While digging through the archives on my computer (I was looking for a letter I wrote a while back that I wanted to publish) I stumbled across an exchange I had back in January of 2020. The exchange stemmed from my sister-in-law sharing this article (on Instagram I think).
Now a bit of background: back in 2020 I was at the pinnacle of my right wing, christian nationalist, alt-right, pro-Trump idealogies... So, the exchange is but a small glimpse into the mind of a Republican Calvinist.
After much inner turmoil and cringing at my past condescension and absolute assurance of my moral and intellectual superiority I decided to share the exchange here. Perhaps you know someone like who I was and you think there is no hope that they will ever change. Well I changed. How and why I changed are questions that I am still wrestling with... but somehow - someway I did.
Evangelical christianity I have come to believe is very much a cult. It is a religion composed solely on phobia indoctrination, dogma, arrogance, a system of harm that covers for and enables others to harm, torment, and "enslave" others into the same idealogies all in the name of love, compassion, and eternal salvation. I am so grateful to have escaped. However, when I stand on the outside looking in to who I was (this exchange is a good example of that) I realize just how entrenched I was.
So, without further ado here is the exchange.
I chose the sad face (my sister-in-law had inquired as to why I had responded to her post with a sad faced emoji) because I am staunchly opposed to the Unitarian Universalist doctrine espoused by the article you shared.
In a nutshell the Unitarian Universalists “religion” is centered on the belief that we are justified by dying. Their central belief is one that deflates Jesus Christ and why He was crucified.
To be fair some of the points in the article are not Unitarian Universalist in nature. However, a quick search shows that the author is a proponent of the Unitarian Universalism and several key phrases within the article are central to the universalist theology.
Her response:
From my understanding, I can hardly see the ties between true Christianity and Unitarian Universalism..however I can also hardly see the ties between this article and Unitarian Universalism.
I agree that it speaks of equality and freedom and respect for others but I don’t think that it is promoting deviating from the Bible’s actual truths, nor the incorporation of other religions into our own.
The main takeaways from this article, in my opinion, of course, were acceptance of the fact that other people worship differently (that doesn’t mean we have to agree and certainly not incorporate their practices), that the Bible applies to and loves all equally, and that Jesus comes before our nationalism or political ties. That is what I got from the article personally.
If the author is a unitarian universalist, I would say it is hard to tell from this article because of their references to adhering to the Bible and taking on the characteristics of Jesus. I don’t see the incorporation of any other religion, nor the talk of the aimless and free search for purpose, but am totally open to hearing what I missed
I fear that you read the first few paragraphs as what I believe and what the author is supporting, rather than what the author is arguing against
My response:
First off let me assure you that I have read the whole article, several times over in fact. It is quite cleverly written as it sets up “straw men” for many hotly debated points of doctrine within the church.
The first straw man argument is not wanting to be a Christian who is unable to “see the image of God in people of every color, religious tradition, and sexual orientation.” Of course God’s image is in every human being, that point is not being debated. However, that does not mean that just because His image is there that the individual can continue in their wrong behavior, namely a sexual orientation deemed as sin in the Bible. Sex is between a man and woman, and only to be enjoyed within the bounds of marriage. Anything else is sexual immorality. The author even goes as low as to booby trap this statement by throwing in color - obviously a persons color has no bearing on their salvation. If you disagree with his statement you can easily be branded as a racist.
The other straw-man is the phrase “I refuse to be a Christian who cannot find the beauty and truth in religious traditions other than my own.” Of course there is a pale beauty in a Japanese shinto shrine or the Dome of the Rock. However, that man made beauty is nothing compared to the beauty of the Trinity, God’s church, and the truth based on His infallible Word. Other religious traditions may teach some truth such as “It is wrong to commit murder” but they fail to teach the most essential truth of Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection, what that means for lost and dead sinners, and its bearing on their eternity in either heaven or hell.
The author’s two statements while taken on face value project an attitude that could be construed as Christ like while their underlying premise is actually loaded with lies. This underlying falsehood can be confirmed by the authors denominational affiliation - Unitarian Universalism.
In closing, here is a more truthful way to write the authors statement:
You can get into Heaven by nearly any religious tradition, not just Christianity (2024, What is heaven? Does it even exist? If it does then this actually might be true)
The Bible’s stance on sexual immorality is deficient, open to interpretation, and not relevant to our society today. Therefore, every sexual orientation should be accepted and loved because it will have no bearing whatsoever on that person’s eternal destiny. (2024, A book written thousands of years ago by misogynist, racist, goat herders IS NOT relevant to today)
There are other areas of the article that I disagree with. However, those issues are not as egregious as the two I listed above. So, I will not touch on them right now (2024, Awww come one I really want to know more). Again I would like to point out that not all of the statements the author makes are wrong. That is where the danger lies, his article is pockmarked with lies cleverly camouflaged with biblical truth such as - Jesus comes before our nationalism or political ties and the Bible applies to and loves all equally.
I hope my explanation clears up how the article espouses Unitarian Universalist ideals. I have endeavored to only speak the truth. If you feel I missed the mark or have any questions I encourage you to bring it to my attention, I always enjoy a friendly (2024, 🤣 yea sure call it friendly) round of apologetics.
Let me just say that Today I would not want to be friends with the younger me The younger me was convinced that theology was science - factually proven with only one true path towards salvation... 🥱🤢🤮
Life is change, nothing stays the same...Perhaps I will stumble across this blog post four years from now and cringe at who I am now.