In Ireland the history of Unitarianism is intimately connected with that of Presbyterianism. It flourishes principal ly in the N. of the island, and the 10, 000 Irish Unitarians are Presbyterians in fact as well as in name.
After 1740 Arian views of the person of Christ were pretty widely diffused among the New England clergy; and in 1787 took place the first secession from the Episcopal Church. By imperceptible degrees many of the New England churches glided into Unitarianism; but it was not till about 1815 that the name began to be much used. At that time the influence of Dr. Channing was thrown into the scale; and since then Massachu setts, and particularly Boston, has been the stronghold of Unitarianism in the United States. Harvard University is not a denominational institution; but it is at present in the hands of the Uni tarians; and most of their ministers are educated either there or at the Mead ville Theological School, Pa. Besides the Unitarians, properly so called, the Uni versalists and the Hicksite Quakers are understood to hold anti-Trinitarian sen timents, though they give no special prominence to the doctrine of Divine Unity. In polity the Unitarians are con gregational, each church being independ ent in the control of its own affairs. There are National, State and lo cal conferences. The National confer ence, which meets biennially, declares in its constitution "its allegiance to the gos pel of Jesus Christ," and its "desire to secure the largest unity of spirit and the widest practical co-operation" in Chris tian civilization. The Unitarian Church
has its largest representation in Massa chusetts, that State containing about one half of its membership. In 1900 the reports of the denomination showed min isters, 550; churches, 459; and mem bers, 71,000.
There are a few Unitarian churches in the principal colonies of Great Britain; and Unitarian sentiments, under the names of Liberal Christianity and Ra tionalism, are more or less widely dif fused in France, Switzerland, Germany and Holland.
It will of course be understood that the Unitarians of all shades of opinion are agreed in rejecting the entire orthodox scheme—including the doctrines of the Trinity, the vicarious atonement, the deity of Christ, original sin, and ever lasting punishment—as both unscriptu ral and irrational. They celebrate the Lord's Supper in their churches, not as a sacrament, but as a service commemora tive of Christ's death, and expressive of spiritual communion with Him. They also adhere generally to the rite of in fant baptism, though there are a few Unitarian Baptist churches. Many ob ject to the name Unitarian as one which might be held to imply a doctrinal bond of union, and to be, to that extent, in consistent with unrestricted freedom of religious thought. When, at the meeting of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association in 1866, it was proposed to add to the rules a clause defining "Uni tarian Christianity," the motion was al most unanimously rejected.