Universalism
- In Christianity, Universalism, Universal reconciliation, or universal salvation, is the doctrine that all people will eventually be saved and go to heaven at some point after they are dead. This is based on the belief that a loving God would not submit any person, regardless of their sins, to everlasting torment, but would instead reform them. This is a belief held by some protestant denominations. An extreme extension of this, called "strong universalism," holds that no person, even the greatest sinner, is sent to Hell, and therefore Hell does not even exist, but this belief goes beyond the domain of Christianity.
- In comparative religion, universalism is the belief that all religions are equal roads to heaven, although the adherent may chose only one or a few religions for his/her/its primary focus.
- The name Universalist refers to certain religious denominations of universalism, 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.
- A universal religion is one that holds itself true for all people; it thus 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. In that sense, Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism are universal religions. Judaism and Hinduism would be ethnic religions (although conversions are sometimes allowed). Contrast with Chosen people.
- Universalism is also used as a synonym for moral absolutism.
- Universalism can also mean the wish for a closer union between all people of the world (the emergence of world citizens) and/or the aim of creating common global institutions (democratic globalization)
Universalism should not be confused with Universism, a progressive natural religious philosophy which unites individuals from the freethought perspectives of deism, atheism, agnosticism, pantheism and transcendentalism .
See also
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The following religious groups are often confused for one another: Unification Church | Unity Church | Universal Life Church Unitarianism | Universalism |