About North Shore Ministries

Church History And Beliefs

Unitarian Universalism

Our Organization, North Shore Universal Church, is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3). We are part of the U.S. network of Unitarian churches which are derivative from Universalism theological understandings. Our Church denominational beliefs draw heavily on Judeo-Christian and Buddhist doctrine. The defining theological idea of Universalism is universal salvation. Universalists believe that – to the extent that there is a God – this entity would not “create” people knowing that these people would be destined for eternal damnation. We’re here for other purposes, including marriage.

Unitarian Universalism coalesced in 1961 by a merger between the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association. As a faith tradition and community, Unitarian Universalism is somewhat unique. Followers of Universal Unitarianism are united not by a single creed, but instead by a quest for spiritual growth. Members believe that this growth is the end goal, rather than obedience to a religious code. Due to the open nature of Universal Unitarianism, the theology incorporates ideas from many different religions and philosophies.

The word “Unitarian” in the title of the religion refers to an early core belief in the singular personhood of God. This was a rejection of the Catholic belief in the Holy Trinity- the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost- postulating instead the existence of a single God figure. The second word in the name, Universalism, refers to a belief that all souls are essentially saved. That is, Universalism rejects any belief in an everlasting Hell. Modern Unitarian Universalists, meanwhile, do not necessarily hold the beliefs historically associated with the religion. Followers are free to believe whatever they choose spiritually, and so even atheists are accepted into the fold.

Church Principles

While the church of Unitarian Universalism was founded in the United States, churches have sprung up in many nations. In fact, similar religions existed in many countries prior to the official founding of Unitarian Universalism in 1962. Because of the Unitarian Universalist belief in freedom of thought, the religion does not have any one official creed. Instead, the Universalist Unitarian Association suggests several Thoughts and Principles, with which most UUs concur. These guidelines were suggested by a committee and confirmed by UU congregations worldwide. There are seven Principles, which are paraphrased as follows.

Members Of Universal Unitarianism Agree To

Respect for the value and dignity of every individual

Fairness, empathy, and justness in human interaction

Acceptance of all beliefs and encouragement towards personal spiritual growth

Liberty to conduct a personal search for spiritual meaning

The right to a democratic method in each congregation and in the world at large

Pursuit of a peaceful world, with justice and freedom for every human

Unitarianism (from Latin unitas “unity, oneness”, from unus “one”) is a Christian theological movement named for its belief that the God in Christianity is one person, as opposed to the Trinity (tri- from Latin tres “three”) which in many other branches of Christianity defines God as three persons in one being: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.[1] Unitarian Christians, therefore, believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings, and he is a savior,[2][3] but he was not a deity or God incarnate. Unitarianism does not constitute one single Christian denomination, but rather refers to a collection of both extant and extinct Christian groups, whether historically related to each other or not, which share a common theological concept of the oneness nature of God.