Unity is the practical application in everyday life of the principles of Truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ, as interpreted in the light of modern day experience by Unity School of Christianity. Unity is a way of life that leads to health, prosperity, happiness, and peace of mind. The Association of Unity Churches, in cooperation with Unity School of Christianity, comprises centers of study and worship throughout the world where people come together to study and practice the Unity way of life.
First: God, Divine Mind, is the Source and Creator of all. There is no other enduring power. The nature of God is absolute good, therefore all manifestations partake of good. What is called "evil" is a limited or incomplete expression of God or good. Its origin is ignorance.
Second: Man is a spiritual being, an idea in the Mind of God, created in His image and after His likeness. Ideal man is the perfect man, the Christ, the pattern every man is seeking to bring forth. Manifest man is the idea of perfection brought into expression according to the degree of understanding in the individual consciousness.
Third: Jesus was a person in history who expressed perfection and thereby became the Christ, or Jesus Christ. He was a Teacher who demonstrated the importance of thoughts, words, and deeds in shaping the life and world of the individual.
Fourth: Jesus' teaching was based on prayer, which to Him was conscious communion with God. Preparation for prayer involves the use of the spoken word, the creative power of God, which is made practical through denials and affirmations. Unity teaches that through the daily repetition of statements of Truth until they become established as habitual patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting, man attains the ability to take dominion over his mind, body, and affairs.
Yes. Unity teaches that the Spirit of God dwelt in Jesus, just as it indwells every man; and that every man has the potential to express the perfection of Christ, as Jesus did, by being more Christlike in his everyday life.
Unity students are invited to study according to their own needs and desires, to participate as they wish in organized activities in Unity ministries. The Unity ministry is conducted on the free will offering plan. No pledges are required. There is a freedom in Unity that allows the individual to advance spiritually according to his own level of understanding. Respect for and faith in the spirit of God in every man makes it unnecessary to set down fixed creeds or impose limiting beliefs. Each individual is encouraged to follow the Unity teachings in determining his personal responses to political, medical, and economic issues.
There are approximately 650 independent ministries which are members of the Association of Unity Churches. These ministries are a part of the Unity fellowship and work in close cooperation with the Unity School of Christianity, Unity Village, Missouri. Each ministry is under the leadership of an ordained Unity minister, who may be a man or a woman. The emphasis in Unity organizations is on spiritual activities, such as worship services, healing meetings, prayer groups, counseling, study classes, and youth development, including Sunday school and programs for young people of all ages. Social functions and groups are of relatively minor importance and even these always have a spiritual purpose. All ministries are supported by free-will love offerings.
Unity School is the headquarters of the Unity movement founded by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, after Mrs. Fillmore's remarkable healing through prayer had attracted the interest of many who were seeking help. The publication of the first issue of "Unity" magazine took place in 1889.
The teaching of the practice of prayer, through classes and correspondence, led to the establishment of Silent Unity, the Correspondence School, the Unity Training School, and the Unity Institute for Continuing Education.
Unity's work is done through the prayer ministry of Silent Unity and through publications, radio, and training programs including correspondence courses.
Unity publishes three magazines with over 5 million readers: "Unity," a monthly magazine; "Daily Word," the magazine of prayer and inspiration giving an inspirational message for each day; and "Wee Wisdom," the oldest children's magazine in the U.S. Unity literature is published in 14 foreign languages. Thus, the publications are the true missionaries and evangelists of the Unity movement. More than 25,000 letters a week are received and answered by the different departments of Unity School.
Unity students are those individuals who have found a deeper understanding of God, of themselves, and of their world through the practical methods presented in the Unity teachings. Often this has come about as a result of some very trying and seemingly hopeless experience. Unity students include many who are readers of the various publications; others attend Unity services and classes, finding in such attendance a spiritual "home" in which they are strengthened in their spiritual unfoldment. They are from all walks of life, and of all races, creeds, colors, and nationalities.
Unity puts into practice the true ecumenical principle. It seeks to share its teachings with all churches, as a channel of instruction and inspiration rather than as a denomination. In general, Unity does not affiliate itself with any other religious organizations, believing as it does in the oneness and freedom of all. The emphasis is always on the similarities rather than the differences in man's spiritual expression.
No, there is no connection, although there is sometimes confusion because of the similarity of the names. Many beliefs are held in common, including especially the importance of individual freedom in the quest for Truth. This very freedom, however, makes it difficult to determine the basic differences.
In a very general way, it might be said that the two differ mainly in their beliefs regarding Jesus Christ and the Trinity; also, Unity places great emphasis on spiritual healing, while this is not practiced by Unitarians as a rule. In turn, Unitarians place great emphasis on social and political action.
No. Unity and Christian Science, as well as many other "New Thought" groups, had their beginnings at about the same time, in the latter part of the nineteenth century, and many of the leaders in these groups studied under the same teachers.
There are similarities in the teachings of Unity and Christian Science, including the importance of prayer, the practice of spiritual healing, and some fundamental theological points. Also, both have great publishing operations. However, the application of principles, the methods of teaching, and the organization of the two movements are quite different.
The Bible is Unity's basic textbook. It is accepted as a body of history, as a moral and ethical teaching, and as a great literary work. Beyond this, Unity finds deep significance in the Bible through its metaphysical interpretation, wherein names of places and people and their experiences symbolize the unfoldment of man's consciousness.
Through the study of Unity, the Bible is made more meaningful to the individual as a helpful guide in his own life. We believe that the Bible reveals the Spirit of Truth and the Word of God. Our final authority is the Holy Spirit working through man.
Yes, symbolically. Whereas baptism by water represents the cleansing of the consciousness, spiritual baptism signifies the inflow of the Holy Spirit. No person can truly baptize another; this is a mental and spiritual process that takes place within the individual consciousness.
Spiritual communion takes place through prayer, wherein the word of Truth is symbolized by the bread, or the body of Christ, and the conscious realization of God-life is symbolized by the wine, or the blood of Christ. Unity practices communion by appropriating, or "eating" the spoken word.
In Unity services, ritual is de-emphasized as a general rule, so that full attention may be devoted to the teachings and their practical application.
The blood of Christ represents the spiritual energy of God-life that purifies or redeems the body through a cleansing and renewal of the consciousness by the spoken word. Regarding the "spilled blood," or the "ransom for many," the emphasis in Unity is not so much on the death of Jesus as on His life. He did not relieve man of the necessity of working out his own salvation, but showed him the Way.
Unity teaches that the Cross symbolizes the crossing out of all false beliefs. Here again, the emphasis is rather on life and living, through resurrection.
Unity accepts the virgin birth as an experience in the unfoldment of the individual consciousness, and finds in it a deep metaphysical significance. Thus, the virgin birth is spiritually interpreted as the birth of the Christ consciousness (the awakening of the conscious awareness of the Christ within) within the soul.
Sin is our separation from God in consciousness, caused by our belief in the "devil," or a power apart from God. Salvation comes through the belief in the saving power of the indwelling Christ and is attained by taking charge of our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Thus, in Unity, the term "being saved" means a daily commitment to spiritual growth and mastery of all that separates us from God.
Unity believes that Heaven and Hell are states of consciousness, not geographical locations. We make our own Heaven or Hell here and now by our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Many Unity students accept the concept of reincarnation (re-embodiment after a period of soul-rest). This affords man an opportunity to attain new understanding in a new life experi- ence, so that he can express perfection and demonstrate eternal life, which is his ultimate goal. Unity's real emphasis is on regeneration, not reincarnation. When he achieves that goal, as Jesus did, it will no longer be necessary for him to reincarnate, The belief that man could ever be re-embodied into a lower form of life is not accepted by Unity.
To attend a Unity center is to be assured that one will be kept constantly in the remem brance of his own inner Christ potential. This awareness, plus the practical principles for living. a happy and successful life, are taught at Sun- day devotional services and weekday classes. By joining others in this kind of spiritual experience; it is possible for the local Unity ministry to provide expanding facilities of service such as Sunday school, a radio ministry and counseling. It is very helpful for the indi- vidual to have a place where he can be involved in putting these teachings into practice in serving others. Through the local ministry's affiliation and participation in the Association of Unity Churches, the individual is a part of a world-wide movement which forms a base on which to stand to build a better world.
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