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Brief Reflections on the Seven Unitarian Universalist Principles
by Rev. Debra Faulk
Preamble: These seven principles were crafted by a
committee with input invited from the entire continental
membership. The wording went through a multi-year process
before final acceptance in 1985. They are currently under
review in both Canada and the United States for we truly
recognize the dynamic nature of religious community which
requires constant evaluation and re-affirmation. These
principles are not a creed. They are meant to be guiding
statements, that when posed to ourselves as questions, can
clarify our ethical stand in the world.
The 1st Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of
every person.” Simple and perhaps obvious at first
reading -- enacting it can be a challenge. What of the
person we perceive committing injustice or undermining the
dignity of another, do we affirm their inherent worth? Would
doing so equate to supporting their actions? Acceptance of a
person’s potential is not acceptance of abusive behaviour.
This principle is a demand to justice. As guiding principle
it calls us to action, to work for issues of equality and
anti-oppression - social, economic or political. It requires
that we honour individual choice, ever aware of the
influence of the individual on the wider society. It
requires that we recognize our own inherent worth as well.
The 2nd Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote: Justice, equity and compassion in
human relations.”
To be a justice seeking person requires a core of
self-acceptance, a sense of personal dignity that translates
into the recognition of the worth and dignity in every one
else. It has been said that justice is love at a distance.
This love causes internal unrest in the face of inequity.
Compassion literally means “to suffer with”. Living out of
the capacity for compassion involves the willingness to
witness pain in the world, be with it and not paralyzed by
it. The call to justice and equity means to take an ethical
stand in the face of injustice with compassion.
The 3rd Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote acceptance of one another and
encouragement of spiritual grown in our congregations.”
The spiritual dimension of an individual or a community is
vital and changing. At its best it deepens and grows. With
the acceptance of this aspect of growth we express our
willingness to explore new ideas, to expand our perceptions
and to suspend judgment – this is challenging and meaningful
work.
The 4th Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote a free and responsible search for
truth and meaning.” In this statement is found the
essence of our liberal faith tradition. We are each
responsible for engaging in the quest to deepen our
understanding of what is meaningful and true to us
personally as well as communally. This is a dynamic and
lifelong process, enhanced by having like-valued people to
accompany us on the journey.
The 5th Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use
of democratic process within our congregations and the
society at large.”
The 5th Unitarian Universalist principle offers a succinct
expression of the importance of the individual in the
context of community. The demand is to search one’s own
conscience and then to contribute to the community.
Participation, engagement and action are our responsibility
if we strive to enact justice in the world.
The 6th Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote the goal of world community with
peace, liberty, and justice for all.” It has been
said that for peace to exist it must begin within the heart
of each person. Peace is more than an absence of war; it is
the presences of justice, equity for all persons. In
community we find support to be agents of this kind of
transformation in the world.
The 7th Unitarian Universalist principle states that
“We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of
all existence of which we are a part.” The
recognition of our place as merely a strand in the web of
life invites us to be planetary stewards. As individuals and
congregations we reflect on how we can live as sustainably
as possible and then put it into action.
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