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What is Unitarian Universalism?
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Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion originally born of the Jewish and
Christian traditions. We keep our minds open to the religious questions people have struggled with in all times and places.
We believe that personal experience, conscience, and reason should be the final
authorities in religion. In the end religious authority lies not in a book or person or institution, but in ourselves. We put religious insights to the test of our
hearts and minds.
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Who are Unitarian Universalists?
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At a Unitarian Universalist worship service or meeting, you will find members whose
positions on faith may be derived from a variety of religious beliefs: Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, atheist, or agnostic. Members might tell you that they are religious
humanists, world religionists, pagans, or feminists. All these people, and others who label their beliefs still differently, are faithful Unitarian Universalists committed to
the practice of free religion.
Some of the greatest thinkers of the 17th century were Unitarian or
Universalist, including Joseph Priestly, Charles Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Maria Mitchell, and Benjamin Rush. In the 1900s increased travel brought awareness
of Eastern religious thought, and many of those open to these new insights also were Unitarian or Universalist, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, James Freeman Clarke, Clara
Barton, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, and Susan B. Anthony.
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If it is so diverse, what does it mean to be Unitarian Universaltist?
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We are a religious people who have woven strands of a rich past into a tapestry of the
present. We are united in our committment to the seven Unitarian
Universalist principles. We worship, sing, work, play, study, teach, learn, and grow together as congregations -- all the while
remaining strong in our individual convictions, and enriching each others´ spirituality through the diversity of insights available.
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How long has Unitarian Universalism been around?
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Unitarianianism and Universalism began as seperate responses to religious intolerance
in the 16th and 17th centuries. Unitarians affirmed the essential oneness of God, opposing the Trinity of Catholic Dogma. Universalists espoused free will and
availability of salvation to all persons in contrast to the predestination of the Calvinist movement. Both advocated freedom of conscience in religious matters.
Still later, new religious groups began to reject eccliastical authority, forming
democratic congregations based on adoption of a covenant rather than a creed. Some of these migrated to America as Pilgrims and Puritans and later added “Unitarian” to
their names; some of the oldest churches in the US, including the First Parish of Plymouth, Massachusetts, became Unitarian.
Although they developed seperately, moving into the 20th century the beliefs of
Unitarians and Universalists increasingly converged. In 1961 they merged to become the Unitarian Universalist Association.
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When was UUCL founded?
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Our church was founded in 1990. Originally we met in the Loudoun County
Community Center, and later in the Loudoun Country Day School. We currently have about 80 members, and meet in our own sanctuary on Gleedsville Road. We encourage a diversity of spiritual views, operate democratically, and invite members to participate in services and provide us all with the benefits of lessons they have learned on their spiritual journey.
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Does UUCL have religious education programs for kids?
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Yes! Please read more about the Religious Education program, for Kids and Adults, by going to the UUCL Religious Education page.
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How do I become a UUCL member?
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UUCL welcomes all friends and visitors. You don't have to be a member to
come regularly and participate in all church activities. If you have been
coming for a while and feel you are ready to make a commitment, there are
components of membership.
Speak with a Board Member if you are interested in becoming a member.
What do you get for your membership? Every member gets a subscription to
UU World magazine. More important than the magazine is the one other difference
between members and friends of the church: members get to vote at
congregational meetings. We vote each year on the officers of the Governing
Board of the church, and we vote on important issues that might arise. For
example, we voted last winter to ratify the selection of the Search Committee
to seek a permanent settled minister, which is a very big step for us.
Then there's the biggest perk of all: the satisfaction of belonging to an
active group of liberal-thinking people, dedicated to helping each other in a
spiritual search and helping our community.
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