By Bonnie Withers
What name comes to mind when you think about the origins of the Universalist half of our name? John Murray? You’ll get half credit for that one, but Dr. George DeBenneville was preaching Universalism in America 30 years before John Murray landed. (Murray holds the distinction of insisting on a separate, defined church.)
DeBenneville was born an aristocrat in 1703, but gave up his privileged life to go to sea at age 12. In his travels, he learned that there are many ways to be human and many ways to express religious belief. Rick Steves would have approved of the way de Benneville embraced and celebrated the diversity he observed on his travels.
After a near-death experience, de Benneville formulated his belief that hell is not a place of punishment, but rather a place to perfect oneself. Everyone is saved in the end by an all-loving, benevolent God. This was a radical idea and de Benneville was threatened with death more than once. In fact, King Louis XV spared his life at the last minute as he knelt on the scaffold. He went on to preach throughout Germany where it is believed he received medical training.
Once de Benneville came to America in the mid-1700’s, he continued to preach his message of hope and heaven for all, and practiced medicine. His work with Native Americans included trading herbal medicines with them. This work continued to his death at age 90.
These brief highlights hardly capture the richness of the life of this UU pioneer. I hope you will use your Google finger to fill in the picture.