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Unitarianism in New England
Unitarianism is New England's largest religion. Originally evolving as an offshoot of Christianity, the Unitarian churches in New England now attract a wide variety of adherents, from those with Christian roots, to the more earth based neo-pagan faiths of pre-Christian times.
The success of the religion can be attributed to a conscious effort that was undertaken in the years after New England became an independent nation. Its people often spoke of a sense of loss and emptiness, which had come about not only because of the great sense of loss after the bloodiness of the Civil War, but also because most New Englanders (and Australians) lacked a coherent belief system that sustained their faith. Unitarianism has filled that void beautifully over the last forty years, and today provides a sound moral and social compass for nearly 917,000 New Englanders.
Denominations
There are presently two denominations. Both enjoy a large number of attendees, and the differences between them are largely superficial. The UCNE is a more conservative and established body, while the NEUA is more radical and is particularly popular amongst younger Unitarians.
Unitarian Church of New England - The Unitarian Church of New England or UCNE is the largest religious organisation in New England and is also the lead church of the Unitarian faith. The church was established in 2013. It is a creedless church, and so the church has members of a diverse range of faiths and beliefs. As of 2050, the church has around 861,792 members, or about 94% of all Unitarian New Englanders.
New England Unitarian Association - The New England Unitarian Association or NEUA is the smaller of New England's two Unitarian churches. The church has around 55,000 members, or 6% of all Unitarian New Englanders. Established in 2034, the NEUA is creedless, and also carries a membership of diverse faiths, usually of a younger age.
Membership
Around 916,800 (or 38.5%) people are recorded in the Census as being Unitarian. Of that number it is estimated that 750,000 attend church at least once a month (the official indicator of an active participant in the church). Unitarianism is the fastest growing religion is New England, growing by an average of 2.5% every five years.
History
Unitarianism began as a system of Christian thought and religious observance has its basis in opposition to the Trinity. The exact date of the emergence of Unitarianism is unknown although it became popular in Eastern Europe during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Unitarianism went on and became a significant force in colonial America, with many of the "founding fathers" being Unitarians. By the 1990's Unitarianism had branched off from its Christian roots and embraced a non-dogmatic system of beliefs, instead operating from a system of Principles and Purposes.
In New England, no central Unitarian Church existed until 2008, when the small number of adherents banded together to form the Unitarian Church of Armidale. The church began to spread it's message throughout the community and grew to around 250 members by 2010. In 2013, the church became the Unitarian Church of New England and elected an American, Rev. Tim Walker to be it's president. In 2014, King Michael, a long time follower announced his intention to formally convert from the Baptist Church to Unitarianism, and ordered the building of a new Unitarian chapel on the grounds of Saumarez Palace.
After the King's very public conversion, the rate of new members accelerated, and with it, the church began to evolve in it's current form. However, like any church, there have been plenty of differences between members. In 2034, many of the more radical members of the church broke away and formed the New England Unitarian Association. These two denominations remain to the present, and they enjoy good relations without acrimony. In 2046 the findings of the 2045 Census found that Unitarianism had overtaken Christianity as the largest religion of New England. Today almost 40% of New Englanders are Unitarians, the largest percentage of any country in the world.
Relationship With Other Faiths
Unitarianism is a broad and encompassing faith. It is therefore able to adapt and adjust to the beliefs of others quite easily. This ability to adapt also means the church has an excellent rapport with other religious groups. Ecumenicalism is very much at the heart of Unitarian policy towards others. When issues emerge, the Unitarians are usually the first to form up a lobby group and invite members of the other churches to join. The best example of this would be the lobbying after the Five Day War in 2032. All churches opposed a prolonged occupation of Australian territory, but attempts to convince the government to pull out came to naught until the Anglicans joined with the Unitarians in 2034. Within weeks, the troops had been pulled out.
But despite the good natured beliefs of most Unitarians, there have been some rather hostile disputes between groups. The attacks by the Catholic archbishop of Armidale in 2046 included a swipe at Unitarians. Conservative Christians have for many years feared and reviled the progressive influences of Unitarians and have not been afraid to involve themselves in passionate debates in the media to "save all of us from the hordes of Satan".
Likewise, conservative Muslims and Hindus have been reluctant to involve themselves to heavily with the Unitarians. Like conservative Christians, these other groups fear the erosion of the values that their own faiths have established. At the same time many Unitarians have been firmly critical of those cultural beliefs that are disguised as religious beliefs. The best example is the mistreatment of minorities in many religious groups. This sort of abuse has long been a target of Unitarian programmes and dialogue, which they been able to pursue within the framework of the general social, moral and religious values of the nation.
