John H. Dietrich
John Hassler Dietrich (1878–1957) was a
Unitarian minister, born at
Chambersburg,
Pennsylvania, is called the "Father of
Religious Humanism". He was educated at
Franklin and Marshall College and at the
Lancaster Theological Seminary in
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, ordained in the ministry of the
Reformed Church in 1905, and defrocked in 1911 for failing to affirm primary
Christian beliefs. His religious development evolved to
Humanism and
Unitarianism, in which he served various
pastorates, including
First Unitarian Society of
Spokane (1911-1916), and then
First Unitarian Society of
Minneapolis (1916-1938). He retired to
Berkeley, California, where he died. He is buried in the crypt of
First Unitarian Church of Chicago. He was the author of:
* ''The Gain for Religion in Modern Thought'' (1908)
* ''The Religion of a Sceptic'' (1911)
* ''Substitutes for the Old Beliefs'' (1914)
* ''From
Stardust to Soul'' (1916)
* ''The Religion of
Evolution'' (1917)
* ''The Religion of Humanity'' (1919)
* ''The Fathers of Evolution'' (1927)
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