|
|
On Creedless Creedmaking by Fred Harris
Unitarian Universalists do not have a creed. That is, we do not have a statement of theological beliefs to which all members of all our churches must give unquestioning assent. We come out of a Protestant tradition which makes the local congregation, rather than the denomination, the center for developing affirmations of faith. These local congregational affirmations can most often be found as the second article, after the statement of the congregation’s name, in our societies various By-Laws or Constitutions.
They are called covenants, or statements of purpose. And rather than being a test of presumed purity of belief, they are a promise by the members to do their best to live by the ideals commonly professed.
In the By-Laws of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, this statement of principles and purpose appears as follows: The purpose of this fellowship is to further the cause of liberal religious belief, to develop the democratic process in human relationships, and to meet the religious, spiritual and social needs of its members.
However, across the centuries, the separate Unitarian and Universalist associations have adopted statements of purpose. One even attempted to be a creed, but fortunately it failed. This was the Unitarian statement of 1853 which you will see in this summary. Some statements, such as that of 1884, were simply written by an individual and became widely used without official sponsorship.
These statements are provided here for essentially two purposes: (1) So that you can see how our thinking has changed across the years. To the familiar question “Are we Christians?” the earlier statements give a decisive “yes,” at least to our origins. (2) To help you see that liberal religion is more than a method. It is a gospel. That is, it is the good news of particular assumptions of faith, for example, in the power of love, in the dignity of persons, in the coming of the beloved community. From different theological perspectives these themes are repeated among us over and over again. They constitute the core message from our promise to live in the Unitarian Universalist faith.
Here are some of our past attempts at creedless creedmaking.
The Winchester Profession of Faith
[Adopted by a convention of Universalists in 1803,
by shortening and clarifying the declaration of 1790]
WE BELIEVE that the holy scriptures of the old and new testament contain a revelation of the character of God and of the duty, interest, and final destination of mankind.
WE BELIEVE that there is one God, whose nature is love, revealed in one Lord Jesus Christ, by one Holy Spirit of grace, who will finally restore the whole family of mankind to holiness and happiness.
WE BELIEVE that holiness and true happiness are inseparably connected, and that believers ought to be careful to maintain order and practice good works, for these things are good and profitable unto men.
[Note:a liberty clause was soon added which read: Neither this nor any other statement shall be imposed as a creedal test, provided that the faith thus indicated be professed.]
Unitarian Purposes
[When the American Unitarian Association was organized in 1825, the following appeared in its By-Laws.]
THE OBJECTS OF THIS ASSOCIATION shall be to diffuse the knowledge and promote the interests of pure Christianity throughout our country...
The Christian Creed
[Adopted by the 1853 annual May meeting of the American Unitarian Association,
as a reaction to the influence of Transcendentalism and Parkerism]
WE BELIEVE in one God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the Father of spirits, the righteous Governor and Judge of the world.
WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, the everlasting Son of God, the express image of the Father, in whom dwelt all the fullness of the God-head bodily, and who to us is the Way and the Truth and the Life.
WE BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, the teacher, renewer, and guide of mankind.
WE BELIEVE in the Holy Catholic Church as the body and form of the Holy Spirit, and the presence of Christ in all ages.
WE BELIEVE in the Regeneration of the human heart, which, being created upright, but corrupted by sin, is renewed and restored by the power of Christian truth.
WE BELIEVE in the constant Atonement whereby God in Christ is 1 reconciling the world to himself.
WE BELIEVE in the Resurrection from mortal to immortality, in a future judgment and Eternal Life.
WE BELIEVE in the coming of the Kingdom of God, and the final triumph of Christian Truth.
The Five Points of Unitarianism
[Written in 1884 by the Rev. James Freeman Clarke,
this statement was quite popular for over 60 years.]
WE BELIEVE IN The Fatherhood of God,
The Brotherhood of Man,
The Leadership of Jesus,
Salvation by Character,
The Progress of Mankind,
onward and upward forever.
The Boston Profession
[Adopted by the 1899 General Convention of Universalists to be used
along with the Winchester Profession, including the liberty clause.]
WE BELIEVE IN The Universal Fatherhood of God;
The Spiritual Authority and Leadership of His Son, Jesus Christ;
The Trustworthiness of the Bible as containing
a Revelation from God;
The Certainty of Just Retribution for Sin;
And the final Harmony of all Souls with God.
The Washington Avowal
[Adopted at the Universalist General Convention in 1935,
with the Liberty Clause being amended in 1935.]
THE BOND OF FELLOWSHIP in this Convention shall be a common purpose
to do the will of God as Jesus revealed it and to cooperate in establishing
the Kingdom for which he lived and died. To that end
WE AVOW OUR FAITH in God as External and All-Conquering Love,
In the spiritual leadership of Jesus,
In the supreme worth of every human personality,
In the authority of truth known or to be known,
And in the power of men of good will and sacrificial spirit to overcome
all evil and to progressively establish the kingdom of God.
Neither this nor any other statement shall be imposed as a creedal test.
The Five Principles
[Adopted by the Committee for Unitarian Advance, 1944, and used widely thereafter]
WE BELIEVE IN
Individual freedom of belief;
Discipleship to advancing truth;
The democratic process in human relationships;
Universal brotherhood, undivided by nation, race or creed;
An allegiance to the cause of a united world community.
AUA Purposes and Objectives
[From the By-Laws of the American Unitarian Association, May 23, 1951,
and amended through 1959]
IN ACCORDANCE with its charter, the American Unitarian Association shall be “devoted
to moral, religious, educational and charitable purposes.”
IN ACCORDANCE with these purposes the American Unitarian Association shall:
(1) Diffuse the knowledge and promote the interests of religion which Jesus taught as love to
God and love to man;
(2) Strengthen the churches and fellowships which united in the Association for more and
better work for the Kingdom of God;
(3) Organize new churches and fellowships for the extension of Unitarianism in our own countries
and in other lands; and
(4) Encourage sympathy and co-operation among religious liberals at home and abroad.
[Note: A “liberty clause” followed containing these words: Nothing in these purposes shall be
construed as an authoritative test.]
The Unitarian Universalist Association, I
[Adopted in 1959 at the Joint Assembly developing the plan to consolidate the
American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America,
and amended in 1973 to contain more inclusive language.]
IN ACCORDANCE with these corporate purposes, the members of the Unitarian Universalist
Association, dedicated to the principles of a free faith...(a) Support the free and disciplined search
for truth as the foundation of our religious fellowship;
(b) Cherish and spread the universal truths taught by the great prophets and teachers of humanity
in every age and tradition, immemorially summarized in the Judeo-Christian heritage as love to God
and love to humankind;
(c) Affirm, defend, and promote the supreme worth and dignity of every human personality, and the
use of the democratic method in human relationships;
(d) Implement the vision of one world by striving for a world community founded on ideals of
brotherhood, justice and peace;
(e) Serve the needs of member societies;
(f) Organize new churches and fellowships and otherwise extend and strengthen liberal religion;
(g) Encourage co-operation among people of good will in every land.
[Note: This time the “liberty clause” specifically included ministers:
“No minister shall be required to subscribe to any particular interpretation of religion, or to any particular religious
belief or creed to obtain or hold Fellowship for the UUA”.]
The Unitarian Universalist Association, II
[Adopted in 1984 as a result of expressed concerns by feminists, theists and others]
WE, THE MEMBER CONGREGATIONS of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
covenant to affirm and promote
• 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 rights 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.
THE LIVING TRADITION we share draws from many sources:
• Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves
us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures
of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
• Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life;
• Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
GRATEFUL for the religious pluralism which enriches and enobles our faith,
we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision.
AS FREE CONGREGATIONS we enter into this covenant, promising to one another
our mutual trust and support.
∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆
The first part of this last declaratiom with its twelve affirmations appears in our hymnal, and frequently in material distributed by our Hendersonville Fellowship.
Have the covenants we have made to each other over the past two hundred years been worth the effort?
With all allowance for the perils of prose composed by committees, these statements have helped hundreds of thousands of men and women to consciously develop ever more open expressions of the liberal quest, and to enable love and life to grow on the blue bubble we call our planet.
|
|
