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What is Unity?
Unity is positive, practical Christianity.
We teach the effective, daily application of the principles
of Truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ. We
promote a way of life that leads to health, prosperity,
happiness, and peace of mind.
Unity has established centers
of study and worship
throughout the world where people discover and practice
the Unity way of life. We address physical, mental,
and emotional needs through affirmative prayer and
spiritual education. We serve those who seek inspiration
and prayer support as well as those who use Unity
teachings as their primary path of spiritual growth.
We believe that all people are created with sacred
worth, and we strive to reach out to all who seek
support and spiritual growth. Therefore, we recognize
the importance of serving all people in spiritually
and emotionally caring ways. Our ministries and outreaches
are free of discrimination on the basis of race, gender,
age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity,
physical disability, and sexual orientation.
Our sincere
desire is to create spiritually aware organizations
that are nondiscriminatory and support
diversity.
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What are Unity's
basic teachings?
We encourage you to explore and apply Unity teachings
based on your own spiritual understanding. We believe
this spiritual understanding is enhanced through reflective
prayer and meditation. The five basic ideas that make
up the Unity belief system are:
- God is the source and creator of all. There is no
other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere.
- We are spiritual beings, created in God’s
image. The spirit of God lives within each person;
therefore, all people are inherently good.
- We create our life experiences through our way
of thinking.
- There is power in affirmative prayer, which we
believe increases
our connection to God.
- Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not
enough. We must live them.
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Is Unity a denomination?
Some aspects of the Unity movement are denominational
and some are not. For example, there are more than 900
Unity churches and study groups affiliated with Unity's
sister organization, the Association of Unity Churches.
This is a denominational aspect of Unity. In addition,
the Unity Institute at Unity Village trains approximately
60 students every two years to be Unity ministers. This
is also denominational. However, the majority of the
work done by Unity at Unity Village involves prayer,
publishing, and education services to people of all
faiths. These nondenominational aspects include the prayer
ministry, Silent Unity, Daily Word (Unity's
nondenominational inspirational monthly magazine), retreats,
and continuing education classes that are open to everyone
and teach Unity principles in nondenominational settings.
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Does Unity believe
in the divinity of Jesus Christ?
Yes, Unity teaches
that the spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives
in every person. Every person
has the potential to express the perfection of Christ,
as Jesus did, by being more Christ-like in everyday
life.
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Is there any
connection between Unity and Unitarianism?
No, there is no connection—although
there is sometimes confusion because of the similarity
of the
names. Each is a distinct organization with its own
set of beliefs and practices.
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What is the relationship
of Unity to other churches?
Unity is a vehicle for instruction, inspiration,
and prayer support for spiritual seekers, regardless
of their religious affiliation. Unity freely shares
its teachings with all churches.
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What does Unity teach
about sin and salvation, heaven and hell?
Sin is our separation from God, the Good, in
consciousness. Salvation is now–not something
that occurs after death. It happens whenever we turn
our thoughts from fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt to
thoughts of love, harmony, joy, and peace. The “fall”
takes place in consciousness whenever we fall into negative
habits of thinking. 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.
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Is Unity headquarters
open to the public?
Yes. All our services in the Unity Village Chapel,
along with the surrounding grounds, are open to the
public. The grounds at Unity headquarters include a
rose garden, a labyrinth for walking meditation, a metaphysical
library, and a bookstore.
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Is Unity an offshoot
of Christian Science?
No. Unity and Christian Science,
as well as many other New Thought groups, had their
beginnings in the latter
part of the nineteenth century. The application of
principles, the methods of teaching, and the organization
of the
two movements are quite different.
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What is the role
of the Bible in Unity?
The Bible is Unity’s basic textbook. Scripture
comes alive when it is understood as a clear and helpful
guide for today’s experiences.
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Does Unity practice
baptism and communion?
Yes, symbolically. Whereas baptism by water represents
the cleansing of the consciousness, spiritual baptism
signifies the inflow of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is
a mental and spiritual process that takes place within
the individual as he or she aligns with the spirit of
God.
Spiritual communion takes place through prayer and meditation
in the silence. The word of Truth is symbolized by the
bread or body of Jesus Christ. The conscious realization
of God-life is symbolized by the wine or blood of Jesus
Christ. Unity practices communion by appropriating,
or partaking, of the spiritual energy represented by
these elements.
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