The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-05
UNITARIANISM.
What Tenets the Members of That Denom-
inatlOn Hold.

%ination Hold.
10 The INDEPENDENT: Considerable in
terest has been centered on Unitarians and
Unitarianism since 1t has been known that
a minister of that faith was soon to preach
here and that there was a strong probable
ity of the organization of such a church
here. Many have been the questions put
and many queer surmises made as to their
belief, and SO wide of the mark does the
knowledge of the general public seem to be
that I ask room for tho following brief
statement, made by Rev. j. Il. Sunderland,
q Unitarian minister of Ann Arbor, Mich:
1--WE believe that the same God who is the
author of religion is also the author of rea-
son; that there ia no other way In which
truth can possibly be separated from error
use of reason; and, therefore, that it is of
the highest Importance that there
should be everywhere the freest and
fullest inquiry with reference to religious
things-in this inquiry every man being
permitted to stand upon his " feet, and
to Judge for himself, subject to no dicta-
tion or pressure from councils, synods,
conferences, presbyteries, creeds, cate
chisms, fathers of the church, doctors of
the church, or preachers.
We have no creed, that is, no authorize
tive statement of beliefs which persons are
required to subscribe to; first, because we
believe to the fullest extent in liberty of
thought, and would do nothing to check it.;
secondly, because in the very nature of the
case it is impossible for any two persons to
see truth exactly alike; and therefore a
creed made by one man for another must
be more or less inadequate if not false;
thirdly. because if We had a creed fitted to
our wants to-day, We should either have to
stop growing In knowledge and insight or
else get a new one Tomorrow; fourthly,
because neither Jesus nor the apos-
ties taught any, nor did the early
gives unmlstakabls proof that creeds and
authoritative statements of doctrine have
always tended to tear the Christian church
to pieces, to multiply aects, to suggest and
foster prosecutions, and to hinder progress.
But while we have no creed or fixed state
ment Of doctrine which We prescribe az a
condition of Christian fellowship, we do
have a great, central principle. and a few
great. simple, central faiths. Our central
principle is this: The necessary harmony Of
true religion with reason, or the supreme
authority Of reason and moral conscious
ness in the search after religious truth.
From his fundamental principal, every
where held to among ua, has resulted an
essential agreement as to the general, fund
amental faiths upon which our movement
builds-sn agreement probably. quite as
great as can be found in churches which
have authoritative creeds.
We believe God to be one, not three or
more; an Intelligent first cause, not an uL-
innate blind force; beyond our utmost
thought powerful, wise, holy, just. good,
not malignant or Indifferent, or in any way
imperfect; the embodiment of all, and
more than all. that VIZ can possibly mean
by that name which Jesus taught us to call
Hin, "our father" and hence ono who can
nevor cease to love and care for all His
children in this world or any other.
We believe that inspiration ia not some
thing which can be locked up in writing, or
confined to any age or people; but that
now, to-day. and here with us, just as truly
as 1900 or 5000 years ago and in Palestine.
the infinite spirit of wisdom. truth, beauty
and love waits to come with its inspiration
into every receptive mind.
We believe that revelation ia progressive,
not stationary; that 1t ia of all times, coun-
tries and races, not Of the remote past or of
a single people only; that il comes through
many channels, including nature, history
and the mind OF man, not through any sim
gle channel alone, or in any miraculous
way; that, no far from revelation being
confined to one book, all moral and spirit-
truth known to man belongs to 1t; that as u
rnce we are new standing only in tho
morning dawn of revelation, not in the
evening twilight.
the most influential. the most important,
tho noblest depository OF this revelation
that has &C me down to US from the pnst,
and Ia therefore to be priced by us ns the
most sacred of books; though not AZ the