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Retreat From Reason (Endnotes)
1. Channing’s speech was said to be the second most circulated pamphlet in America, second only to Thomas Paine’s Common Sense (1776). Close
2. This format is important to note, because to the Unitarian mind it was first necessary to gain an understanding of what the Scripture said, and then derive a proper doctrine, not the other way around. This is contrary to many other Christians of the time, who had first determined their doctrine and then interpreted Scripture accordingly. Andrews Norton stated in his Inaugural Discourse at Cambridge, “When he comes to the study of the scriptures, in proportion as he removes all the accumulated rubbish of technical theology, under which their meaning has been buried, and obtains a distinct view of it, he will discern new and very striking evidence of the truth of our religion.” Close
3. William Ellery Channing, Unitarian Christianity. From Three Prophets of Religious Liberalism, by Conrad Wright, p. 55. Some of the philosophers who are credited with founding these Enlightenment ideals were Unitarian in their theological beliefs. For example, John Locke (1632-1704) is noted as the chief promoter of empiricism. Locke was a Unitarian but was unwilling to openly admit his holdings. Likewise, Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was an Enlightenment thinker and rejected the doctrine of the trinity. John Locke formulated one of the primary Enlightenment ideals of empiricism. In his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) Locke argued that human knowledge was not gained through innate ideas. Each human was born tabula rasa, literally a “blank slate.” Knowledge, according to Locke, was recorded through impression of the senses. This philosophy is called empiricism. These impressions could then be reflected upon and ideas created by them. Thus the world was perceived with the body’s sensory faculties, ideas were formed by the impression, and the ideas accurately represented reality. Both Congregationalists and Unitarians used this idea of empiricism. Close
4. Please note that salvation was available to all people according to the Unitarian faith. The availability does not ensure salvation to all but merely makes it accessible by all. They did not believe that everyone would be saved until later. The answer to question 64 in Part III Questions on the New Testament of the Worcester Cathecism states, “They [The apostles] preached that Jesus, who was crucified, was the Messiah, i.e. the Christ, the Son of God, and the Saviour of men; and that sinners who repent and believe in his name, should be saved.” See Ahlstrom, An American Reformation. Close
5. As naturalistic philosophy it should be understood that the early Unitarians did not see a separation between the Creator and Creation. Creation was not all there was and mystical philosophy like that of Hegel and Coleridge were given little regard due to their illogic. Science was used in order to understand the world around them and natural religion was that of understanding the natural laws which God had placed around his creation. Close
6. In 1836 Orestes Brownson began the Society for Christian Union and Progress. See The Modernist Impulse in American Protestantism by William Hutchison, p. 25. Christian denominations developed societies and organizations that advanced the spread of the gospel. Organizations like the American Bible Society began mass production and distribution of Bibles. Other organizations provided tracts and educational materials. The Unitarians were included in this movement. Close
7. During the nineteenth century the Unitarian church spread all the way to the West Coast. Close
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