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Chapter 2 - Beginnings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

Mark W. Harris
Affiliation:
Minister at the First Parish of Watertown (Massachusetts), Andover Newton Theological School
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Summary

Unitarianism and Universalism are both ways of thinking about God and the meaning of life that have always had a presence in the history of Christianity, and which were both condemned as heresies. They date to the years closely following the birth of the Christian Church, but it was a millennium and a half before they took organized institutional form. There were always those Christians who preferred a more human Jesus because having a relationship with him was more important than worshipping him. They were engaged with this world, and wanted to play a key role in their own salvation rather than focusing primarily on the next world and the afterlife. This became especially true after the Reformation when Unitarianism became institutionalized and belief in the invisible world became more and more suspect.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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  • Beginnings
  • Andrea Greenwood, Mark W. Harris
  • Book: An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511843334.003
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  • Beginnings
  • Andrea Greenwood, Mark W. Harris
  • Book: An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511843334.003
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Beginnings
  • Andrea Greenwood, Mark W. Harris
  • Book: An Introduction to the Unitarian and Universalist Traditions
  • Online publication: 05 June 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511843334.003
Available formats
×