‘What Makes a Religion?’

Sara Kelley, UUCSV Director of Religious Growth and Learning 

Originally published in the Sunbury Daily Item- July 18, 2026

What defines any group or denomination that calls itself a religion as a religion? What  makes Unitarian Universalism a religion? 

Two recent events got me thinking about this question. One was a simple question from  someone dear to me who has a UU background but now belongs to a United Methodist  church. The other was the decision by the current Defense Department striking 180  religious groups from its “Faith and Belief codes” – from 211 to just 31. The official  rationale was to streamline the system, but there was no study, no public comment  period, just an overnight reveal. 

I learned about the stripping of religions from the military list because Unitarian  Universalism was one of those eliminated, so my friends and colleagues spread the word quickly. There are UU service members, and there are UU chaplains. What happens to  them? 

We’re not alone, certainly. The reduction list includes many different practices of  Paganism, Humanism, Deism, and others – requiring anyone who isn’t affiliated with  the official 31 to designate themselves as “other religion” or “no religion”. While the  remaining 31 faiths may represent a majority of service members – and of military  chaplains – it doesn’t include all service members. Several news sites estimate that about 25% of current service members will fall into the “other” or “no” category. What  happens to service members who want and need spiritual guidance when they have  nobody to go to? Or when they seek out a military chaplain, they are assigned to one  who has no knowledge of that person’s spiritual and religious identity? Religion and  spiritual practices can be an important balance in a service member’s life, and may be  what can save their life in times of combat or other great stress. 

Back to my friend’s question: how is Unitarian Universalism a religion? “It just is”  wasn’t the answer they wanted! 

The word “religion” is defined several ways by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The  first two are probably what most of us would say if we had the language for it: “an  organized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” or “the religious beliefs,  observances, and social practices found within a given cultural context.” 

More broadly, Merriam-Webster adds that religion is a “commitment or devotion to a  god or gods, a system of beliefs, or religious observance : the service and worship of a  god, of multiple gods, or of the supernatural.”

Using these definitions, most of the 180 religious groups that are no longer recognized  by the U.S. military would qualify as a religion, including my own. Unitarian  Universalism is an organized denomination and has been for 65 years, although it has a  much longer history. Unitarianism began in the 4^th century in eastern Europe, making its  way to Great Britain during the Reformation, and to North America with Joseph  Priestley and others in the late 1700s. Universalism began in central Europe during the  Reformation and found a home in New England with early English settlers. The two  religions merged in 1962 to make the current religion of Unitarian Universalism. 

It is true that not all UUs have the same underlying belief system if that must include  “devotion to a god or gods”. Considering that one of our “system of religious attitudes,  beliefs, and practices” includes our shared value of Pluralism, we don’t have any  problem with the variations of personal spiritual beliefs. In fact, our diversity is seen as a positive aspect to our communities. We can learn so much from each other. 

We do, however, have a common system of observances and practices, and indeed faith  in the value of Love as the center of everything. Our other six shared Values — Equity,  Generosity, Interdependence, Justice, Pluralism, and Transformation – are a clear  statement of a commitment to a system of beliefs. We come together in community on  Sundays for worship services and communal learning; many of us also gather on other  days of the week for services, learning, community growth, music, and just plain fun.  This description is likely recognizable by anyone who belongs to a church or  congregation that is more openly accepted as a “religion”. 

Our country’s founders believed that the right for individuals to practice their own  religion, without interference from a state-designated church or denomination. Many of  those founders were Deists, not Christians, and they certainly thought of themselves as  practicing a religion. Having a variety – a pluralism – of religious and spiritual beliefs fit in just fine with their view of what makes us Americans. My religion agrees.