Unitarians are now an open-faith community celebrating diverse beliefs; some of its members would describe themselves as Buddhists, Pagans, or Jewish, while many others are humanists, agnostics, or atheists.

Christopher Hill states that ideas such as anti-Trinitarianism, which scholars trace back to ancient times, were an integral part of "the lower-class heretical culture which burst into the open in the 16th century".

The cornerstones of this culture were anti-clericalism (opposition to the power of the Church) and a strong emphasis on biblical study, but there were specific heretical doctrines that had "an uncanny persistence".

Such ideas became "commonplace to 17th century Baptists, Levellers, Diggers, Seekers, … early Quakers and other radical groupings which took part in the free-for-all discussions of the English Revolution".

[1] After the restoration of the Stuart monarchy and the resulting Act of Uniformity 1662, about 2,000 ministers left the established Church of England (the Great Ejection).

However, by the late 18th century, the influx of General Baptist congregations to the denomination established a direct lineage to this radical milieu—although by now, much of the heretical culture stigma no longer existed.

However, there was a setback in 1837 when "the Presbyterian / Unitarian members were forced to withdraw from the General Body of Protestant Ministers which, for over a century, had represented the joint interests of the old established nonconformist groups in and around London".

[5] The Unitarian Church does not follow one particular set of rules; owing to this, most Protestant denominations and Catholic dioceses do not recognise the baptisms or marriages it performs.

[citation needed] The official name is used on formal occasions, but in general use the organisation refers to itself and its members simply as Unitarian; the website URL is unitarian.org.uk,[6] and the BBC religion page reflects this.