Unitarian Universalist Church
Copied from the sermon notes of Pastor Don Elmore
September 19, 2021
Scripture Reading John 12:32:
“And I, [Jesus, the Son of God] if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.”
Universalism has evolved beyond the traditional topics of salvation and future punishment, and now covers many other theological issues and topics. Universalism began during the early days of Christianity and has fostered as a heresy ever since. It received a big boost in Europe in 1569 when Transylvanian King John Sigismund issued an edict establishing religious freedom. The Edict of Torda expanded the limits of religious freedom far beyond the standard of 16th-century Europe. The decree did not put a complete end to discrimination, because official status was granted only to the Catholic, Lutheran, and Calvinist clergymen; but Unitarian, Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish, and Muslim believers could also freely practice their religions. Although neither the Calvinist nor Unitarian side was declared the winner of the debate at this session, John Sigismund accepted Unitarian ideas, which made him the only Unitarian monarch in history.
The Universalists organized their first church in the United States in 1780, with the Unitarians following in 1825. One hundred thirty-six years later the two churches consolidated. The American Unitarian Association with the Universalist Church of America created the Unitarian Universalists Association (UUA) Church in 1961.
Over the years, members of the Universalist or Unitarian churches and later the Unitarian Universalists’ churches and their beliefs included a few famous and influential Americans. For example:
- Thomas Jefferson, President and founding father of the United States, author of the Declaration of Independence along with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin (noted freemason), Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston
- John Adams, President and author, along with four others named previously, of the Declaration of Independence
“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” – from the Declaration of Independence.
Who are the “all men” that “are created equal”?
- Author Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Author Charles Dickens
- Author Herman Melville
- Nurse Florence Nightingale
- Circus entrepreneur P. T. Barnum
- Inventor Alexander Graham Bell
- Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
- Actor Christopher Reeve
- Actor Rod Sterling
- Folk singer Pete Seeger, and many others
The modern movement of Universalism originated in England, being a logical development of anti-Calvinistic teaching. Many of the English traded the sovereignty of God in salvation to a system of Wesleyanism that carried free grace to the point where the grace of God would be accepted by all.
But it wasn’t until around the 1800s that Universalism began its push to become a major part of theology in Christendom. The 1800s seems to be a pivotal time in world history. It is when the devil and his offspring began their last determined political, economic, educational, social, military and religious changes as they strove to have their new world order come to pass. The first phase was when Napoleon declared the emancipation of the Jews in France. That was the beginning, and the Jews are now attempting to rule the world, with the other non-Jews as their slaves.
In the year 1780, the first Universalist Church in the United States was formed by John Murray. They believed that everyone in the world would be saved; no exceptions. That meant that they did not believe there was an eternal perpetual enemy of Almighty God that would be destroyed by Him in the end. They have made many Israelites forget that they have an enemy, from the Garden, that has fought against their pure race for 6000 years.
About 45 years after the Universalists had their first church in America, the Unitarian Church emerged. The Unitarians believe in the perfectibility of all men, and do not believe that the Son of God was deity. They deny the trinity and they only believe in one God; not the Son, not the Holy Spirit, but the Father. They do not believe that Jesus the Christ was God. Thus, their name…Unitarian, not Trinitarian.
They refuse to believe that Jesus the Christ was the final head of His people. They never mention that He redeemed the consequences of the sins His people committed by reinstating the loss of eternal life of Adam and Eve and their descendants.
In addition to these two denominations, there were also many ministers who preached the basic concept of universal salvation but who belong to other church organizations. Other false churches began in the 1800s in America too. There were the Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Church of Christ, Christian Church, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, Jehovah Witnesses, etc. They all follow a distorted view of the Son of God and what He did while He was on the earth. Many of these churches that began around the 1800s, believed that Jesus was a man, or was the devil’s brother, or was an angel; i.e., many denied that He was Deity. Therefore, they cannot rightly classify themselves as being Christian. The Second Great Awakening also included greater public roles for white women and much higher black participation in Christianity than ever before.
That is even more true today than it was then. How many preachers in different denominations preach some or all these universal beliefs and principles? Practically all of them – universalism is almost universally believed in today’s religious world. How many in Christian churches believe the following universal doctrines?
- The universal fatherhood of God – all bipeds are God’s children. All races, no exceptions, in the world were created by God and are His children.
- The final harmony and reconciliation of all souls with God – God loves everyone and has mercy on everyone. God does not hate anyone. Every one of every race will have salvation. There are no vessels that are created for destruction.
- All souls will be saved and united with God in eternity. No one will go to hell. That would include the “giants” mentioned in the Bible, even though the Bible tells us that none of these have salvation.
- The brotherhood of mankind – the unity of all the races. There are no races that have enmity against any other. All people of the earth are brothers; there are no strangers, aliens, giants, mongrels, mixed multitudes, etc. All are brothers. There can be peace on earth.
- Any person from any race can marry another person from another race. All are brothers; there are no strangers or foreigners in today’s world. No such thing as a mixed racial marriage.
- Anyone can become one of God’s elect or chosen people by their belief or acts. They deny that God is sovereign. Man chooses; not God.
- The grace of God is for those who choose to accept it and is not restricted by God to any group of people. It is wrong to call God the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He should be called the God of all the individuals of the earth.
- All persons and races can be redeemed. Even the wickedest person in the world, who does not believe Jesus is God, can be redeemed or bought back, even thou they were not originally bought. There are no anti-Christs.
- Jesus changed God’s plan of dealing with a specific lineage of people and has established a universal church that is open to all races. It went from the covenant seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Old Testament to everyone on the earth in the New.
Theological universalism is also related to political universalism, since the religious tenets of a people affect their political and social tenets. With theological universalism the bottom line is that ultimately all men are equal in the eyes of God. With political universalism all men are equal in the eyes of the government.
The modern concepts of theological universalism have helped to support many social and political concepts which are harmful and destructive to our lives. These concepts include:
- Multiculturalism,
- Pluralism,
- Humanism,
- Egalitarianism,
- Socialism,
- Integration,
- Interracial marriage,
- Universal suffrage,
- Universal citizenship,
- Welfare,
- So-called “hate crimes,” and
- A one-world order.
The Unitarian Universalists have greatly affected Christendom because the heresies that they believe are now taught in most of the Christian denominations and seminaries in the country. In today’s sermon we will investigate the strange doctrines that many of today’s churches have incorporated into their belief system.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS
Here below is a picture of Unitarian Universalists progressive Passover Seder. In the center of this picture is an orange. Why is there an orange as one of their main features of the meal? What does the fruit, the orange, symbolize? It symbolizes two things:
- Women’s leadership, and
- LGBTQ inclusion.
Jewish Unitarian Universalists
Many Unitarian Universalists (UUs) members have a connection to Judaism. Whether they are ethnically, culturally, or spiritually Jewish, whether they’re married to a Jewish spouse, they have a position in Unitarian Universalism. One source in the worship and religious education is Jewish and Christian teachings which makes a call to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors, that means everyone, as ourselves. But, does it?
Deuteronomy 15:1-3:
1). “At the end of every seven years thou shall make a release.
2) And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it: he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’s release.
3) Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release.”
According to the above Scriptures, neighbor does not include everyone. A foreigner is not the neighbor of an Israelite. A foreigner is not the brother of an Israelite. A neighbor or brother is released from any debt on the seventh year; a foreigner is not automatically released from his debt.
Now how can you have a church that has Jewish and Christian teachings? They are opposite and contradictory. It’s like, how can you have a church that is teaching the instructions of both Jesus, the Son of God, and His enemy, the devil? You can’t. The integration of the two possible faiths is a “church” that is of the devil.
They honor Jewish holidays with a progressive and inclusive twist. UUs with Jewish heritage hold:
- Passover seders,
- Celebrate Hanukkah, and
- Mark the High Holy Days.
When they worship together, Judaism comes into play in a variety of ways depending on the congregation. In the fall their Sunday services often draw on themes from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The winter holiday-themed services often tell the story of Hanukkah. In the spring, they tell the stories of Moses and the Exodus, and some congregations gather around an all-ages all-faiths table to join in a celebratory Passover Seder led by Jewish UUs. Any time of year in their congregations, they may hear some words taken from the Bible, some midrash, a Hasidic tale, or a funny story from a Jewish culture.
There is a mishmash of teachings from various religions. This violates the first commandment that the LORD God gave to His covenant nation.
Exodus 20:2, 3:
2) “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Thou shalt worship only the LORD God who brought you out of Egypt.”
Now who were the people that were in bondage to the Egyptians? And who was the God that brought them out. It wasn’t the Jews; it was the Hebrews. This is a major point of difference.
If you say that it was the Jews, it couldn’t be the Ashkenazi Jews because they didn’t become Jewish until around the 700s AD. And they are descended from Japheth and not Shem. The Ashkenazi Jews, a Turkish people, make-up over 90% of all Jewry today.
It couldn’t be the Sephardic Jews as they have denied Jesus the Christ their entire existence. They have persecuted and murdered Christians all done through the ages. But they, unlike the Ashkenazi, lived in Palestine. They are not descended from Shem through Jacob; but they are descended from Shem through Esau, his twin brother or from Judah through Shelah.
It couldn’t be the Hasidic Jews as they didn’t come into existence until the 17th century. They began as a subgroup of Haredi Judaism that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contemporary Western Ukraine. It spread through Eastern Europe. Today, most affiliates reside in Israeli and the United States.
But none of these groups; the Ashkenazi, the Sephardic and the Hasidic, were in bondage in Egypt. It was the people who were in bondage in Egypt, i.e. the Israelites, that have the LORD God as their former king and high priest and husband. They are the people who are permitted to serve and worship their LORD, former King and husband. Israel was to be exclusive with their God. God was exclusive with His covenant people.
That explains why the Universal Universalists do not stress the importance of being the covenant people; because they are not of the covenant. Their program for children involves young people in learning about Judaism through stories, rituals, and visits to synagogues. They teach respect for all faiths and develop basic literacy in the world’s religions as well as Unitarian Universalism. As a home for interfaith families, they nurture kids with multiple identities and help them grow.
No one needs to change their beliefs or identity in order to be member of UU. They are a “church” of many beliefs, honoring each person’s heritage and search for truth.
The Unitarian Universalist Church welcomes almost anyone who has almost any belief: For example, they welcome:
- Atheists
- Agnostics
- Buddhists
- Judeo-Christians
- Hinduists
- Humanists
- Judaism
- Catholics
- Islamists
- Paganists
- And most other religions.
Many UUs are either gay themselves or very pro-gay in their opinions. Their church is a world-wide church with almost a million members. Unitarian Universalists are run by Jews. Who else? Individuals who our Savior said were children of the devil? They are “tares” who our Savior warned us against. They were planted by our enemy, the devil, and are imitators of His covenant people, symbolized by the wheat.
Unitarians preach “love” and can often be identified by their “Coexist” car bumper stickers, but in fact are consumed by intense hatred which comes out in their church conversations. They never miss a chance to drop insults against:
- Nazis,
- White Supremacists,
- Republicans raping the Earth, and
- Any Republican President.
They make a point of challenging men who display independence. If they suspect you are not like them, they can be personal and vicious.
Why would the UUs hate the German political party in WWII? Why do they hate “white supremacy” in today’s America? Be careful which side you stand with. Was Germany the site of the Protestant Reformation? Was Russia taken over by the Communist Jews? Was Germany an enemy of Communist Russia?
I remember a time when a Baptist Church had business dealings with a Unitarian Universalist Church. How did that happen? The Baptist Church sold its extra unused buildings that were across the street to the Unitarians. The Unitarians bought them and turned them into a church building for themselves.
One member, Steve B. of the Baptist church, complained to the church elders. “Why should we help our enemies?”, he asked. It was a good question. Money shouldn’t always decide an issue. The Baptist Church shouldn’t have sold it to the UUs. But what both Steve and I didn’t know at the time, was that the Baptist Church embraced many, not all, of the UU Church’s doctrines!
PIOTR MLODOZENIEC
Polish graphic designer Piotr Mlodozeniec originally designed the first Coexist logo for an Israeli art contest in the year 2000. The contest theme was “Coexistence” and offered a generous prize for first place, so Mlodozeniec threw his hat in the ring and won. Here was his entry:
- The ‘C’ is a symbol for Islam.
- The ‘O’ is a symbol for Pacifism.
- The ‘E’ is a symbol for gay rights/gender equality.
- The ‘X’ is a symbol for Judaism.
- The ‘I’ is a symbol for Paganism.
- The ‘S’ is a symbol for Taoism.
- The ‘T’ is a symbol for Christianity.
It was later modified into the following. The seven symbols represent; left to right: Islam, Pacifism, Gay Rights, Judaism, Paganism, Taoism and Christianity.
You have more likely seen this prize-winning award on a car bumper or on the back an automobile, like this:
But the symbol has evolved. Reverend Abigail Clauhs, an Interfaith Chaplaincy MDiv student at Claremont, California School of Theology, a Unitarian Universalist minister, designed this interreligious “Coresist” image in 2017. It was inspired by the popular “Coexist” stickers and the words of her professor Najeeba Syeed, who said,
“We need interreligious scholarship that is beyond coexistence and dialogue. That gets to our need for co-resistance.”
A friend of Clauhs’ offered to print Coresist t-shirts, stickers, totes and more and to give a portion of the proceeds [$1200] to the ACLU; American Civil Liberties Union. A group which has regularly supported the American Communists Party.
“Coresist” symbol includes:
- The “C” is a symbol of Islam’s star and crescent;
- The “O” is a symbol of Buddhism’s dharma wheel;
- The “R” is a symbol of the Unitarian Universalism’s flaming chalice;
- The “E” is a symbol of the Inclusive gender symbols;
- The “S” is a symbol of Judaism’s Star of David and menorah;
- The “I” is a symbol of Humanism’s happy human;
- The “S” is a symbol of Taoism/Confucianism’s yin and yang symbol, and
- The “T” is a symbol of Christianity’s cross.
UU minister Clauhs couldn’t include all religious symbols but says she based it generally on the ones included in the “Coexist” sticker. She did add the Unitarian Universalist’s symbol, the flaming chalice, as the UUs light a flame that burns on the chalice at the beginning of each service and the Buddhist dharma wheel.
In 2020, Abigail Claughs made an up-date of her “Coresist” image and part of the proceeds from the sale of this image goes to the “Don’t Shoot, Portland” fund. The UU is behind the “Defund the police” movement and all the riots in the area of Portland this past summer and what is continuing to transpire in the city today.
Do you want to know what the enemy of Jesus the Christ and His covenant people looks like? Before I show you her picture, I will let her tell you a little bit about herself. Here is what she says on her website:
“I’ve got deep Southern roots (you’ll know when you hear me say “y’all”), having been born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. I then attended Boston University for college, where I became deeply involved in interfaith activism and social justice work.
After that, I completed my Master of Divinity degree in Interfaith Chaplaincy at Claremont School of Theology in Southern California, an intentionally interreligious institution.
I now serve professionally as a chaplain in Portland, Oregon, where my work especially focuses on palliative care and journeying with people through the end of life.”
[Portland, Oregon is one of the most liberal (Communistic cities) in the nation. They “defunded the police”, are a sanctuary city, have major lockdowns and as a result are experiencing God’s wrath: fires, drought, Covid illnesses, riots, disruptions at Portland State University, etc.]
“I continue to engage in social justice movement work—including bringing spiritual care into movement spaces—and stay involved with my Unitarian Universalist community locally and nationally. In addition, I find joy in improv, creative writing, communing with trees, and whipping up my Nana’s recipe for biscuits and gravy (because the revolution will, obviously, include comfort food).”
Now, who is this pro-Communist agitator?
Abigail Clauhs
Here is Abigail with a three other ministers and workers in her church. Notice the woman with the green hair.
Here is Abigail Clauhs with members of her church holding up signs that say, “No Ban; No Wall””; “No Registry” and “Unapologetic Muslim.”
Flaming chalice is lit at each service
SOME UNIVERSALISTS SCRIPTURES
The Unitarian Universalist Church uses the Bible to help substantiate its doctrines. For example, they use verses that has the words “all men” somewhere in the verse. But do these verses mean “all men” in existence today or “all men” who have ever existed or “all men” who will ever exist? It is our belief that there are really no cases where the words “all men” mean every human who was been on the earth in the past, present or future. They use the verse, which was the introductory verse, and other similar verses, to prove their doctrine that everyone on earth will be saved.
Let’s look at some other verses that contain these two words. How would you interpret the words, “all men”?
Mark 13:13: “And ye [the LORD’s disciples] shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”
Obviously, the disciples were not hated by everyone who was living on the planet. The Chinese, Incas, Africans and others certainly couldn’t be blamed for this, since they never knew the disciples. And there were some people that didn’t hate them at all but loved them. Many persons they encountered gladly accepted them and were baptized. So, the verse does not mean that the disciples would experience universal hatred for His name’s sake.
Mark 11:32: “But if we [Edomite religious leaders] shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.”
When Jesus asked the religious leaders of his day, whether the baptism of John was of God or men, they answered with the verse given above. But did they mean that the whole family of bipeds count John a prophet, when most of them never saw him or knew of him? So, the verse does not mean that the religious leaders said that everyone who lived on the earth counted John as a prophet.
Acts 19:19: “Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
Were the books burnt before all the Asians, Africans, South Americas, North Americas, Europeans, etc.? Of course not. There were a lot more men who did not see this book burning than did. A lot more. How could all the people who were living on the earth get around one bonfire in the city in Turkey and see the curious books burn anyway?
Mark 1:37: “And when they had found Him [Jesus], they said unto Him, all men seek for Thee.”
Jesus became separated from His disciples. When they searched for Him, and when they found Him, they said, “All men seek for thee.” The disciples couldn’t have meant all men in the world, for there were millions that never knew that He existed.
Acts 21:28: “Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man [Apostle Paul], that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.”
Certain Judeans stirred up a crowd against the Apostle Paul. But the Apostle Paul was never in all parts of the world and never taught everyone living in all parts of the earth. So, the expression “all men” didn’t men everyone who was living on the earth.
Mark 5:20: “And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.”
When Jesus healed a demon-possessed man, the man went home and published the many great things that Jesus had done for him. It should be apparent that the Chinese and the Incas and a host of others did not marvel for they never knew what the demon-possessed man said. So, it was not “all men” who lived on the earth who did marvel at what was said about Jesus.
Philippians 4:5: “Let your [Israelite men of the church of Philippi] moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.”
It was not intended that the men of the Philippian church were to travel to every corner of the globe and let every person know of their moderations. They couldn’t have done that even if they tried. They could have sailed on a boat, traversed by land and never met every single individual who was living on the earth at the time.
Acts 2:45: “And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.”
The early church gave many of their possessions and goods, not to every person of the world, but to their brethren who were living where they were. Do you think that they gave them to African Bushmen or Australians aborigines? They wouldn’t have had enough possessions or goods to do that even if they wanted to!
JOHN 12:32
Now let’s look at a verse that the UU church uses to convince its members that all people of the earth are saved.
John 12:32: 32) “And I, if I [Jesus] be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.
From this verse the UU church says that “all men”, i.e. all individuals of the earth, are going to accept Jesus as Savior. But since this has not happened in the past 2000 years, they say that this will ultimately happen in the future; as in the resurrection. But those in the resurrection to an incorruptible state do not need to be drawn to Christ. Those who have the devil as their father will never want to be drawn to the Son of God. Those who have been at war against the LORD God of Israel for 6000 years will never want to be drawn to Him.
To be a universalist, you must deny that there are a group of individuals who are the enemy of God. Jesus said that they did not have God as their father. They had a different father. They had the devil as their father. That was why they could not understand what He was saying. In today’s world, they are known as Jews. In the past they were known as Kenites, Canaanites, Edomites and others.
John 8:42-44a:
42) “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.
43) Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My word.
44a) Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do…”
The verse John 6:37 sheds some light on the explanation of John 12:32. Let’s look at this verse.
John 6:37: “All [men] that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”
This is “all men” that are drawn to Jesus are all the men that the Father gave to Him. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that it is full of specific verses which state that Israel, no one else, is God’s people. That Israel are the sons of God. That Israel has been or will be saved, redeemed, justified, sanctified, blessed, reconciled or loved by God. Israel was God’s wife.
Contrasted to this position is the fact that the Bible gives no specifics regarding the Kenite, Canaanite, Hittite, Philistine, Edomite, Negro, Indian, Oriental, etc. like it gives the recipients of His covenant. There is a big difference. They have a different beginning and a different ending.
Because of this, Unitarian Universalists resort to certain generalized words to support the concept of universalism or ultimate reconciliation, such as the term “all things” or “the world” or “all men.” These broad, vague and general words can be made to fit nicely into a universal doctrine.
They do the same thing with:
- Romans 5:18,
- I Corinthians 15:22,
- I Corinthians 15:28,
- I Timothy 2:3-4,
- I Timothy 4:10, and
- Titus 2:11.
The UUs say that the phrase “all men” means in these verses, what it doesn’t mean in all the rest of the verses. They say it means every individual who is living on the earth.
But we say the exact opposite. There are no verses that the words “all men” are used to convey the idea of every human type then in existence or whoever has existed or ever will exist is meant. It means the word “all” will mean a great many, a majority, a multitude or a lot. It does not mean everyone. Let’s conclude with this last verse:
John 3:26: “And they came unto John [the Baptist], and said unto him, Rabbi [teacher], He [Jesus the anointed] that was with them beyond Jordan, to who thou bearest witness, behold the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him.”
If “all men” means everyone who was living on the earth at that time, it makes no sense. No one believes that all the Zulus, Eskimos, and Incas made the journey to the Jordan River and were baptized by Jesus. How long would it have taken? What else would Jesus have done? It would have been one of His greatest miracles to baptize that many people before He was crucified.
CONCLUSION
If the Jews are the enemy of Jesus the Christ, then any religious group that they oversee will be against the teachings of the LORD God of Israel. The Jews will hide their hatred of the Savior by denying that He ever came. They deny His greatest gift that He ever made to His people. They are liars. They are deceivers. They are the enemy integrated into the church.
Revelation 2:9: “I know thy [church of Smyrna’s] works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews [Judeans], and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.”
Beware of the Unitarian Universalists Church. Beware of their doctrines. Beware of their bumper stickers. Beware of their “unholy” books. Beware of their blasphemy. Beware of their lies. Beware of the false fellowship of the synagogue of the Satan.
What does the Declaration of Independence mean when it says?
“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
Does the “all men” created equal mean everyone on the earth?
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel.