Unitarian Universalist
Beliefs and Values

Unitarian Universalists believe that their faith is a courageous faith because it accepts the universe, the natural world, and mortal life as the arena of living. These two are now joined in a common expression of faith which proclaims that the main concern of religion is human existence on earth rather than some doubtful world of the future.

Its particular interests are the moral and ethical issues of living and the requirements for conduct these issues inspire. We have tended to seek out religious messages and inspiration from texts that emphasize, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only." We are inspired and impressed by "deeds not creeds."

We believe in "salvation by character," that is, that people are capable of achieving a more ideal life by the results of their own efforts to strengthen and sensitize themselves. We do not rely on some supernatural intervention. We believe in the supreme worth of every human personality, in the individual man and woman as both the purpose and the instrument of the struggle for a better society.

We assert the goodness of the individual person; we see the individual as the child of God, or as many of us would say, as the child of the universe. We see humans standing high on the evolutionary ladder, with great potential for further growth, and even now possessing evidence of the divine, at their best being just 'a little lower than the angels."