh, the manifestation of God, but not a Person of a Trinity). Evangelical Unitarians share their strict adherence to Sola Scriptura and their belief that Scripture is both inspired and inerrant. Christadelphians, the Churches of God, and Oneness Pentecostals are Evangelical Unitarians. Other modern non-trinitarian churches, such as the Philipino-based Iglesia ni Cristo, may be also included in this category, although they reject the "unitarian" name to avoid confusion. Jehovah's Witnesses also have a unitarian theology with specific traits.

The development of the various forms of Unitarianism is intermingled. Unitarian Universalism is the most recent form, while Biblical Unitarianism is the oldest. Modern Unitarians in Europe are primarily Biblical or Rational Unitarians, while Unitarian Universalism is the predominant form of Unitarianism in the United States and Canada. Most Evangelical Unitarians are found in the USA and Great Britain. The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (founded in 1995) includes among its members groups from all theological persuasions except Evangelical Unitarians.

Impact
The adoption of unitarian belief always entails severance of identification with Christianity, which adheres to the Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds. Unitarianism is outside of the fellowship of these traditions; it has a tradition of its own, parallel to trinitarianism. The historic church, in accordance with the Bible (1 John 4:2-3), has always insisted on trinitarian belief as an essential of Christianity, and basic to a group's continuity of identity with the historical Christian faith.

Occasionally, especially in Protestant history, traditionally trinitarian groups have grown friendly to or incorporated unitarianism. Friendliness toward unitarianism has sometimes gone hand-in-hand with anti-Catholicism. In some cases non-trinitarian or unitarian belief has been adopted or tolerated in Christian churches as a "non-essential". This was the case in the English Presbyterian Church, and in the Congregational Church in New England late in the 18th century. The Restoration Movement also attempted to forge a compatible relation between trinitarians and unitarians, as did the Seventh Day Baptists and various Adventists. The unitarian tendency in these last-mentioned groups is probably due to the in-built skepticism about Catholic history as a reliable guide to the Christian tradition of interpretation.

In other cases, this openness to unitarianism within traditionally trinitarian churches has been inspired by a very broad ecumenical motive. Modern liberal Protestant denominations are often accused by trinitarians within their ranks, and critics outside, of being indifferent to the doctrine, and therefore self-isolated from their respective trinitarian pasts and heritage. In some cases, it is charged that these trinitarian denominations are no longer Christian, because of their toleration of unitarian belief among their teachers, and in their seminaries.