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Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian Universalism (UU or UUism) is a liberal religious tradition that was formed by the merger of Unitarian and Universalist groups. Its roots are in Protestantism, although belief in Christianity is no longer required for adherents to modern Unitarian Universalism. Most modern Unitarian Universalists (UUs) do not consider themselves Christian.
Unitarian Universalism has its origin, and most of its adherents, in the United States, where its largest organization is the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is a related nonsectarian organization which started out of an effort to smuggle Jews and other targeted groups out of Nazi Germany. The UUSC works to promote social justice and human rights around the world. Unitarian Universalist churches worldwide are represented in the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU).
Unitarian Universalism is a creedless religion. It is a syncretic religion, which respects all the major religious traditions, and religious services often draw from the various world faiths. A major difference between Unitarian Universalism and other major religions is a strong emphasis on tolerance. Unitarian Universalist churches welcome gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people as well as the disabled, and the church does not discriminate on the basis of skin color, national origin, or ethnicity. A large portion of its members consider themselves humanists, and many may hold Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, pagan, atheist, agnostic, pantheist, or other beliefs, or may not choose a particular theological label. This vast diversity of views is considered a strength by the UU faith, since its emphasis is on the common search for meaning among its members rather than adherence to any particular doctrine. Many UU congregations have study groups which study the doctrines of Neopaganism, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and other faith traditions.
While some people are raised in the UU faith, a greater number of members have come from other religious backgrounds. People join the UU faith for a variety of reasons. Unitarian Universalism often draws on adult "refugees" from other faiths. Often parents choose to bring up their children in the UU faith as a compromise if the mother and father come from different religious backgrounds. Also, parents who do not subscribe to a particular dogma but who want to give their children some kind of religious background are also drawn to the UU faith. Children who are brought up in the UU faith attend Sunday religious education classes, which are somewhat akin to Sunday School in Protestant churches.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Unitarian Universalist ".
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