What is Unity?
Unity is a positive, practical, progressive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus and the power of prayer. Unity honors the universal truths present in all religions and respects each individual’s right to choose and follow their own spiritual path.
God
God is Spirit, the loving creative source of all that is. God is the one power, all good, everywhere present continually creating, expressing and sustaining all of 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.
Jesus
We believe that Jesus was a deeply God connected person who expressed his divine potential fully and sought to show humankind how to express ours as well. We see Jesus as a master teacher of Universal Truths and as a way shower. In Unity, we use the term Christ (Greek for the Hebrew word Messiah - meaning that which is anointed or blessed by God) to speak of the innate divinity or holiness present in every person. For us Jesus is the great living example of "the Christ" in complete expression.
The Nature of Humankind
We view each person, at their core, as an individualized and eternal creation of God. Being "of God" our essential nature is therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to learn to express that inner divine nature more and more fully, just at Jesus and other great teachers have. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.
The Bible
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 its writings as reflecting the understanding and inspiration of the writers at the time they were written. The Bible continues to be a valuable spiritual and inspirational resource for us.
Our Teachings
The "Five Basic Ideas" behind Unity were summarized by Rev Connie Fillmore (granddaughter of Unity co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) as follows:
1 God is absolute Good, everywhere present.
2 Human beings have a spark of divinity within, the "Christ" within. Their very essence is of God, and therefore they are also inherently good.
3 Human beings create their experiences by the activity of their thinking. Everything in the manifest realm has its beginning in thought.
4 Prayer is creative thinking that heightens the connection with God-Mind and therefore brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity and everything good.
5 Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, are not enough. A person must also live the truth that he or she knows.
We emphasize the creative power of thought in all our life experience. We refer to this creative power as the Law of Mind-Action. As we take personal responsibility to choose life-affirming thoughts, words and actions, we experience a more fulfilling and abundant life.
Prayer and Meditation
Affirmative or Positive Prayer is the tool we use to connect with the highest forms of creative thought. It includes the denial or release of counterproductive, negative thoughts, as well as holding in mind statements of deep and powerful spiritual Truth.
Through inner quieting and meditation, we open our minds to experience the presence and wisdom of God. Using prayer and meditation together heightens and focuses our inner awareness thereby transforming our minds and lives.