What Is Unity?

"Unity is a link in the great educational movement inaugurated by Jesus Christ; our objective is to discern the truth in Christianity and prove it.  The truth that we teach is not new, neither do we claim special revelations or discovery of new religious principles.  Our purpose is to help and teach humanity to use and prove the eternal Truth taught by the Master"
-Charles Filmore, cofounder of Unity

UNITY is a worldwide positive, practical Christian denomination, which was founded in 1889.  It has no creedal requirements, dogma or ecclesiastical hierarchy.  Its teachings are based on a metaphysical interpretation of the Bible.  Unity believes that there are many paths to God and Truth, and therefore, does not argue or proselytize but aims rather to promote spiritual understanding, respect and harmony.

WOODINVILLE UNITY is an independent non-profit religious organization affiliated with the Association of Unity Churches and Unity School of Christianity, publisher of the Daily Word magazine.  We are entirely supported locally through free-will offerings.

 

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Unity's 5 Basic Teachings

 

1.There is only one presence and one power in the universe and in our lives, God, Absolute Good.  This denies the ultimate reality of evil in conflict with God.  Evil is the product of humanity's distorted use of creative power, and as such can be dealt with by humanity.

2.Every person and all of existence is inherently good, for God is within every person and all of existence as the Christ spirit. (God is also transcendent and exists beyond material reality).

3.We can connect directly with the divinity within and around us.  Teachers, sacraments and intermediaries may be helpful but are not required.  The most common method of connection taught is meditation - the path of mystical or contemplative prayer. 

4.Thoughts are a creative power.  The thoughts we hold with conviction, emotional energy and repetition materialize in our experience and in the world. Prayer is a very focused and creative form of thought that brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity, joy and peace.

5.Spirituality is meant to make a positive, practical difference in our daily lives - in our health, relationships, prosperity, satisfaction with life, decision making and purpose.  Unity's focus is on the incarnation of divine ideas of wholeness, goodness, abundance and peace into the world, this day rather than in an afterlife.

 

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Unity of Woodinville Vision Statement

We provide a spiritual environment for all generations where God’s love, wisdom and truth flourish and deepen for the benefit of all beings and where the celebration of creation is ongoing.

1. We provide a healthy spiritual environment.

 . We maintain that wherever we are God is, therefore, we acknowledge that the time and space we create together is Sacred Space and we approach our time together with reverence, respect and care.
. This is a safe place to explore, question and test our beliefs, and we support each other in our journey.
. We encourage each other to bring forth our talents and share them.

. We cherish our community.  We believe our community has no borders, and we extend blessings to all other beings.

2. We stand in the presence of God’s love and allow its mystery to be our foundation and focus.

. We maintain that God’s love is our strength and our practice.  This differs from sentimentality and goes deeply to a major life commitment, which challenges us to grow through conflict to peacemaking and to continually explore compassion as a spiritual path.  We extend this to all beings, all faiths and support each other in this great work.  We recognize our oneness in the Great Compassionate Heart of God, our unity in the Heart of Spirit.
. We put Love into action by service to others.  As a community, we give ­tithing our time, talent and treasure to others.  We encourage each other to extend their service into their communities, and support causes, which bring forth the loving, compassionate consciousness of Christ into manifestation.

3. We are committed to God’s wisdom and guidance.

. We believe that meditation and prayer are centering practices that allow for God’s wisdom to emerge.
. Acknowledging that education can provide a foundation for wisdom to flourish, we are committed to life long learning.
. We acknowledge the importance of children in our community and the importance of giving children our best.  We encourage their innate wisdom to emerge, and we provide a solid spiritual foundation and teach skills for their optimal growth.
. We encourage the study of Unity history and principles and the deep introspective work that transforms this learning into practical application.
. We believe that we can learn from all great religions and spiritual paths. We encourage each other to seek the common themes and beauty in interfaith studies and celebrations and connect them to what is meaningful in our own spiritual journeys.
. We commit to learning and practicing the skills we need to be peacemakers in our church and our extended lives.  We are willing and open to do the individual work that allows us to witness ourselves and others with compassion and understanding as we communicate, and we bring to our interactions skills in speaking, listening and conflict resolution.

4. We believe in the principles of Truth.

 . By Truth we mean, the understanding that the Divine Spark of God, the God seed, is within all beings.  It is our work to recognize this in others and ourselves. And whatever the appearance may be, we choose to hold this Truth as a potential. It is our belief that the more we remember our own divinity and that of others, the more that potential is realized.  This awareness increases our sense of unity with others and our sacred connection in the interdependent web of life.

5. We are a place where the celebration of creation is ongoing.

. In recognition of the great mystery of God’s creation, we joyously celebrate and honor our planet, the diversity of life and faith. We do so by an attitude of gratitude and appreciation, of awe and wonder at
the process of creativity that supports and sustains our life on this planet. 
. We celebrate by taking care of the earth as good stewards.
. We celebrate creativity through musical expression that we feel touches the heart and reveals our essential connection with Spirit in a way that transcends the spoken word.