Christian or Post-Christian?

As a movement, Unitarianism has evolved over the last fifty years, from being a broadly Christian denomination (albeit one whose followers believed in the teachings rather than in the divinity of Jesus) to a more broadly-based post-Christian position (although there are still many Unitarian Christians, and indeed Free Christians, within our ranks). It is up to each individual Unitarian to forge their own distinctive faith, as we believe that “everyone has the right to seek truth and meaning for themselves; that the fundamental tools for doing this are your own life-experience, your reflection upon it, your intuitive understanding and the promptings of your own conscience."

Another typically post-modern aspect of Unitarianism is that we do not claim to know all the answers about religion and spirituality; rather, we offer a safe and sacred space in which all are free to explore their different paths of faith, according to their individual reasons and consciences, knowing that they will be held and accepted, just the way they are. The purpose of our Unitarian congregations is “to meet the spiritual needs of the individual in the context of a loving community; to share joy and to offer comfort in times of trial; to enjoy warmth of fellowship; to make itself welcoming, inclusive and a blessing to the wider world.” This again is a very post-modern perspective, with its emphasis on the importance of the individual community as a place where meaning may be explored.

However, this emphasis on loving community can also move Unitarians away from the individual search for truth and meaning, as we choose to work together for the greater good of the environment or our fellow human beings. But I believe that this identification of the sacred task with the duty of care for fellow human beings and the whole planet is a strength rather than a weakness, as our social witness is an important part of who we are. We believe that there is time and space for both aspects in our religious and spiritual lives.

This is the reason why our other-than-Sunday-worship groups are so important. Most Unitarian congregations do not just meet for Sunday worship. As well as this central religious activity (the significance of which I am not denying) small groups of people meet during the week, often in the evenings, for a variety of purposes. Book groups and discussion groups are common, as are knitting / craft groups, meditation groups and the more spiritually-based engagement groups or BYOT (Build Your Own Theology) groups. All give individual members the opportunity to explore their own spirituality or faith at another time apart from the Sunday service. Membership of such groups gives the individual the opportunity to do some deep spiritual sharing and exploration in a safe space, and also to “belong” at a deeper and more intimate level than is possible by just attending Sunday worship.

Many Unitarian congregations are also involved with social justice work and/or inter-faith work. For example, some congregations collect food and other items for local food banks or women's refuges. Others have close relationships with progressive Muslim organisations or with their nearest branch of the Council of Christians and Liberal Jews, which is thus both ecumenical and inter-faith. Some have good relationships with other churches in their area, although sadly, this is not always the case, as some mainstream Christian congregations still seem to shun us.

Unitarian congregations with church halls often play host to groups from the holistic milieu, for example yoga or tai-chi classes, and members of the congregation will sometimes join them. Unlike most other denominations, there is no bar to attending the services of another denomination or faith, so some Unitarians are also involved with Pagans or Buddhists or Quakers, to name three fairly common affiliations. So for us the spiritual revolution has been more of a gentle evolution – we were heading in that direction anyway, so no revolution was required.