In 1961 the Unitarians and Universalist merged to create Unitarian Universalism, a non-creedal, covenant based religion. Although this merger took place before my birth I lived most of my life knowing nothing about this new religion. I had always been drawn to spirituality and the idea of community that I saw in my friends churches and yet the theologies of those faiths just never spoke to my heart – or head.

And then one day I got a call from my oldest daughter who was at Union College in Schenectady NY. “Mom, I just went to a new church. You have to check them out, they sound just like you!” I laughed. How could a “church” sound like me? I did not accept Jesus as my savior, I was not even sure how I felt about the concept of God. I believed in an interconnected force of love in the world but resisted the use of the word “God” since as far as I could see if was a word used more for harm than good. Surely there was not a church that allowed me those beliefs!

I quickly went on line and looked up “Unitarian Universalism” and what was this? Lo and behold … those people DID sound just like me! I was instantly drawn to the 7 principles and particularly resonated with 1, 4 and 7. These were the ones who that stated the everyone is inherently worthy, the all of existence is interconnected and that this religion welcome an independent search for truth and meaning. Add in the principles about supporting each other spiritual growth, working for justice and equity and compassion and the goal of a peaceful world community and there was no doubt that I was UU.

Since then I have loved introducing people to this religion and though the official stated definition of Unitarian Universalism is now described as core values, it is those 7 principles that I return to again and again to affirm my UU identity and to inspire others.

It is possible to be a religion that is inclusive of many theologies, that welcomes all and sees everyone as whole. It is possible to be a religion that is inclusive, not exclusive.

I continue to love gathering in diverse community with others who share a belief that we can agree on basic principles of how to treat our fellow beings even though we may not share the same spiritual grounding. To me this is a religion I am so glad I discovered. I hope you do to!

Here are those principles – what resonates with you?

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