EDIT: TFW you spell "Unitarian" wrong in the title >.<

EDIT 2: It seems like, per the downvotes and the responses, many Unitarian Universalists aren't interested in hearing or discussing an account of why someone would become disinterested in UU before attending their first service. I'll 'go in peace,' feeling unwelcomed by my first interaction with this community. Thank you to those who actually read my post and engaged with me in earnest.

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Like many, I was drawn to UU by its Principles and omnist roots. I'm at a spiritual cross-roads in life and am re-exploring my own spirituality, so UU's take on fellowship/belief was intriguing. I wanted to learn more.

I've known of the church for several years, but had never done thorough "due diligence" until recently. Few things are more consequential than decisions of faith, and so this meant a lot of reading about the church's history, theology, current state, and vision of the future. I've also spent a lot of time reading this subreddit and ministers' blogs' comments to see how practitioners think.

I wanted to share my findings and the impressions for two reasons:

1. I understand that it is generally accepted that UU is "dying" (membership has been flat for decades while global/US populations grow)

2. I figured many UUs may be interested in the impression of an outsider who has no familial ties or familiarity with the church

Important: I have never attended a service, which I understand takes empirical weight out of my post. I don't live in a place that has a UU congregation, so it's not really an option. Like most during the pandemic, all I can do is explore online.

It's likely many will disagree with my observations, and I welcome that (should make for good discussion). I'm only sharing the candid impressions of a outsider looking in.

Impression 1: 'Unitarian Universalism is a religion' feels like a marketing hook

UU presents itself as a religion (and obviously one derived from a Christian tradition). Its members gather in "congregations," sing "hymns" to "worship," and are taught by "ministers" who fill a pastoral role (and who call themselves Reverends). It seems a lot of UU members on Reddit see the apparent Christian-ness as a bad thing (since it ostracizes non-Christian followers), but to an outsider it legitimizes the church's representation as, well, a church.

The namesake of UU is intriguing. Universalism is a theological underpinning across many different religions, but I always kinda understood it as the kind from which Unitarian Universalism began: universal reconciliation, or the idea that all humans will be saved and have a relationship with God. Unitarianism similarly stems from the idea of "one God, many names."

Now, I'll pause and say I have no idea how common it is for people to first stumble across Unitarian Universalism by way of theology. But, as a childhood Christian who thought Greek exegeses were cool, universal reconciliation (and its occurrence, either for or against, within so many different religions) is exciting. In fact, I rediscovered UU while researching Baha'i. The promise of a faith that looks for deeper truths among all the world's religions, debates them through a multicultural theological lens, finds parallels, and interprets them for the modern age is beautiful.

Except Unitarian Universalism does not seem to be, strictly by definition, either Unitarian or Universalist. Both are an attempt at explaining the nature of God, and UU teaches that it's up to the individual to decide whether God is real, fake, or somewhere in-between. I particularly like the UU Kids Say: God is... article which smiles at the idea that God is everything, nonexistent, a cloud, a feeling, my uncle, and a camera. So far as I can tell, UU teachings do not really teach a definite existence (or lack of existence) of anything, or of any kind divine presence.

It is hard to find what beliefs (religious, not societal) Unitarian Universalists do rally around, other than a shared belief in ambiguity. And it seems like, because of the diverse makeup of members, theological deep dives into truths that differ between the world's religions are uncommon. I had to dig to find stuff like this, and even then writings are rarely presented critically (but rather as 'here's what they say, and here's what they say').

In short, Unitarian Universalism's universalism feels more like Sheilaism. Though a core tenet is a search for "truth" and "meaning," the faith itself does not itself put forward theories on what that truth might tangibly be, or what meaning could look like. Instead, it seems to say 'make your best guess,' and disagrees with nothing.

Impression 2: UU's guiding beliefs do not touch on the negatives aspects of the human nature of its own members

I have no idea if it has been discussed in the last decade, but I found the 11-page essay "Why Unitarian Universalism is Dying," written by a former UU Reverend, brilliant. Instead of trying to replicate its main points in my own words, I'd love to hear if there were ever any formal responses to this writing.

Impression 3: UU's envelope-pushing politics and activism feels like a parody of the left

I'm left-leaning on many issues, and am a minority myself in ways I won't disclose... but damn. I don't understand how anyone with conservative leanings could feel comfortable discussing their Unitarian Universalism around their peers. A random smattering of things I was surprised were unironic:

• "At GA 2017 there was a segregated room ("healing space") for black people only, and a series of segregated sessions open "Exclusively for People of Color". The UUA has been promoting a "White Identity Formation" workshop for our (white) youth. It seems the UUA's pursuit of identity politics has turned a corner, and is now acting to strengthen and reinforce ethnic division, rather than bringing us together."

• "A PRAYER: Queer Spirit, dancing blue glitter flame, I give thanks for your euphoric mystery, your endless pronouns, your delight in queering every boundary and box. Yours is the truth that makes us free. May your glitter come, your dance be done in me as it is in heaven."

• "We live in a myth that white people are innocent and rational and logical. It's hard not to be paranoid as a Black person, because you have white people who say, “I would never do that; I'm one of the good ones”—and you want to believe them. But history shows us that when it comes down to it, a lot of white people will coalesce around whiteness. For example, there are little offshoots of people who are protesting our Unitarian Universalist emphasis on racial justice. Well, that's fine—just don't call yourself UU. Go be something else."