You’re probably familiar with Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that draws on the collective wisdom of its readers for the entries. I have found Wikipedia to be a fairly reliable source of information on technical matters. Just for fun, I decided to see if there’s an entry on Unitarian Universalism, and if so to see how accurate that entry is.

Wikipedia does have an entry on Unitarian Universalism, but it’s not particularly accurate. It veers between apologetics and an objective account of Unitarian Universalism, and never really gets anywhere at all. Here’s the first paragraph of the entry:

“Unitarian Universalism (UU or UUism) is a theologically liberal, inclusive religion formed by the merger of Unitarian and Universalist organizations in the mid 20th century. UUs generally: cherish creativity, freedom, and compassion; embrace diversity and interconnectedness; and promote personal spiritual growth and justice-making through worship, fellowship, personal experience, social action, deeds, and education. While one UU may differ from another in personal creed, the term UU is a distinct theological signifier and Unitarianism or Universalism should not be confused or interchanged with Unitarian Universalism.”

Well, maybe so, but maybe not…

The Unitarians and Universalists did not merge, they consolidated — merger would have meant the end of the earlier organizations and the creation of an entirely new organization, whereas consolidation maintained connection with insitutional roots. And while Unitarian Universalists can be characterized as theologically liberal, only an apologist would claim that we are particularly inclusive. And the list of things that begins “UUs generally” does not distinguish us from most other religious liberals such as the United Church of Christ or the Episcopalians. And to say that individual Unitarian Universalists have a “personal creed” is inaccurate at best, considering that one distinctive of Unitarian Universalism is that we tend to have religious understandings that evolve through our life times…. and one could also argue that Unitarian Universalism now de-emphasizes correct belief (orthodoxy) in favor of correct practice or correct living (orthopraxy). And the term “UU” is not a distinct theological signifier at all, but an abbreviation of the name of a denomination or religious organization… and many have argued convincingly that Unitarian Universalism offers little or nothing that is theologically distinct from other forms of religious liberalism. And “Unitarianism” is commonly confused with and interchanged with “Unitarian Universalism,” not as a point of theology but as a shorthand way of referring to the insitution or organization… and because of consolidation, I’d argue that that is a correct but incomplete useage of the terms.

You’re supposed to be able to sign on and edit any Wikipedia article, so I suppose I should do that rather than complain. But I don’t have time to edit an article that is so riddled with problems. I’d rather just go back to what I’ve always thought — Wikipedia is fairly accurate when it comes to technical issues, but I’ll look elsewhere for information on religion. However, if I were going to rewrite that first paragraph, here’s what I might say:

“Unitarian Universalism (UUism) is a theologically liberal religious movement characterized by some scholars as a “new religious movement,” and by others as a Protestant denomination. Formed by the consolidation of the Unitarian and Universalist denominations in 1961, Unitarian Universalism probably has a closer resemblance to Mainline Protestanism, although it has been rejected for membership in the National Council of Churches, a predominantly mainline group. Unitarian Universalists (UUs) tend to be extremely well-educated, politically liberal, and relatively well-to-do. The general belief structure draws from an Emersonian emphasis on individualism and direct religious experience, with an emphasis on doing good works in the world. Local congregations are relatively autonomous. The center of most congregations is the weekly worship service, which generally takes place on Sunday mornings, and most closely resembles Protestant worship services in the Reformed and free church traditions.”

(Now I’ll just sit back and wait for other Unitarian Universalists to tell me where I’m wrong.)