In the United States, there often are misunderstandings when someone uses the term liberal or liberalism. This is because Americans use different definitions for the terms than the rest of the world. Even many members of American religiously liberal churches, such as Unitarian Universalism (UU) and the United Church of Christ (UCC), misunderstand what liberal religion means.
Americans commonly associate “liberalism” and “liberal” with the political left and the American Democratic Party.
Liberalism as used in the wider world means classical liberalism. Classical liberalism refers to a political and moral philosophy that supports, amongst other things, individual and human rights, equality, democracy, freedom of belief, economic and political freedom, and freedom of speech and the press. This form of liberalism includes people from the political left, center, and right. By this definition, an American Republican can also be a liberal.
When writing, I use both definitions. So there is no misunderstanding, I will say “American political liberalism” or “classical liberalism.
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Liberal religion or religious liberalism is classical liberalism in the context of religion and church. It contrasts with fundamentalist, dogmatic, and orthodox religions such as Catholicism and Calvinism.
Many members of liberal churches, such as UU and UCC, mistakenly assume liberal religion refers to the American political left. This confusion is in part because most members of those churches are politically left.
The Wikipedia page on Unitarian Universalism explains it: "While political liberals make up a clear majority of Unitarian Universalists, the movement aspires to diversity, and officially welcomes congregants regardless of their political views. Politically conservative Unitarian Universalists point out that neither theological liberalism nor the Principles and Purposes of the UUA require liberal politics. Like the beliefs of Unitarian Universalists, politics are decided by individuals, not by congregations or the denomination."
UU ministers often explain it by saying, “Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion not a religion for liberals.”
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Illiberalism means opposition to or lack of liberalism. Illiberalism includes opposition to or lack of freedom of thought and behavior, and lack of civil liberties. It is associated with fundamentalism, dogmatism, and intolerance. Illiberalism is found in both the political right and the political left.
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