About Unitarian Univeralist Village Church
-
UUVC welcomes people with diverse beliefs. There is a rich dialogue in our congregation about many spiritual topics. In addition to holding different beliefs on spiritual topics, individuals in our UUVC congregation also identify with and draw inspiration from Atheism and Agnosticism, Buddhism, Christianity, Humanism, Islam, Judaism, Paganism, and other religious or philosophical traditions.
Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith. Accordingly, individual members of our UUVC congregation are free to search for truth on many paths. While our congregation upholds shared principles individual Unitarian Universalists may discern their own beliefs about spiritual, ethical, and theological issues.
Unitarian Universalist Principles:
Besides being a non-creedal faith, UUVC members share another value: Free Pulpit and Free Pew. The concepts of Free Pulpit and Free Pew in the Unitarian Universalist Association and its member congregations are necessary for having a covenant relationship.
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.
Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws
from many sources:
Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.
BIBLE
Both Unitarianism and Universalism grew out of Christianity. Early Unitarians and Universalists took the Bible seriously, though rarely literally. While we continue to see it as a rich resource of stories and wisdom, most Unitarian Universalists do not see the Bible as authoritative on its own.
CLERGY
The role of clergy and the extent of their authority was an active question of the Reformation. From our radically Protestant heritage, we believe each person must formulate their own beliefs rather than subscribe to what is passed down. Clergy offer their views, which may hold some authority based on their education and experience. However, they hold no more authority for most Unitarian Universalists than other respected members of the community.
GOD
UUs have widely divergent concepts of God. Some espouse belief in God and others do not. Few Unitarian Universalists believe in an anthropomorphic God, tending instead toward concepts such as Nature, Love, or Spirit of Life. Some UUs do not find the term God useful. Rarely do Unitarian Universalists ascribe gender to God, but when they do, they may deliberately use a variety of gender formulations: for example, Mother-Father God.
