We are members of a mainline religious denomination with a more than four hundred year history (see Lee Olds' What is a UU?). During that time, our members have included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Clara Barton, e. e. cummings, Beatrix Potter, Frank Lloyd Wright, Florence Nightingale, Adlai Stevenson, and more recently the current Secretary of Defense, William J. Perry (see also Famous UUs).
[This is the text of the "Red Pamphlet" distributed by the UUA. It is reprinted here with permission. -- Lance Brown]
1. We believe in the freedom of religious expression. All individuals should be encouraged to develop their own personal theology, and to present openly their religious opinions without fear of censure or reprisal.
2. We believe in the toleration of religious ideas. All religions, in every age and culture, possess not only an intrinsic merit, but also a potential value for those who have learned the art of listening.
3. We believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The ultimate arbiter in religion is not a church, or a document, or an official, but the personal choice and decision of the individual.
4. We believe in the never-ending search for Truth. If the mind and heart are truly free and open, the revelations which appear to the human spirit are infinitely numerous, eternally fruitful, and wondrously exciting.
5. We believe in the unity of experience. There is no fundamental conflict between faith and knowledge, religion and the world, the sacred and the secular, since they all have their source in the same reality.
6. We believe in the worth and dignity of each human being. All people on earth have an equal claim to life, liberty, and justice -- and no idea, ideal, or philosophy is superior to a single human life.
7. We believe in the ethical application of religion. Good works are the natural product of a good faith, the evidence of an inner grace that finds completion in social and community involvement.
8. We believe in the motive force of love. The governing principle in human relationships is the principle of love, which always seeks the welfare of others and never seeks to hurt or destroy.
9. We believe in the necessity of the democratic process. Records are open to scrutiny, elections are open to members, and ideas are open to criticism -- so that people might govern themselves.
10. We believe in the importance of a religious community. The validation
of experience requires the confirmation of peers, who provide a critical
platform along with a network of mutual support.
-- David O. Rankin
Copyright 1989 by
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-2100
The Association declares and affirms its special responsibility, and that of its member societies and organizations, to promote the full participation of persons in all of its and their activities and in the full range of human endeavor without regard to race, color, sex, disability, affectional or sexual orientation, age, or national origin and without requiring adherence to any particular interpretation of religion or to any particular religious belief or creed.
Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom
of belief which is inherent in the Universalist and Unitarian heritages
or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union
used by any society unless such is used as a creedal test. [ Thanks to
Gila Jones The UUA Home Page
in Canada:
in the U.K.:
Unitarians in the
UK Home Page
Additions or corrections to this document are welcome.
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
The UUSC, motivated since 1939 by liberal religious principles, works
to promote justice, freedom, and self-determination in the U.S. and worldwide.
The UUSC can also be contacted via the PeaceNet and CompuServe networks.
UU Women's Federation
The UUWF is the only continental membership organization for all UU
women. Formed by the 1963 consolidation of the Association of Universalist
Women and the Alliance of Unitarian Women, it is an associate member of
the UUA.
Conservative Forum for Unitarian Universalists
The Conservative Forum for Unitarian Universalists is an organization
of UUs whose purpose is to ensure that all UUs are free to pursue a responsible
search for religious truth and meaning in our societies and denomination
regardless of their individual views on politics, economics, or social
issues.
CUUPS,
The Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans was formed at the 1985
UUA General Assembly in Atlanta to enrich and strengthen the religious
pluralism of UUism by promoting the study and practice of contemporary
Pagan and Earth- and nature-centered spirituality.
Fellowship of Religious Humanists
FRH offers UUs and others the inspiration of a humanist way of life
worked out within both liberal religion and the growing humanist movements
of over 30 countries. FRH was organized in 1963 to provide publications
and conferences for those seeking humanism as a religious philosophy, and
regularly presents a lecture at the UUA General Assembly.
Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
The purposes of the Fellowship are: to serve Christian Unitarians and
Universalists according to their expressed religious needs; to uphold and
promote the Christian witness within the UUA; and to uphold and promote
the historic Unitarian and Universali st witness and conscience within
the church universal. The Fellowship publishes books, pamphlets, study
papers and occasional papers, a bi-monthly newsletter, the Good News,
and a quarterly journal, The Unitarian-Universalist Christian, sponsors
retreats and General Assembly.
Page URL is http://www.wolfenet.com/~uujim/faq.html
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UUA Contact Info:
in the USA:
Unitarian Universalist Association
25 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-2800
USA
(617) 742-2100
Canadian Unitarian Council
175 St. Clair Ave., West
Toronto, ONT M4V 1P7
CANADA
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free
Christian Churches
Essex Hall
1-6 Essex St
Strand, London WC2R 3HY.
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Affiliated and Associated Organizations
Here is contact information for some of the groups that are Associate Member
or Independent Af filiate Organizations of the UUA. Details about these
groups and other groups can be obtained from your local UU church or fellowship
or directly from the UUA.
130 Prospect St.
Cambridge, MA 02139-1845
(617)868-660
25 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02108-3800
(617) 742-2100, x653
G-2474 S. Ballenger Hwy.
Flint, MI 48507
(313)232-4023
PO Box 422, Boyes Hot Springs, CA 95416 .
(707)939-7559
All email inquiries regarding CUUPS may be directed to CUUPS@aol.com
or kishhilde@earthlink.net.
900 Mount Curve
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 377-6608
110 Arlington St.
Boston, MA 02116
(508)365-2427
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