About Unitarian Universalism
Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith that traces its roots back hundreds of years through liberal Christian traditions. Because we don’t have a creed, a single set of beliefs that we believe are right for everyone, we center our faith on shared values and promises, known as covenant.
Our Shared Values and Covenant
Unitarian Universalist congregations agree to uphold a set of values, which begin with love at the center of everything we do. The values that surround love are justice, equity, interdependence, generosity, pluralism, and transformation.
Each of these values is accompanied by a covenant–a sacred promise we make to one another about how we will try to live these values every day.
As you read these values and these promises, think about how you might strive to live them. How do they support who you are and who you would like to be?
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.
We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
A Little Bit of History
Freedom to Choose Our Faith
Unitarians and Universalists have always been driven by the desire to choose our own faith. During the early Christian church, believers had the freedom to select from various beliefs about Jesus. Unitarians believed in the oneness of God, rather than the Trinity. Similarly, Universalism was another choice, representing the belief that all people are automatically saved by an all-loving God (that there was no hell). Both Unitarianism and Universalism remained minority viewpoints in Christianity.
In sixteenth-century Transylvania, under the reign of the Unitarian king John Sigismund, religious tolerance was declared. As a result, Unitarian congregations were established. However, throughout history, those holding Unitarian or Universalist beliefs faced persecution. Some were even burned at the stake for their Unitarian or Universalist beliefs.
Seeds of Tolerance and Reason
Unitarianism's roots in North America came from congregations in what are now the New England states. Early American Unitarians believed that humans were not inherently corrupt and evil as was the prevailing belief of their time. They believed that all people had the potential for good or evil, depending on both the life they choose to live and on the social environment in which they were born and raised.
These Unitarians were Christians who believed that people should interpret the Bible with human reasoning. Although Jesus and the Bible were central to their faith, they regarded Jesus as more of a moral and ethical teacher than a supernatural being. In 1825 the American Unitarian Association was formed. Over time, and with much debate, Unitarians eventually embraced the transcendentalist notion that we could each have a relationship with the holy, and even opened their doors to humanists who doubted the existence of God.
Expanding Faith and Inclusivity
Universalism developed in the United States in multiple regions. Universalists believed that every person would be saved (universal salvation). This was in opposition to the dominant churches of the time, which said that salvation was only for a few whom God would select to save. Universalists were Christians who did not believe a loving God would condemn people to an eternity of hell. They believed that the souls of all dead people would eventually be led to this loving God, although some Universalists believed that it would take a longer time for some to get to heaven than others.
Universalism became an evangelical faith, spreading across the United States and Canada. Universalists embraced inclusivity. Universalists ordained women to the ministry and fought for various social justice causes.
A Shared Legacy of Justice
During the 20th century, both religions began to move away from their Christian origin toward a religion based on individual freedom of belief. The Universalists retained their Christian identity longer than the Unitarians.
In 1961, Unitarians and Universalists merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), uniting their liberal religious voices. Throughout history, Unitarian Universalists have been actively involved in civil rights movements. We continue to advocate for racial and cultural diversity, women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
What do Unitarian Universalists Believe?
Because we don’t have a creed, we ask people to choose what they believe based on their experiences, their heritage, and deep spiritual reflection. We are proud to be heretics–”heresy” comes from a root word meaning “choice.” We ask questions–of each other and of our religious leaders. We disagree–and try to root those disagreements in love.
Despite our diversity, our shared values mean that we have a lot in common. Here are some beliefs that most Unitarian Universalists might agree on:
- Every individual should be encouraged to develop a personal set of ideas about life.
- Everyone should continue to search for truth. Learning is never finished.
- Everyone has an equal claim to life, liberty and justice.
- Everyone is capable of reasoning based on their set of experiences.
- We should be able to present religious opinions openly, without fear of reprisal but understanding that if we harm people with those beliefs then we are responsible for consequences.
- Truth is not absolute; it changes over time and with experience.
- Good faith cannot be separated from good work.
Are You a Christian Church?
We are often asked if we are a Christian church, and the answer to that is complicated. As a faith without a creed, we embrace many theologies and religious backgrounds. This includes Christianity, of course. Given our history and heritage, our language and structures (“church,” for example) often reflect Christianity, but we do not mandate a shared belief in God or a particular view of Jesus. Most UUs would probably say that Jesus was a human prophet with a lot of good ideas.
How does the CLF fit into UUism?
CLF is an independent member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA).
Unitarian Universalism doesn’t have a central authority that can tell congregations what to do–the UUA exists to serve and support our congregations and to represent our values in the wider world.
On the flip side of this, we do not receive direct monetary support from a central institution, either–rather, we pay dues to the UUA to support the services we receive.
