What Exactly is Unitarian Universalism Anyway?

In one episode of the popular long-running cartoon "The Simpsons," the family goes to a church picnic. Lisa, the most open-minded one of the group, approaches the ice cream table and remarks on all of the Biblically-named flavors. She then notices and asks for the Unitarian flavor, and Reverend Lovejoy gives her an empty bowl. Lisa looks into it and says, "There's nothing there."

Lovejoy responds, "Exactly."

A funny gag to be sure, and even most Unitarians would have a good laugh at it. But the Reverend's comment just goes to show how little the common populace--not just of Springfield, but of the United States--knows about Unitarian Universalism.

More and more people are discovering Unitarian Universalism and adopting it as their belief system. Unitarian Universalist churches are cropping up around the States. This leaves the remainder of the population, especially those following a Judeo-Christian faith, scratching their heads and asking, "Well, what exactly IS Unitarian Universalism anyway?"

There really isn't a simple or easy answer. In fact, every Unitarian who is proposed the question will give a different response. However, this article will attempt to skim the surface and help give at least a basic understanding of what it is that Unitarian Universalists believe and practice. And hopefully, it will dispel any common myths or rumors about this unfamiliar faith.

History
Unitarian Universalism as it is today has only been around since 1961, but has a very long history reaching far beyond that date. Many famous names, like Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau, have described themselves as Unitarians at some point in their lives.

Unitarian Universalism, as the name suggests, comes from a combination of two different but compatible faiths, each of them a derivation of Christianity.