What is unity?

Unity is a worldwide Christian organization with an extremely positive approach to life, seeking to accept the good in people and in all life.  God is seen as having many attributes, but the most important is LOVE.  Unity stresses that God is not a physical man in the sky, for that limits our understanding. God is Spirit, everywhere present, the one and only Spirit behind, in, and through all things, visible and invisible. 

Unity denies the existence of any power or presence opposed to God.  It sees that there are evil appearances and suffering in the world, but attributes these to man's ignorance and erroneous use of God's law of life.

Unity proclaims the divinity of Jesus, but goes further and assures that you, too, are a child of God and therefore divine in nature.  Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show us how to express ours as well.  Salvation is then the expanding of one's understanding of his/her innate divinity and perfectibility through living the life demonstrated by Jesus.

Unity explains that the mind is our connecting link with God, or Divine Mind, and shows how the action of mind affects our body and circumstances.  Much emphasis is placed on the effective power that thoughts, feelings, words, and acts have upon our life.

Prayer is not seen as a technique for changing God, but for expanding and transforming our minds, and thus changing us.

Unity seeks to relate religion to daily needs, affirming that for every need there is God's perfect answer.  It's main textbook is The Bible and it relates its lessons to our life and everyday experiences.

Unity does break from tradition in that it has no creedal requirements, dogma, rituals, or ecclesiastical garb.  Unity chooses to believe that there is good in every religion.  Different religions are like spokes on a wheel with the hub being God.  They may be set apart by variances of beliefs and approaches, but they are all seeking the one God as the hub of all life.  Consequently, Unity does not deny anyone his/her own beliefs.

Unity sees worship as serving God by uplifting and glorifying God's spirit in man, in positive, joyous ways.  It seeks not to emphasize one's sins of the past, but instead gives attention to the good that exists in every person and what can be done with the now to transform one's self and life.

Unity's main concern is not so much with a future life but with teaching people how to live fully in the present, seeing the good in all things.  Unity also believes in eternal life and views the present moment as part of eternal me.

Unity does not impose any financial burdens or pressure on its adherents.  It believes the desire for giving should be initiated from within the giver to reap the joys of sharing.  Consequently, all support is by free will offerings.

In summary, Unity emphasizes the divine potential within every child of God and teaches that through a practical understanding and application of what Jesus taught, every person can realize and express his/her potential for a happier, fuller and more successful life.

-By Reverend Howard Caesar