Dr. Jeffrey Victor will speak to the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Jamestown, N.Y., on Dec. 14 on the topic of: “A brief introduction to Unitarian-Universalist history and beliefs”. He will explain why the Unitarian religion is unique because it doesn’t rely upon any required beliefs, but instead, relies upon reason and science in the pursuit of humanistic values. He will explain why past Unitarians relied upon their conscience rather than obedience to ancient traditions, to work for tolerance, social justice and international peace. Dr. Victor will explain how current Unitarian religion developed out of its roots in early 18th century New England Protestantism, by rejecting the view that people are basically sinful and by recognizing that the search for truth is continuously evolving.

Dr. Victor has been teaching courses in sociology and psychology at Jamestown Community College for 49 years. Currently, he is retired from full-time teaching, but continues to teach part-time. He is the author of two books and twenty-seven articles published in professional journals. Dr. Victor has been a guest speaker on television talk-shows and an invited speaker at conferences in the U.S., as well as in Europe.

The service will be on Sunday, Dec. 14, from 10:30 until 11:30 a.m. at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Jamestown at 1255 Prendergast Ave., in Jamestown. Established in 1885, the local Jamestown Unitarian church has a proud heritage of supporting liberal, open-minded religious views, in a region that has been traditionally conservative. It has been a comforting support group for free-thinkers for more than 100 years. The UUCJ is a multicultural congregation and welcomes LGBT people.