Recently as I was closing the door of the
Unitarian Church an elderly Dubliner came over to me and, leaning in,
said in a whisper, “Tell me what class of a cult is in that building?”
The word “cult” jarred; I assured him we were not a cult, that our
written history in Dublin goes back to the 1600s.
With
hindsight, I realise that while the church is a familiar landmark on St
Stephen’s Green – last Friday, June 14th, marked the 150th anniversary
of the building – Unitarianism as a faith is unfamiliar to most people.
The
refusal of Unitarian ministers to subscribe to the Westminster
Confession of Faith meant that Unitarians were regarded as dissenters.
Until 1813, Unitarianism was illegal.
In the early years of the movement, meeting
houses were in quiet back streets; on the old maps they appear as
Presbyterian Meeting Houses.
Irish luminaries
Our church has a proud history.
The Baptism book records entries for, among
others, the Emmet family, William Drennan and John Jameson, a distiller
in Smithfield. These entries are signed by Rev John Moody.
His brother
Rev Boyle Moody was a founding member of the Newry branch of the Society
of United Irishmen; he was arrested prior to the outbreak of the 1798
rebellion.
A stained-glass window in the church
was gifted by the Hutton family who were coach builders in Summerhill.
The Huttons were deeply involved in the church and the civic life of
Dublin city.
What about the Unitarian faith?
Unitarianism grew out of the Reformation; Unitarians believed that the
Reformation was not radical enough. They believed that no one had the
authority to define God for another person. They rejected all imposed
doctrine including the doctrine of God as Trinity. They rejected creeds
and the system of church hierarchy.
The Dublin
church is affiliated to the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free
Christian Churches and also to the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church
in Northern Ireland.
A plaque on the external wall
welcomes people to worship in a spirit of freedom, reason and
tolerance.
Sunday service is the familiar mix of prayers, readings and
hymns together with an address or sermon. What does it mean to worship
in a spirit of freedom, reason and tolerance?
We
are free in our spiritual search; our search for truth and meaning is
not confined to particular scriptures or limited by a creed.
The early
Unitarians found inspiration solely within the Bible; today, as well as
in the Bible, modern Unitarians find inspiration in other faith systems,
from philosophy to poetry and music.
Spiritual search
Human intelligence is one of God’s greatest gifts. We use our God-given intelligence in our spiritual search. We do not accept as truth anything that fails the test of reason. We believe that truth is never threatened by the use of reason.
We accept
diversity of belief within and outside of our community. There are no
right beliefs, there is no imposed truth. We are searchers for truth,
wisdom and meaning in life; we claim no monopoly on truth.
We
must be tolerant of people who hold different views. We respect all
faiths as being the human searching for the mystery we call God.
The
absence of a creed in Unitarianism means that, over time, the emphasis
in the church changes.
Today the doctrine of the Trinity is not the
focus of our interest.
The fact that there is no imposed dogma does not
mean we do not have beliefs.
These are some of
our beliefs: we believe in the dignity of every person. We believe in
the inherent goodness of the human soul.
We believe in democracy within
our congregations.
We believe in the right of conscience.
We respect the
interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
We believe
that a person’s sexuality is their own business.
Journey of faith
Many people practise a faith that is life-enhancing: to you we send greetings and blessings.
To all seekers of the spirit, we extend an
invitation to join with other seekers on a journey of faith. We are an
open church and a welcoming community.
Rev Bridget Spain is minister at the Dublin Unitarian Church on St Stephen’s Green