Unity:
A Path For
Spiritual
Living
Unity
is
a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity
based on the
teachings
of Jesus and the power of Prayer.
Unity
honors the universal truths in all religions and respects
each individual’s right to choose a spiritual
path.
God
God
is spirit, the loving source of all that
is.
God
is the one power, all good, everywhere present, all wisdom.
God is divine energy, continually creating, expressing, and
sustaining all creation.
In
God, we live and move and have our being. In Unity, some
other ways we speak of God are Life, Light, Love, Substance,
Principle, Law, and Universal Mind.
Jesus
We
believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought
to show humankind how to express ours as well.
We
see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our
Way-Shower. In Unity, we use the term “Christ” to mean the
divinity in humankind. Jesus is the great example of the
Christ in expression.
The
Nature of Humankind
We
are each Individual, eternal expressions of God. Our
essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good.
Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized
and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The
more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God
expresses in and through our lives.
The
Bible
Unity
cofounders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible
as history and allegory, and interpreted it as a
metaphysical representation of humankind’s evolutionary
journey toward spiritual awakening. In addition, Unity
recognizes that the Bible is a complex collection of
writings compiled over many centuries.
We
honor the writings as reflecting the understanding and
inspiration of the writers at the time they were written.
The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual resource for
us.
Our
Teachings
Unity
teaches that each person is a unique expression of God
created with sacred worth. Living from that awareness
transforms our lives and the world.
Unity
emphasizes the creative power of thought in our life
experience. We refer to this as the Law of Mind action. When
we take personal responsibility to choose life-affirming
thoughts, works and actions, we experience a more fulfilling
and abundant life.
Unity
emphasizes the importance of applying spiritual principles
in our daily lives.
Unity
teachings continue to evolve as we identify, embrace, and
apply spiritual insights and the spiritual implications of
new discoveries.
Pray
and Meditation
Affirmative
prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes
the release of counterproductive, negative thoughts, as well
as holding in mind statements of spiritual
truth.
Through
meditation, we experience the presence of God. Prayer and
meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform our
lives.
Youth
and Family Ministry
Unity
recognizes that there are many expressions of family life.
All are welcome. Unity creates an affirming environment that
fosters positive self-image, personal responsibility, and
unconditional love and acceptance.
Unity:
·
Beholds
all children as whole and perfect expressions of
God
·
Empowers
children to fulfill their divine potential
·
Teaches
children to meditate and pray
·
Invites
children to experience a loving God.
Unity
provides a strong spiritual foundation for children’s
lives.
Spiritual
Action
In
Unity, we feel a sacred responsibility, individually and
collectively, to make a positive difference through personal
example and active service in our churches, our communities,
and our world.
The
preceding identity statements were developed over a
fourteen-month period through dialogue between hundreds of
Unity ministers, licensed teachers, and church
members.
The
following joint statements have been adopted by the
Association of Unity Churches International and Unity School
of Christianity.
Honoring
Diversity within the Unity Movement
We
believe that all people are created with sacred worth.
Therefore, we recognize the importance of serving all people
within the Unity family in spiritually and emotionally
caring ways. We strive for our ministries, publications, and
programs to reach out to all who seek Unity support and
spiritual growth. It is imperative that our ministries and
outreaches be free of discrimination on the basis of race,
color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin,
ethnicity, physical disability, or sexual orientation. Our
sincere desire is to ensure that all Unity organizations are
nondiscriminatory and support diversity.
In
our effort to reach out to all people as did our Way-Shower,
Jesus Christ, we support: the modification of our facilities
to make them accessible to all people, regardless of
physical challenges; the translation of our materials into
Braille and other languages; and respect for the wonderful
variety of human commitments and
relationships.
We
encourage ministers, teachers, and others within Unity to
honor the strength of diversity within their spiritual
communities. It is with love and in celebration of our
unity, in the midst of our wondrous diversity, that we
affirm this position.
Statement
for Peace
Unity
stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in
the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of
injury. Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths
to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one
power and presence of God and that God loves each one of us
equally. It is therefore the position of Unity to urge all
nations, their leaders, and their people to turn to God by
whatever the name for guidance during these challenging
times and to pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors
the God of all our faith traditions. Unity stands for peace
in our lifetime.
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