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Do you mean Universal Unitarianism?

If so, its not really...a "religion" of sorts..they dont believe in the same God..or particuarly any God. To my understanding, its about searching for your own path.

Unitarian Universalism is defined by the federal government, and by its members, as a religion. They do encourage members to find their own path, but most members believe in some sort of God(s/esses) and generally affiliate themselves with a specific religious path. You can find people from all belief systems there. It's an inclusive religion whose primary goal is acceptance of all faiths in both an effort to learn more about the world and other cultures, but to also practice tolerance and respect.

I'm gonna have to pull a Tea here. (some of the regs from M&R know what I mean by this)

Concerning those that found child rape as spiritually fulfilling, would such people we tolerated within your Church and why (or why not)?

Next what does being legally recognized as a religion have to do with being a religion? There's numerous religions that aren't recognized in US, let alone other countries but they are religions.

Personally I question the UU as a religion since a religion is a set of specific practices claimed to lead primarily to spiritual fulfillment and promoting a particular ontology. There's no standard for what practices will lead to lead to spiritual fulfillment and there is no ontology is supported in UU.

i would say that i am Unitarian Universalism in thought and practice, but that it feels inaccurate to say that i am Unitarian... i am in fact an Ordained Reverend of the Universal Life Church Monastery. if you havn't heard of it, you can read about it on their website www.themonastery.org

they are basically a Church that Ordains anyone in any religion or non-religion to legally perform Ministerial duties and services, and to have all the rights and privalages thereof, for life. it is also an online shop, where you can order your supplies, as well as books and guides, and also any titles or honourary degrees that you feel entitled to. so far i have only purchased my wallet-sized Credentials, and i hope to buy a Cassoc and D.D. (Doctorate of Divinity) soon. admittedly, the degree is more for an ego boost. xd i also plan to use their store to purchase wedding certificates for officiating, but i will do that only when the occasion arises.

i actually am a non-religious Spiritualist myself. i study every religion, Spiritual path and culture as best as i can, and am never done learning. i refer to myself as a Chaos Shaman, after the fashion of the Chaos Magic path as explained by Peter J. Carol in Liber Null and Psychonaut.

-The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
-Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
-Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual -growth in our congregations;
-A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
-The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
-The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
-Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.


"Orthopraxy is...a religion that places emphasis on conduct, both ethical and liturgical, as opposed to faith or grace etc."

I'd say that hits UU pretty dead on.

By the way, all religions are a philosophy and a worldview.


A search for spiritual growth and that belief is a great deal to be unified by and it's also the whole point of any religion and it is what unifies the members of that religion. Some religions may be more exclusive, while others are more inclusive, but that search for spiritual growth and that belief is the point of any religion and it is extremely unifying. Just because religions come to that point from different paths does not mean that it isn't the ultimate purpose.

The goal of Christianity is to worship Jesus and get to heaven. The goal of Judaism is to obey the laws and focus on this life. The goal of buddhism is to reach enlightenment and peace. The goal of Unitarian Universalism is to find your path and work toward the greater good.

Just because religions function differently does not mean they aren't religions. Saying some religions aren't really religions because they don't do X, Y, or Z like some other religion is a very, very slippery slope.

But doesn't that mean that you are ignoring part of seven principles, the "Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations", by not assisting a person that finds spiritual fulfillment though child rape?

In a similar vein but less severe case (though to some cultures this might be equally if not more so severe) if certain Gods put restrictions on how they should be worshiped or who they will accept worship from. What checks and controls are in place to ensure "A free and responsible search for truth and meaning " and reprimand those that involve themselves in cultural misappropriation? How is this done without violating the "Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations"? How does the UU handle ministers that actively involve themselves in cultural misappropriation?
But legality has nothing to do with making something a religion.



The US does not legally recognize any religion but the IRS does recognize certain organization as tax exempt religious organization fitting the following criteria:

* is a legal entity formed as a corporation, association or trust
* operates according to a creed or form of worship
* operates under a formal code of doctrine or discipline
* has a distinct religious history
* has a separate membership not associated with another church or denomination
* is an organization of ordained ministers
* has established places of worship
* has a regular congregation
* holds regular religious services

The requirements do not seem very strict at all. In fact I could classify as this if I just get a group of various clergy and people of varying faiths together in a meeting place to discuss our views once a week under a particular philosophy to keep members from starting in fighting and a person who's gotten a unique ordination and will lead this discussion. Sounds like I've heard of a group that does something similar to this and qualifies as a religious organization. Have you heard of this religious organization before?

I never said that. I said and I quote:
Note the bolded.

You did use it as a defense though. I called you on it since being legally recognized by a government tax bureau as a tax exempt religious organization is not a good defense, especially given the loose requirements to be defined as a religious organization.

I see a philosophy but no ontology. Please explain what the UU ontology is. And yes a philosophy is different from an ontology.

Study what? Research what? Learn what from others?
Of course they aren't the only ways. There are many many practices, some of which I find morally reprehensible such as the Frosts who allow raping a child to be a spiritually fulfilling way to introduce them into puberty.

What is limited, narrow, and closed-minded about defining religion as a set of specific practices claimed to lead primarily to spiritual fulfillment and promoting a particular ontology. It seems very broad to me. It includes Satanism, Scientology, Wicca, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Folk religions, Judaism, Islam, Bah'ai, Hellenistic religions, Norse Religions, Kemetic Religions, New Age religions, etc... I'm not seeing how this definition is limiting. Would you care to explain how it is?

Then explain to me what controls are in place to prevent culture misappropriation since such behavior violates #1, #4, #6, and #7 of the UU principles? Can a minister or a member of a UU congregation tell a fellow member that they are disrespecting the Gods this member has chosen to worship or that certain Gods, such as the Irish Celtic Gods do not accept worship from those that are not Celts?



What does the UU do to keep clergy or congregation from participating in this when the UU principles allow for violating this?

Other way around. Theology is a part of a Religion and that assumes that the religion even has a God in question, though it can be applied technically to Buddhism and Hinduism.

Where did I say I dismissed it? I said I doubted it was one and gave my reasons why I doubted it. You countered and I asked more in depth questions regarding your answers. My questions were very specific. How is the UU principles an ontology as opposed to a philosophy? What does the UU study? What does the UU research? What does the UU learn from others? It seem that you don't like people asking questions about your religious organization.

I have acknowledged that I know little other than what is presented on the website and how common cultural appropriation is in the US. This is why I have been asking you questions but you seem to be either failing to address my questions or refusing to answer them. I cannot tell which.

How so? I found principle #3 to be a little weak and I questioned using an extreme example of child rape. You said that such behavior would not be tolerated. So I moved to a less extreme example regarding cultural misappropriation and if it would be tolerated. You seem to be dodging answering this question but maybe you didn't see it. If you look back in the post you will see that it was clearly asked.

How exactly have a put a tiny box around religion? I've pointed out that my definition is quite inclusive. It seems that you would rather attack my character than actually answer any questions I have posed.