Our Beliefs and Principles

What We Believe

What makes Unitarian Universalism (UU) unique and special is that we are a covenantal religion.  We make sacred promises with each other and nature.  Promises rooted deeply in the embodiment of interdependence, love, and liberation.  Our congregations are places where we gather to nurture our spirits and put our faith into action through social justice in our communities and the wider world.

Because Unitarian Universalism's polity is congregational, each local faith community also a unique mission statement which guides our work together.  Our mission is it create a Beloved Community acting with compassion, reason, and respect empowering us to promote a just society.  This mission frames everything we do within, among, and beyond.

Unitarian Universalist Principles

Though we are an ever-evolving, living faith, there are currently seven principles which UU congregations covenant to affirm and promote:

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

Unitarian Universalist Sources

Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources, including:

• 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 people 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.

These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community. For more about our loving faith tradition, please visit www.uua.org.