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In comparative religion, a universalist
religion is one that holds itself true for all people; it thus requires or allows
all to join, regardless of ethnicity. In contrast, ethnic religions, like
ethnicity itself, can be determined not just by genealogy, but by geography, language, and other social
boundaries.
The name Universalism refers to certain religious denominations of universalist religions, which as a core principle adhere to standards and
rituals which are convergent rather than divergent, often espousing themselves as alternatives to denominations based on dogmatic, or factionalized differences.
Universalism is of no relation to universism, which is a non-religious
universal view, though there are similarities in philosophy.
See Unitarian Universalism, Humanism, Universalist religion.
In Christian theology,
universalism, or universal salvation, is the doctrine that all people will eventually be saved and go to
heaven when they die. Some universalists
believe that some will endure a limited period of punishment before going to heaven. By doctrine, almost all denominations of
Christianity reject universalism as a heresy, although many modern adherents believe in universalism.
Although isolated theologians, such as Origen in the 3rd century, have expressed univeralist positions throughout the history of Christianity, universalism
bloomed within post-enlightenment liberal Christianity and became popular
on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening in the 19th century. This movement led to the formation of the Universalist Church of America, which later merged in 1961 with the American Unitarian Association to form the Unitarian Universalist Association.
However, because Unitarian Universalism is officially
creedless, no member of that denomination is required
to believe in the doctrine of universalism.
Early Universalists in North America include John Murray and Thomas Potter in 1770. The story goes that God told Potter
that he was to go and rescue the one swimming from a boat that had hit a sandbar and that this person would be the one he was
waiting for. Murray preached to Potter's neighbours and the word spread like wildfire.
Hosea Ballou, who is sometimes called an ultra-universalist, is often
recognized as the great theologian of American Universalism, having written thousands of sermons as well as essays, hymns and
treatises.
See also: The problem of Hell
Universalism is also used as a synonym for moral absolutism.
Universalism can also mean the wish for a closer union with all people of the world and the aim of
creating common global institutions (democratic
globalization)
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