Hindu Unitarian Universalists

Unitarian Universalists have many kinds of connections with Hinduism. Whether we were raised Hindu, in a relationship with some who's Hindu, or inspired by teachings and practices of the diverse and multifaceted Hindu faith, we honor Hindu backgrounds and beliefs.

Ideas and practices from Hinduism are welcome in Unitarian Universalism. Our worships have drawn from Hindu sources: poetry, scripture, philosophy, and kirtan. We share many values with Hinduism—most centrally, that there is a unity at the core of religious diversity. God can be experienced in many forms, with many faces, but underneath there is one ultimate reality. Like Hinduism we affirm the personal search for spiritual truth, the idea that all things are connected, and a respect for other religious paths. Unitarian Universalism welcomes many understandings of divinity, including those of the incredibly diverse Hindu faith.

India’s religious landscape includes three types of Unitarianism–the Brahmo Samaj, founded in 1828 by Rammohun Roy, the Unitarian Church of the Khasi Hills, founded in 1887 by Hajom Kissor Singh, and the Unitarian Christian Church of Chennai, in Madras, founded in 1795. The two latter groups are active in the International Council of Unitarian Universalists (ICUU) and the South Asia Council of the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF.)

Since 1984, the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA’s) Holdeen India Program has worked in solidarity with child laborers, dalits, indigenous tribes, women living with poverty, and modern-day slaves as they fight for equity and just social change.