Voices of Universalism

Jeff at Transient and Permanent has been writing a series of posts featuring quotations from the history of Universalism. The quotations he has chosen communicate the passion and urgency of Universalism as expressed by key figures in Universalist history.

Going through these quotations reminded me of a recent trip to the Harvard Divinity School library. Although I have scoured the shelves a zillion times looking for various Unitarian or Universalist texts, each time I am awe-struck when I come across the older books on the shelves (for example, a text on Universalism dating back to the 1850’s). I am moved that my religious ancestors cared enough about our message to write these books, and that others cared enough about preserving that message to take care of these books and get them into the library, where Unitarian Universalist ministerial candidates can still hold them today.

However, most Unitarian Universalists and others who would be interested in the Universalist message do not have access to the Harvard Divinity School library. Nor do most of us want to want to thumb through crumbling pages and yellowed text, and decipher the now-antiquated language in which these books were written.

That’s why we are lucky to have Jeff (and other UU bloggers who write about UU history) reminding us of some of the richest pieces of Universalist history, in a format that reaches people today and fits our current patterns of media usage. In explaining why he is sharing Universalist quotations, he writes:

The goal here is to demonstrate the breadth of views within that tradition, and to better acquaint modern Unitarian-Universalists (and those who study them) with the relatively neglected side of their spiritual heritage. Unitarianism tends to overshadow Universalism in UU churches, but Universalism is still with us in many corners and has a history, both proud and checkered, that is equally worthy of attention. Daily quotes from the Unitarian and Unitarian-Universalist traditions might also be offered, but for now it seems more necessary to help plug the gap in knowledge and familiarity about Universalism.

The under-appreciated message of Universalism is still relevant today, but that message is not being shared and discussed enough among Unitarian Universalists or in the larger American religious landscape.

Here’s one explanation I’ve heard for the decline in Universalism’s popularity and perceived relevance as a religious movement: Compared to the context in which Universalism sprang up in America (in the late 1700’s), universalism (as in the belief that all people will go to heaven) is relatively well-accepted by American Christianity today. In effect, this argument goes, Universalists were victims of their own success. As American Christians put less and less emphasis on hell, the Universalism seemed less and less unique, and therefore attracted fewer adherents.

While this theory may have some validity, it discounts the fact that many American religions still preach messages of exclusion and of limited salvation. Many religious groups in America still preach that there is only one way to salvation, that God can only be truly encountered in one religion, and that those who fall outside the dictates of various doctrines within that religion will not receive the full rewards of God’s love. Universalism in its broader implications is still radical. The message that God loves all people, that God is a God of mercy rather than punishment, and that there is more than one path to salvation is still a message the world needs.