As you might guess from the double-barreled name, Unitarian Universalism is a kind of “blended family.”
Historically, our tradition derives from two separate religions that merged half a century ago. The church that I serve was founded as a Unitarian church in the 1850s. Unitarians believed that the Divine is one or unitary, hence the name. They upheld the importance of rationality and reason and so tended to be intellectual — kind of neck-up to be perfectly honest.
The Universalists tended to be more working class and down-to-earth. They taught that God was too good to condemn anyone to the eternal torment of hell for some finite human mistake, no matter how terrible. Some Universalists thought the real baddies would have to “do some time” in something like purgatory, but all would go to heaven. The name “universalism” refers to this belief in “universal salvation.”
There is much that appeals to me in Universalist theology. It also appealed to the Rhode Island brigade of George Washington’s army during the Revolutionary War. When some wanted to remove Universalist minister John Murray as brigade chaplain because of his “heretical” beliefs, several soldiers petitioned General Washington to keep Murray. Washington agreed and Murray stayed, at least until his health gave out.
Along with a dedicated group of lay people (including one freed slave), Murray helped found the first American Universalist Church in Gloucester, Mass. In his itinerant preaching days he had narrowly escaped lynching more than once. Other people threw rocks. In 1774, Murray was preaching in Boston when someone threw a rock through the church window, just missing his head. Murray picked up the rock, showed it to the congregation, and said, “This argument is solid and weighty, but it is neither rational nor convincing.” Then he went right back to preaching.
Much as I love the Unitarians, you have to admit the Universalists have better stories. Another Universalist innovator in our country was George de Benneville. Born in France in 1703, in his youth he served as a sailor. This brought him into contact with people of many religions. Seeing the good in them led him to his own Universalist faith, which he preached from a very young age.
De Benneville escaped death because of his witness more than once. One time his death sentence was commuted almost at the last moment. Another time he was actually pronounced dead after a terrible illness. He was in the coffin when he sat up and started preaching. See, great stories.
