This piece was written by Jess Galicia a member of our Marketing Committee. Learn more about committees here
For a religion that has no dogma or single source we pull teachings from it may be easy for others to brush off Unitarian Universalists as “anything goes” or a spiritual free-for-all, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. As a congregation that identifies as Unitarian Universalist we live and affirm the seven principles that the Unitarian Universalist Association (made up of 1000+ member congregations) have agreed on. These seven principles form the basis of our strong moral values and guides for life.
The first principle is, “The inherent worth and dignity of every person.” This means that simply being or existing means that you are worthy and worth dignity. This is in sharp contrast to many other religious theology that teaches that humankind is inherently flawed or sinful. In Unitarian Universalism, your existence alone makes you worthy of dignity. You don’t have to earn worthiness; you are born with it
The second principle is, “Justice, Equity and Compassion in Human Relations” this principle goes beyond the first and requires us to look at each other collectively and how we treat humankind as a group. The Rev. Emily Gage states, “Compassion is something that we can easily act on individually. We can demonstrate openness, give people respect, and treat people with kindness on our own. But we need one another to achieve equity and justice.” We live out this principle in how we treat our South Bend community in which we live and are a part of.
The third principle is, “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.” This is all about how we lift each other up in support of our individual spiritual journeys. This can look different for everyone, because we are all on different paths in this life. While some find spiritual fulfillment in a belief in a deity, others might find solace in the very pursuit of spiritual understanding.
Our fourth principle is, “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” This principle allows us as individuals to seek out meaning and truth for ourselves without fear of persecution or abandonment of our church community. We recognize that everyone’s spiritual path is different and as long as that search aligns with our seven principles, it is a responsible search and will be supported in our congregation.
The fifth principle is, “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large” Our commitment to democracy may be something that is new to many visitors of our congregation but it is one that we feel very strongly about. Our congregation votes on major decisions that affect the congregation, and our Unitarian Universalist Association votes on decisions that affect all member congregations.
The sixth principle is, “The Goal of World Community with Peace, Liberty, and Justice for All.” This is not a principle that we affirm lightly. With all the war and hatred that is going on around us in the world it may seem impossible to want a principle like this but we as a community are not willing to give up on it. Wanting peace in the world and liberty and justice for all is something that we are called to do as a congregation. The Rev. Sean Parker Dennison states, “There is no guarantee that we will succeed, but I can assure you that we will improve ourselves and improve the world by trying.”
Finally, the seventh principle is, “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” This principle helps us to embrace what is greater than us as an individual. We are part of a bigger something in this world and it is something we respect and revere. It calls us to care for the environment, surely, but also all existence. It calls on us to reject individualism and embrace what we can do to support the larger communities we are part of.
These are just some ways to interpret the seven principles. If you have read this and are interested in learning more, we invite you to experience our service at First Unitarian Church of South Bend in person, or online through Zoom. You can find our upcoming sermons here and the Zoom link to our services here