Belief in
the Holy Ghost, the Comforter; 5th. Belief in the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the dead, and life everlasting."
These resolutions were at first laid on the table, but afterward
referred to a special committee. The refusal of the Convention to adopt
them indicates very clearly the unwillingness of a large portion of the
Unitarian clergy of the United States to occupy an evangelical
position.[265]
Closely allied to the Unitarians in spirit and in doctrine are the
Universalists, who date the beginning of their strength in the United
States from the arrival of the Rev. John Murray, in 1770. They unite
with the Unitarians in rejecting the triune character of God, and hold
that their view of the divine unity is as old as the giving of the law
on Sinai. The doctrine of the Trinity is nowhere stated in the
Scriptures, for God would then have given us a religion enveloped in
mystery, which procedure he has studiously avoided. The Trinitarian view
entertained by the orthodox is not only a self-contradiction, but would
be a violation of the harmony and order everywhere perceptible in
nature.
Pages:
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891