Our Beliefs

Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a “big tent” religion, meaning that we include people with various theological beliefs but common ethics and practices under one tent.

What does that look like?

A UU atheist might be sitting between a UU theist and a UU pagan. A UU raised in a Jewish home might be sitting next to their Christian-raised spouse and their Humanist brother-in-law. A UU who most often turns to the teachings of the   Buddha might be sitting next to someone who turns to Jesus, someone who turns to the Hebrew prophets, and someone who seeks out women as their teachers. A single pew might include people who believe in a personal afterlife, or in reincarnation, or in a union with Source or Love, or in the glory of returning to the earth.

What holds us together? These shared values…

• Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
• Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
• Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
• Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
• Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
• Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
• Love: Love is at the center of our shared faith, to be shared with all.

Our Sources

Our faith is a living tradition of wisdom and spirituality drawn from six diverse sources:

• Direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder
• Words and deeds of prophetic women and men 
• Wisdom from the world’s religions 
• Jewish and Christian teachings 
• Humanist teachings of reason and science
• Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions

From these sources UU congregations developed eight principles through grassroots efforts. We affirm and promote these as strong values and moral guides – not dogma or doctrine.

Our Principles 

• 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 congregations
• 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
• Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions

On February 14, 2021, Reverend Bluemel spoke about our beliefs. Here is a text excerpt from that sermon.

And here are Zoom excerpts of a few sermons from previous years:

• Easter Transformations, April 2023
• What We Teach Our Children, March 2023
• Love Anyway, February 2023

Find much more information about Unitarian Universalism – our diverse and inclusive faith, our history, our principles and sources – through the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) website.

For another perspective on our beliefs, read Five Smooth Stones/Five Jagged Rocks. Adapted from the Bible story of David and Goliath, it speaks to the power of small building blocks – and a path that is not always smooth-going.