Unitarianism_Unitarianism

Unitarianism由刀豆文库小编整理，希望给你工作、学习、生活带来方便，猜你可能喜欢“Unitarianism”。

To: Profeor Huang

Title: Unitarianism

Name: 陈琪

Cla: English 093

Number: 09425503

Date: March 25th, 2012

Unitarianism

1.Definition

Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being.Thus, Unitarians adhere to strict monotheism, and maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, but not God himself.2.History

Unitarianism, both as a theology and as a denominational family of churches, was defined and developed in four countries: Poland, Transylvania, England and America.Although there were common beliefs among Unitarians in each of these regions, they initially grew independently from each other.Only later did they influence one another and accumulate more similarities.This section relates to Unitarian churches and organizations today which are still specifically Christian within or outside Unitarian-Universalism, which embraces non-Christian religions.3.Beliefs

1)One God and the onene or unity of God.2)The life and teachings of Jesus Christ constitute the exemplar model for living one's own life.3)Reason, rational thought, science, and philosophy coexist with faith in God.4)Humans have the ability to exercise free will in a responsible, constructive and ethical manner with the aistance of religion.5)Human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved(see original Sin), but capable of both good and evil, as God intended.6)No religion can claim an absolute monopoly on the Holy Spirit or theological truth.7)Though the authors of the Bible were inspired by God, they were humans and therefore subject to human error.8)Traditional doctrines that(they believe)malign God's character or veil the true nature and miion of Jesus Christ, such as the doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement are rejected.4.Worship

Worship within the Unitarian tradition accommodates a wide range of understandings of God, while the focus of the service may be simply the celebration of life itself.Each Unitarian congregation is at liberty to devise its own form of worship, though commonly, Unitarian services lack liturgy and ritual, while containing readings from many sources, which may include sermons, prayers, hymns and songs.5.Influence

Unitarians have liberal views of God, Jesus, the world and purpose of life as revealed through reason, scholarship, science, philosophy, scripture and other prophets and religions.They believe that reason and belief are complementary and that religion and science can co-exist and guide them in their understanding of nature and God.They also do not enforce belief in creeds or dogmatic formulas.Although there is flexibility in the nuances of belief or basic truths for the individual Unitarian Christian, general principles of faith have been recognized as a way to bind the group in some commonality.Adherents generally accept religious pluralism and find value in all teachings, but remain committed to their core belief in Christ's teachings.Unitarians generally value a secular society in which government is kept separate from religious affairs.Most contemporary Unitarian Christians believe that one's personal moral convictions guide one's political activities, and that a secular society is the most viable, just and fair.However, Unitarian Christians reject the doctrine of some Christian denominations that God chooses to redeem or save only those certain individuals that accept the creeds of, or affiliate with, a specific church or religion, from a common ruin or corruption of the ma of humanity.They believe that righteous acts are neceary for redemption in addition to faith.