Socinianism

1 9.9

A Christian movement that rejects the Trinity and original sin and uses reason to read the Bible literally

noun
/səˈsɪniənˌɪzəm/

Archaic

: socinianismo

The movement of Socinianism strongly opposes the doctrine of the Trinity, which is a fundamental belief in most Christian denominations.

Examples

And this general reasoning had one chief target: Conrad Vorstius, the Remonstrant sympathizer who in 1610 was appointed professor as successor to Jacobus Arminius and who was accused of Socinianism.

Academic text (2010)
Primitive Christianity was fostered institutionally through the SPCK, and this, combined with practical piety, was a way in which Anglicanism could counter the threat of dissent, Socinianism, and deism.

Academic text (2004)
In recent times, Socinianism has sparked debates among theologians regarding its interpretations of biblical texts and the nature of God.
Many theologians argue that Socinianism marks a significant shift in Christian doctrine, particularly due to its emphasis on reason over tradition.

Surface Forms

Socinianism singular

Socinianisms plural

Morphology

Socinianism = Socinian (opaque) = Socinian + ism

The suffix '-ism' productively marks a doctrine or movement, but the base 'Socinian' is an eponymic adjective unfamiliar to typical learners.

Etymology

The word Socinianism comes from the name of the Italian thinker Sozzini, sometimes written Socinus, and the ending -ism, which means 'belief' or 'system'. So, Socinianism names the set of religious ideas he taught, especially rejecting the Trinity and using reason to read the Bible.