The UUA's traditions have consistently rejected predestination — whether Calvinist double predestination or any form of determinism regarding human salvation or damnation. The Universalist heritage rejected eternal damnation entirely, making predestination to damnation not only morally objectionable but impossible. The Unitarian heritage rejected both the doctrines of original sin (as all-encompassing corruption) and predestination in favor of human moral capacity and responsibility.

In contemporary UUism, the rejection of predestination extends to the broader affirmation of human agency, moral responsibility, and the possibility of growth and transformation. The UUA's emphasis on the inherent worth and dignity of every person is incompatible with the Calvinist view that God arbitrarily elects some to salvation and leaves others to damnation. Every person is regarded as capable of growth, wisdom, and goodness.

The UUA does not engage the predestination debate in terms of classical Calvinist-Arminian distinctions, as these distinctions belong to a framework of sin, grace, and salvation that most UUA members do not share. The rejection of predestination is implicit in the UUA's affirmation of human dignity, free inquiry, and the conviction that each person bears responsibility for their own moral and spiritual development.