Unitarian Universalism is a free faith tradition focused on growing our souls, cultivating compassion, and repairing the world. Our members are not asked to adhere to a single, unchanging creed. We believe that religious wisdom is always unfolding and that we are continually learning and growing as people of faith. As we embark on this journey, we embrace a wide range of sources of religious insight, including the natural world, religious scripture, the arts, science, and our personal experience. Ultimately, religious authority lies within each of our hearts, as we test our beliefs using our reason, our conscience, and by listening to the still, small voice within.

We value our theological diversity and embrace it as a strength. As 16th-century Unitarian Francis David famously said, “We need not think alike to love alike.” We believe that each human being carries inherent worth and dignity. This moves us to put our values into action and act for justice and equity in our world.

Unitarian Universalism grows out of two protestant denominations, the Universalists and the Unitarians, which joined in 1961 to become a single, leading light for liberal religion. Both had roots in colonial New England as well as deeper roots in the Protestant Reformation. The Universalists got their name from their belief in universal salvation, as opposed to a division of humanity into the Elect and the Damned. The Unitarians got their name from their belief in a single divine essence, as opposed to the trinity. Though we are no longer a Christian denomination, a belief in the interconnected unity of all existence and the saving power of love still lays at the core of our faith.

This video from the Unitarian Universalist Association provides a good overview of Unitarian Universalism.

Principles

Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides:

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Sources

We live out these Principles within a “living tradition” of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience. These are the six sources our congregations affirm and promote:

• 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 which 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 teachings 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.

Learn More

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has more information and resources available for those interested in learning more:
Who We Are
What We Believe
What We Do
History of Unitarian Universalism