The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-23
ONITARIANISM.
REV. ADELBERT l.. HUDSON TELLS
WHAT 1T STANDS FOR.
While Unitarians Have No Creed In
Which Profession of Belief Is
Required. 1t Is Untrue to Say
They Have No Faith.

Rev. Adelbert Hudson preached yes
terday morning upon tUnitarianism:
What Does it Stand For?'
Referring to the Interrogation, which
one hears so often, What do Unitari-
ans believer" he said that the very
question indicates a false notion as to
the basis of church organization and
fellowship. From every reasonable
standpoint uniformity of intellectual
belief is the last thing which ought to
be expecte@ from the members of any
religious society.
IF one interested in education should
ask: What does the University of Utah
beleYe? the faculty of that progressive
institution would probably answer with
some amusement: The University of
Utah believes in higher education, that
is the best development of the power of
thought o. each individual mind. And
in order 20 attain this, il is important
that each mind should be free TO think
for itself. Uniformity of thinking would
make machines rather than scholars
The University Of Utah has no creed. 1t
stands for the honest, free and unbiased
search for truth
This should be equally the answer of
a religious society to the same question
A creedal church whose creed is honestly
held and faithfully followed would be
each candle comes alike in size and FORM
The salvation of individuality in such
churches grows out of intellectual dis
honesty. While members profess to be-
lieve their creed, they in fact take 1t
with such mental reservations as to
negative all it's principal statements of
belief. But why not be honest? Why
profess to believe in the outgrown theory
of the middle ages? The very fact that
intelligent people are compelled to take
their creeds with mental reservations, Is
sufficient proof that creed is not the
true expression of the meaning of church
life. The question which a church should
always be ready to answer is not What
do you believe? but What do you stand
for? What are your aims and purposes
What do you hope to accomplish for the
betterment of society"
"Unitarians feel an honest pride in the
fact that they have no creed in which
every one is required to profess belief.
But it is quite untrue to say that they
have no faith. Only their faith is not in
some narrow dogmatic statement of be-
lief. 1t is faith in the eternal verities Of
life. Unitarianism has certain clearly
defined and positive principles for which
it stands"
Among these principles he mentioned
Liberty of Thought" Progress"
Character" Universal Brotherhood"
and the Unity of Life" He traced the
course of the age, long struggle for
liberty of thought and showed how
mucn IS due TO liberal religious Inlnk-
ers for the unquestioned freedom of
thought existing today.
Turning to the field of human
progress he showed how the creedal
churches have stood as barriers against
the progressive spirit. Unitarianisn
on the contrary stands allied with the
forces of progress, while at the same
time preserving all that it best in the
development of the past.
He discussed at some length the
emphasis which Unitarianism places
upon character. 1t does not regard
religion as means of securing safety
from punishment in the next world,
but rather as an opportunity for de-
veloping what is best in human nature
in this world.
He dwelt also upon the recognition
by Unitarianism of universal brother
hood. Unitarians do not recognize the
old conception of the dualism of life,
whereby part of the race are doomed
to endless perdition while the rest are
happy in selfish bliss. They did not
recognize the infinite spirit which per-
Vades the universe as divided into a
personal God and a personal devil
Unitarianism stands for the upward
growth of humanity in response to the
promptings of the divine element which
inheres in all. In the working out of
this divine element in our common
humanity Unitarianism finds that
unity of life which gives to religion
its motive power the source of its
inspiration.