Is Unitarian Universalism a Cult?

No, but it certainly resembles a social organization more than it does an actual faith tradition.

Those who comprise its ranks have rejected traditional Christianity, usually, as a result of feeling out-of-sorts and disenfranchised. Thus, its ranks are often full of people with low self-esteem.

Those who comprise its ranks are often loners. Thus, it's difficult to find a lot of commonality between membership.

It's also difficult to network between individual congregations as each congregation has its own dynamic. I've found that, despite my disagreements with Traditional Christianity--at least Traditional Christianity has more of a communal mindset than a hyper-individual mindset. If I missed a service in the Non-Denominational Christian church I attended, I received a card wondering where I've been. In every Unitarian church I have attended, I have received no word at all from others.

I wonder if removing the Christianity from our faith tradition has done us more harm than good. We have so much work to do and all I end up doing is beating my head against a brick wall. Existentialist philosophy, which is what Unitarianism has defined itself is, only creates a fortress mentality with a bunch of fellow lost souls all desperately seeking to find common purpose with a bunch of other seekers.

Every Unitarian church is a blue oasis of souls who feel as though the only people who can understand them are them. Ask any Unitarian what pulls us all together and you'll be greeted a variety of answers, most of which are I'm not quite sure. I just didn't feel as though I belonged anywhere else. Unitarian churches tend to be a hodgepodge of people with issues.

Many of us have identified the problems, but I wonder without any sort of coherent faith doctrines besides some nebulous principles and statements of faith if we will ever accomplish our goal. Unitarian churches are hotbeds for activism and statements of overt political banter but should that really be the focus of any church? If we're a social organization, then let's call a spade a spade.

I attended a church where the circle of lights was hijacked for every two-bit activists' personal grievance.

I attended a church where I was summarily asked to take a leave of absence for six months, while my harasser was allowed to attend--this because she had been a member longer than I and had given more money to the church. Aren't churches places of inclusion rather than exclusion.

And I don't think I need to point out how suspicious we are out of outsiders. It is as if we have to prove that they are worthy of our attention before we acknowledge them as one of us. This stems from our own inherent insecurity. But I think we must formulate a coherent doctrine and stray from our fear of creedal requirements and dogma.

This may be my own personal experience, but I have found that Unitarians are groundless without faith doctrine. The more I question Unitarianism, the less I find it appealing, and the more I find it alienating.