What We Believe
Unity sees God as Universal Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one and only power in the universe and is, therefore, involved in and engaged with every aspect of life and existence.
Unity was founded in the 1890s as part of a wave of new denominations that sought a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity. We are also trans-denominational, in that we honor and study the universal truths in all religions and respect each individual’s right to choose a spiritual path.
Unity is a spiritual movement founded on the universal and practical spiritual teachings of Jesus. While we look to Jesus as our master teacher and wayshower – the great example, rather than the great exception – we also enjoy exploring the wisdom of the Buddha, the Tao, Hinduism, and more. Most people see Unity as a spiritual way of life – offering tools for living an abundant and meaningful life – rather than a religion.
Definitions
God is Spirit, the loving source of all that is. God is the one power everywhere present. 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.
We believe that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show us how to express ours as well in the same way he did. We see Jesus as a master teacher of universal truths and as our wayshower. In Unity, we use the term “Christ” to mean the divinity in humankind, it is a consciousness, rather than a person. Jesus is the great example of the Christ in expression.
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.
Unity co-founders, 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.
Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of counterproductive 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.
5 Principles of Unity
- There is one presence and one power active in the universe, God.
- We are spiritual beings. The spirit of God lives within and AS each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.
- We create our life experiences through our feelings and thoughts.
- There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our awareness of God.
- Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them.
Foundation of Prayer
We forward all prayer requests weekly to Silent Unity, which holds all requests in prayer for 30 days. If you need someone to pray with you right now, you can reach Silent Unity, our worldwide prayer ministry, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at +1-816-969-2000 (English) or +1-816-969-2020 (Spanish).
OUR VALUES
Think Big. Act Bigger. Get Involved.
The Unity movement stands for and will tirelessly work for harmony so all people may know the freedom of peaceful expression; so they may know their own inner worth and essential contribution to the whole of life.
Choose one of our sacred service ministries and make a difference in the world.
