OUR FAITH

Today the Unitarian Church is a post-Christian congregation. This means that we welcome as members individuals of different religious beliefs, ranging from explicit atheism through ranges of agnosticism to a committed belief in a transcendent power, be it envisioned as a traditional God, or goddess or a mystery beyond a literal language or imagination. The general idea is that we ought to be a caring and loving community not because we all believe the same thing, but regardless of the diversity of our faiths. The church is not the seat of a final truth that should be accepted, but rather, a community of seekers.

In spite of the religious diversity, however, we have certain social and metaphysical principles that unite us, and make us work for peace, justice, compassion and democracy. These principles include asserting the worth of every human being, the interconnected web of reality, the democratic process, the role of reason and science in the search for truth, and the celebration of mystery.

Unitarian Universalist Covenant

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, 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 congregation;

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.

History of Our Faith

Unitarian beliefs first emerged in the sixteenth century during the Reformation. They are a fascinating tour de force of Enlightenment thought. In the seventeenth century, it was a reaction to the Catholic faith, the Calvinist faith in Poland and Transylvania. In England it was a reaction to the religious tyranny of the Puritan Revolution and Oliver Cromwell's Republic of England. In the eighteenth century, the simultaneous occurrence of the modern Unitarian Church and the Industrial revolution is not a co-incidence. The following page is a work in progress §.