Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and DevelopmentCooke, George Willis
History
Unitarianism in America: A History of its Origin and Development
Cooke, George Willis
Unitarianism -- United States
The present work may appear to some of its readers to have been written in
a sectarian spirit, with a purpose to magnify the excellences of
Unitarianism, and to ignore its limitations. Such has not been the purpose
I have kept before me; but, rather, my aim has been to present the facts
candidly and justly, and to treat of them from the standpoint of a student
of the religious evolution of mankind. Unitarianism in this country
presents an attempt to bring religion into harmony with philosophy and
science, and to reconcile Christianity with the modern spirit. Its effort
in this direction is one that deserves careful consideration, especially in
view of the unity and harmony it has developed in the body of believers who
accept its teachings. The Unitarian body is a small one, but it has a
history of great significance with reference to the future development of
Christianity.
The names of those who accept Unitarianism have not been given in this book
in any boastful spirit. A faith that is often spoken against may justify
itself by what it has accomplished, and its best fruits are the men and
women who have lived in the spirit of its teachings. In presenting the
names of those who are not in any way identified with Unitarian churches,
the purpose has been to suggest the wide and inclusive character of the
Unitarian movement, and to indicate that it is not represented merely by a
body of churches, but that it is an individual way of looking at the facts
of life and its problems.
In writing the following pages, I have had constantly in mind those who
have not been educated as Unitarians, and who have come into this
inheritance through struggle and search. Not having been to the manner born
myself, I have sought to provide such persons with the kind of information
that would have been helpful to me in my endeavors to know the Unitarian
life and temper. Something of what appears in these pages is due to this
desire to help those who wish to know concretely what Unitarianism is, and
what it has said and done to justify its existence. This will account for
the manner of treatment and for some of the topics selected.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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