Beliefs
The two central beliefs which distinguish Christian Universalism from mainstream Christianity are universal reconciliation (all will eventually be reconciled to God without exception, the penalty for sin is not everlasting, i.e. doctrines of everlasting damnation to hell and annihilationism are rejected) and theosis (all souls will ultimately be conformed to the image of divine perfection in Christ).
The remaining central beliefs of Christian Universalism are compatible with Christianity in general:
- God is the loving Parent of all people, see Love of God.
- Jesus Christ reveals the nature and character of God and is the spiritual leader of humankind, see New Covenant.
- Humankind is created with an immortal soul which death does not end, and which God will never destroy.
- Sin has negative consequences for the sinner either in this life or the afterlife
In 1899 the Universalist General Convention, later called the Universalist Church of America, adopted the Five Principles: the belief in God, Jesus Christ, the immortality of the human soul, the reality of sin and universal reconciliation. The inclusion of Theosis as a sixth point is found in the statement of faith adopted in 2007 by the Christian Universalist Association.
Read more about this topic: Christian Universalism
Famous quotes containing the word beliefs:
“Children demand that their heroes should be fleckless, and easily believe them so: perhaps a first discovery to the contrary is less revolutionary shock to a passionate child than the threatened downfall of habitual beliefs which makes the world seem to totter for us in maturer life.”
—George Eliot [Mary Ann (or Marian)
“To a first approximation, the intentional strategy consists of treating the object whose behavior you want to predict as a rational agent with beliefs and desires and other mental states exhibiting what Brentano and others call intentionality.”
—Daniel Clement Dennett (b. 1942)
“Other people’s beliefs may be myths, but not mine.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)