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 The
return of Gary Bowman, the fundamentalist preacher who calls
himself "Moses," to our campus, is sure to raise religious
controversy once again. But that is not necessarily a bad
thing. Bowman's rhetoric is harsh and almost entirely devoid
of truth, but he can cause people to think about their religion
(or lack thereof). Fortunately, few, if any, of Bowman's listeners
believe what he says. Perhaps some will think about why he
is wrong.
It
is an assumption of my faith that religion should be thought
about, rather than unthinkingly followed or rejected. Every
person is free to come to their own conclusions regarding
religion, but they should come to them on their own, not simply
inherit them from parents or copy them from peers.
Students
certainly should not believe something because a guy in a
suit yells that they'll go to hell if they don't. Not that
the ideas of "Moses" are entirely rejected, but the purpose
of the religious community is to support an individual in
their quest for knowledge and faith. Enforcing a specific
set of beliefs should not be imposed or forced on others.
These are my beliefs, those of a creedless faith.
What is this creedless faith? When I'm asked my religion,
I reply, "Unitarian Universalist." Surprisingly, many people
know something of what I'm talking about. It's surprising
because Unitarianism is a scarcely followed and little-known
faith, with followers mounting to less than 1 percent of the
U.S. population.
The influence of Unitarians has long been greater than the
number of its adherents. Many influential women and men have
been Unitarian and/or Universalist members or sympathizers,
too many to list. (If interested, a very thorough list can
be found at www.jinet.com/famousuus.)
But what exactly is this small, yet influential, creedless
faith? I'll attempt to explain.
The Unitarian Universalist Association was formed in 1961
with the merger of two liberal churches that had grown out
of the Christian tradition but had come to be more than just
Christianity. Unitarianism originally consisted of those who
did not accept the doctrine of the Trinity, finding little
biblical reason to do so.
The religion originally consisted of Christians who felt they
could not reconcile the idea of a loving God with that of
eternal punishment in hell, believing instead in universal
salvation.
These two non-mainstream denominations both grew rather liberal,
becoming very open faiths with very little dogma or creed
(required beliefs for membership). When they came to resemble
each other enough, they merged, forming a faith open to everyone
that declares itself to have no creed or dogma at all.
About a quarter of today's Unitarians consider themselves
Christians. The rest consider themselves some other faith,
a combination of several, or simply Unitarian Universalists.
How can such a diverse group of people get along without a
formal set of beliefs? Well, there is nothing that must be
believed to be a part of the Unitarians, but there is a set
of assumptions most have freely chosen. The UUA, the democratic
government of the denomination, has stated them like this:
"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
of 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; and respect for the interdependent
web of all existence, of which we are a part."
It is not a creed, but a mere declaration of the current feeling
of the democratic representatives of the faith's members,
which reflect their common assumptions.
So, if Moses happens to stir a desire for a religion that
is in many ways quite the opposite of what he preaches, perhaps
you should look into Unitarian Universalism. The fellowship
in Fayetteville is at the intersection of Cleveland and Oakland
streets, and services are at 11 a.m. every Sunday.
For
more information, check out comp.uark.edu/~uufellow.
In addition, a new UU student association has been formed
on campus. The group meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays in the coffee
shop of the student union. Our web page is www.uark.edu/studorg/uuff.
Feel
free to join us, I'm the president, which reveals my ulterior
motive in writing this article. But as a Unitarian Universalist,
I'm free to regard that motive as just, no matter what Bowman
thinks of it.
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