Our Guiding Principles
Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote seven Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides. 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.
-
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.
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.