Nature of God in ChristianityUnitarian beliefs about the Trinity

Many Unitarians believe that God is like a loving parent. For Unitarians, Jesus was simply a man – not God on Earth, as is believed by the majority of Christians. Some Unitarians prefer the idea of God as a Holy Spirit at work in the world, rather than a parent-like being. Whatever their individual beliefs about God, Unitarians share the belief that there is only one being that can be called God.

Unitarians may accept many Christian ideas about the nature of God, for example:

• God is the creator, who sustains the world.
• God is a loving power with whom humans can have a personal relationship.
• Each person has God’s voice inside them, guiding them to live a good life (some may call this their conscience).
• God is transcendent – beyond human understanding.

Many Unitarians do not identify themselves as Christian because Jesus is not central to their faith – the word ‘Christian’ means ‘follower of Christ’. Most Unitarians do not believe that Jesus thought of himself as God. Unitarians believe a variety of things about Jesus, including that he was:

• a man filled with divine inspiration, but separate from God
• not physically resurrected – the resurrection was merely symbolic
• a Jewish prophet
• a great example of how to live with love and compassion
• an inspiration, showing that human beings can change the world for the better

Unitarianism accepts a wide range of personal beliefs and doubts – individual religious freedom is very important. Everyone is free to search for meaning in life and to reach their own conclusions, and Unitarians value diversity in belief.