It’s not that ministers aren’t calling it out. It’s that the media gives them little to no traction. It’s that “ministers” like Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson get more airtime to define Christianity than do the Rev. Jennifer Butlers of the world.
My very conservative father became “born again” after hearing a Presbyterian minister give a fiery anti-war speech in 2004. It changed him. It’s not my faith, but I’m glad for him.
I expect better of people here. Not so much on reddit or 4chan. I’m not there for a reason.
No, it’s clear that my view is an unpopular one. Which, as always, is disappointing. But you can’t win them all, right?
I will say this: all the Unitarians I know (including many in my extended family) are awesome, progressive people.
My father’s funeral was held at a Unitarian church and I remember driving up to it and seeing the prominent Black Lives Matter (the congregation is mostly white) and “No Person Is Illegal. Refugees Welcome” signs and thinking, “This is a church?”
So, yeah, Christianity is not all bad.
Unitarianism isn’t Christianity. It isn’t even always theism.
Who are we to say what is and isn’t Christianity?
We don’t consider ourselves to be Christian. We are of the liberal religious tradition and have no fixed scripture and dogma. Many of our members are atheist, Jewish, and other religions that are definitely not Christian.
EtA note that I said “we”.
So, are my relatives wrong to call themselves Christians when they are, in fact, Unitarians? Or is it possible that different Unitarian churches have different ideas about that?
Wait, are you talking about Unitarian Universalism? Because that’s a separate thing from Unitarianism.
My relatives are adherents to this one: Unitarianism - Wikipedia
Not this one: Unitarian Universalism - Wikipedia
Just from the wiki pages it seems very hard to pull those apart.
Also my guess is that Christianists and other Evangelicals don’t consider Unitarians to be Christian, regardless of how they consider themselves.
Background on the movement if you’ve got an hour:
I think the key difference is that “Unitarianism (from Latin unitas “unity, oneness”, from unus “one”) is a Christian theological movement that believes that the God in Christianity is one entity, as opposed to a Trinity (tri- from Latin tres “three”). Most other branches of Christianity define God as one being in three persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Unitarian Christians, therefore, believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings, and he is a savior, but he was not a deity or God incarnate.” (meaning that Unitarianism is still technically Christian), while "Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion characterized by a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”. Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth, guided by a dynamic, “living tradition.” (meaning a complete break from Christianity).
Again, who are they to say what is and isn’t Christian?
No, I think that we are talking about different beliefs here.
“The beliefs of individual Unitarian Universalists range widely, and can include humanism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Taoism, syncretism, Omnism, Neopaganism, atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, panentheism, pandeism, deism and the teachings of the Baháʼí Faith.”
Unitarians are Christians who reject the idea of the Trinity, while Unitarian Universalists are much more open and fluid in what they believe. Both of them have organized churches.
Are you sure that you’re looking at the right wiki? It has disambiguation.
“Unitarian Universalism
This article is about the liberal religious movement. For the Christian theology that includes a central belief in the unitary nature of God, see Unitarianism.”
I’m not sure what your view is. But as a cultural (i think) historian you’re probably used to arguing against the mainstream.
I am a UU. Not a Christian but not an atheist either, although there are both in my religion.
My view is generally that we look at religion both as a historical and current institution that has a very mixed legacy. That and not let the hardliner religious bigots be the ones who get to define the whole thing.
But some would rather go with the lazy idea that Duggar and his cult are the only definition of religion and assume that anyone who is religious is morally inferior to the new atheists movement which defines religion as a mental illness or delusion. It’s not helpful or even a particularly accurate assessment.
But sure… as a cultural historian, I’m just here to be contrary, I guess. 
Actually, I think this is a pretty mainstream viewpoint. It’s just not what gets portrayed in the media. It’s sort of like abortion or gun control–most Americans support varying restrictions and freedoms for both. But the media, and politicians, portray the country as mostly anti-choice and mostly rabidly pro-gun (IMNSHO). Likewise, if you ask most people if they think Josh Duggar’s version of Christianity is mainstream, I’d guess that most would say “no, it isn’t.” Yet the Duggar’s and Robertson’s of the world get the airtime because it brings clicks and viewers.
Nothing wrong with contrary, though. It’s what makes the world a better place. Can’t improve things without it.
'Tis no use, I’m afraid. The mods will likely get to it before he even sees your reply. And that line seems a bit too…wedged in there for me to believe that it’s not the main thing that he wants to say here, as though everything else in the post is filler meant to cushion that line, making it look like a sidenote when it is not.
I mentioned somewhere that they used a porn blocker at my school that functioned similarly, hence blocking anything to do with Kentucky (–uck–), breast, uterine or ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, childbirth, breastfeeding and many many others. Straight up porn was, of course, easily available. Usual quote about answers that are simple, obvious and totally wrong.
Wanna bet the cult got wind of the thread and launched an all-out effort to get it suspended? That was my immediate thought.
Can you link me to the IMDB page of the Hallmark family channel movie where they have a Lesbian couple who are friends with the main character and are accepted and supported by virtually everyone in the movie? Except the villain, who learns that their homophobia is wrong and tries to apologize and make it up by the end of the movie?
Or the one where a teen mother-to-be is facing a rough choice between having her baby and aborting it, and she decides not to have it and everyone is supportive and understanding?
Or one where a man transitions to being a woman, and his wife is initially a bit freaked out by this but realizes by the end of the movie that she loves her and will stand by her woman, being reminded that their love is still true?
Or the one where the country girl runs away to the big city and finds her true love, and both women live together happily ever after?
What about the one where the woman falls in love with two men and can’t choose between them, but then they fall in love with each other as well and they form a triad? It’s a bit rough at first but they learn to trust each other and not be jealous of the time they spend one on one with their other partner?
It’s weird, I can’t find the Chicken Soup for the Woman Who Was Assigned Male at Birth Soul book at my local Walmart, which is weird because they have them for virtually everyone… except LGBT+ people, that seems a bit weird…
I mean, if I walked into any Christian bookstore they would have all the marriage celebrating things for MF, MM, and FF couples, right? Perhaps even for FFM, MMF, MMM, and FFF triads too, right? I mean, with larger poly relationships, I’d understand if those were more of a special order thing, but they could be ordered, right?
These things should all exist. But they don’t. There should be a channel playing crappy Christian movies with these values. Whenever you see marriage anniversary stuff, there should be options for Gay marriage stuff too. There should be reaffirming gay positive religious books and paraphernalia. Gods help us, there should be a gay Promise Keepers group too. They should make the “I love my wife” stuff in women’s sizes, and the “I love my husband” stuff in men’s. And yet, I haven’t seen any of it.
