Editing Unitarian Universalism (section)

===External===

====Lack of formal creed====
In May 2004, [[Texas]] [[Comptroller]] [[Carole Keeton Strayhorn]] ruled that Unitarian Universalism was not a "religion" because it "does not have one system of belief", and stripped the Red River Unitarian Universalist Church in [[Denison, Texas]], of its tax-exempt status. However, within weeks, Strayhorn reversed her decision.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/40524church.html |title=News Release From Carole Keeton Strayhorn |publisher=Window.state.tx.us |date=2004-05-24 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119143945/http://www.window.state.tx.us/news/40524church.html |archive-date=January 19, 2008 }}</ref>

====Confusion with other groups====
There are separate movements and organizations who hold to classical Unitarian or [[Christian universalist]] Christian theology and neither belong to the Unitarian Universalist Association nor consider themselves Unitarian Universalists. The American Unitarian Conference and the Christian Universalist Association are the two most significant organizations representing these theological beliefs today. Christians who hold these beliefs tend to consider themselves the true Unitarians or Universalists and heirs of the theological legacy of the original [[American Unitarian Association]] or [[Universalist Church of America]], and they do not wish to be confused with Unitarian Universalists. The [[Unity Church]] is another denomination that is often confused with Unitarian Universalism.<ref>See [http://www.americanunitarian.org/voicearticle.htm "Why the American Unitarian Conference Had to Be Formed"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717051707/http://www.americanunitarian.org/voicearticle.htm |date=17 July 2008 }} and [http://www.christianuniversalist.org/articles/unitarian.html "What Is the Difference between Christian Universalism and Unitarian Universalism?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080715185257/http://www.christianuniversalist.org/articles/unitarian.html |date=15 July 2008 }}</ref>

====Boy Scouts of America====
{{Main|Boy Scouts of America membership controversies|Religious emblems programs (Boy Scouts of America)}}

In 1992, the UUA published statements opposing the [[Boy Scouts of America|BSA]]'s policies of discriminating against [[Boy Scouts of America membership controversies#Position on homosexuality|homosexuals]], [[Boy Scouts of America membership controversies#Position on religious belief|atheists, and agnostics]]; and in 1993, the UUA updated the curriculum guidance of its "Religion in Life" emblems program for young people in scouting to include criticism of the BSA policies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/faith.html |title=The Boy Scouts, a Battle and the Meaning of Faith |access-date=2007-05-09 |author=Gustav Niebuhr |date=1999-05-22 |newspaper=New York Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212065426/http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/faith.html |archive-date=December 12, 2007 }}</ref> On account of the published criticism, in 1998 the BSA withdrew its recognition of UUA's Religion in Life emblem program. Subsequently, the UUA removed the objectionable material from the program curriculum and the BSA renewed recognition of the Religion in Life program. Later, the UUA issued internal, supplemental material to emblems-program workbooks that included general statements critical of discrimination on bases of sexual orientation or personal religious viewpoint. When the BSA learned of those (internal) statements it again withdrew recognition of the UUA Religion in Life emblems program.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Isaacson |first=Eric Alan |year=2007 |title=Traditional Values, or a New Tradition of Prejudice? The Boy Scouts of America vs. the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations |journal=George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal |volume=17 |issue=1 |url=http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=eric_isaacson |access-date=2015-06-14 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 2004, the Unitarian Universalist Scouters Organization (UUSO), a group not affiliated with the UUA, established their "Living Your Religion" emblems program for UU-BSA scouts.<ref name="UUSO">{{cite web |url=http://www.uuscouters.org/ |title=Unitarian Universalist Scouters Organization |access-date=2007-04-11 |date=March 5, 2006 |archive-date=25 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125200254/http://www.uuscouters.org/ }}</ref> Without the knowledge or approval of the UUA, the program was approved by the BSA Religious Relationships committee in 2005. Upon being notified of the UUSO program the UUA issued a statement (March 16, 2005) clarifying that UUSO was not an affiliate organization of the UUA and asserting that, contrary to reports otherwise, UU congregations were still awarding the UUA Religion in Life emblem to their youth members in BSA Scouts—whose emblems then were worn on the Scouts' uniforms without complaint from the BSA. Further, the statement made clear that the UUA still maintained its criticism of both the BSA's ongoing discrimination against gay Scouts and gay Scout leaders and the BSA requirement of a religious litmus test for membership.<ref>{{cite web|title= UUA and the Scouts: Statement from the Unitarian Universalist Association |url=http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/050316_statement.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031154242/http://archive.uua.org/news/scouts/050316_statement.html |archive-date=October 31, 2007 |access-date=2007-07-08 |date= March 16, 2005 |publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scouting.org/awards/religious/awards/index.html|title=Religious Emblems Programs Available to Members of the Boy Scouts of America|access-date=2007-07-08|publisher=Boy Scouts of America|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717140759/http://www.scouting.org/awards/religious/awards/index.html|archive-date=2007-07-17}}</ref>

Later events made these issues moot: In 2013, BSA opened its membership to gay youth, followed by opening membership to gay adults in 2015, which policy changes resolved the main UUA objection to supporting BSA. The UUSO dissolved in 2015 and by 2016, via a memorandum of understanding, the UUA religious emblems program was again formally recognized by BSA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uua.org/children/scouting/memorandum-understanding|title=UUA Memorandum of Understanding|date=March 24, 2016|website=Unitarian Universalist Association|access-date=19 November 2020|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112004301/https://www.uua.org/children/scouting/memorandum-understanding}}</ref>