Unitarian Universalists Principles and Values

As Unitarian Universalists we aspire to live these seven principles and values in our lives every day. They are not a part of a creed, or dogma of belief.

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
• Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
• Acceptance of each other and encouragement to spiritual growth.
• The free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
• The right of conscience and the use of democratic process.
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.
• The interdependent web of existence, of which we are part.

We Draw From Many Sources

Direct experience of mystery and wonder in our lives that is affirmed in all cultures of the world:

• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men
• Wisdom from the world's religions that inspire us in our ethical and spiritual life
• Jewish and Christian teachings
• Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason
• Earth centered and indigenous spiritualities

The living tradition we share draws from many sources:
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces that create and uphold life;

Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;

Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life; Jewish and Christian teaching which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves; Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.

Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support

Adult Programs for Personal/Spiritual Growth

The Three Periods of Unitarian Universalism

Ancient Christian Church
The primary belief of early Universalists held that all persons, not a select few, would be blessed by a loving God. From the time of Jesus to the third and fourth centuries, many people held that there could only be one God and that Jesus was not divine. After the Emperor Constantine determined in the Council of Nicea in 325 CE that all Christianity would believe in the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) it became heretical to be Unitarian. The primary belief of early Universalists held that all persons, not a select few, would be blessed by a loving God.

Though most Unitarian Universalists do not hold to these ancient views, they retain the intention of the inherent worth of every person and the connected web of all life.

Radical Reformation
Reformers argued for religious tolerance, so that each person might search for truth and meaning without persecution. As the Christian reformers began to establish Protestant churches, a radical group of reformers insisted on a return to the simple teachings of Jesus and the ancient church. Such figures as Michael Servetus (central Europe) and Francis David (Transylvania) argued for religious tolerance, so that each person might search for truth and meaning without persecution. Thus the measure of modern Unitarian Universalism is a faith community in which each person is encouraged to grow spiritually in her or his own way.

American Unitarian Universalism
The American Congregational Church thrived in the eighteenth century in the North American colonies. At about the time the American nation formed, a group of Congregationalists became interested in the English Unitarian writings of Joseph Priestly and Theophilus Lindsay. Eventually, by 1819, there was a split between more conservative Congregationalists and more religiously liberal Unitarians. Such figures as Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were active Unitarians. Later, the writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau expanded the Unitarian experience with the development of the American Transcendentalist movement.

The Universalists came from England circa 1785 and also thrived in New England. Through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the two similar groups grew as parallel liberal religious communities, until 1961 when they agreed to form an association, now known as the Unitarian Universalist Association. Though the compound name is bulky, it attests to the rich dual history of Unitarian Universalism.