We should be thankful that we have seven religious principles with which to guide our faith. Not that the seven ethical principles of the UUA are worthless; far from it. But we are a different kind of Unitarian. We require a particular set of principles. We are the kind of Unitarians who believe in God. We are the kind who believes in the compatibility of science and religion, of reason and faith. We are the kind who honors the divine source of the divine creation around us.

     And so it was very much a blessing when the AUC created our Religious Principles. They are by no means new insights, but merely the totality of what the Unitarian faith once was and once promised to be. Generally, these Principles were created as a religious guide for the AUC organization, with the intent of recreating a more classical and authentic Unitarianism. But these Principles can also serve as a religious guide for individual members and/or fellowships. They may serve as a guide for the individuals who are trying to fulfill the mission(s) of the AUC. Individuals meaning us—you and me.

     Our Religious Principles speak to us in a way that captures the heart of our faith. They are not a creed to test for membership. They are not dogmatic powers. They are the cornucopia of what we already commonly think and believe as theistically inclined Unitarians. They are what we have agreed upon as being an authentic, contemporary Unitarian faith. So how can we live them? It does no good to simply say, “Oh yes, I agree with these Principles; they seem reasonable and close to what I think Unitarianism should be.” Talk is talk. We must live them as well. But how? Perhaps that is what we all are trying to figure out as we try making the AUC an effective force in the world of religion. But then again, we may already know how. We can agree with our Religious Principles because they are what we've practiced and believed our entire lives. How can we not live them?

     As Unitarians who believe in God, we have come to agree that “God's presence is known in a myriad of ways.” We say this is so because if God were only known in one way, then there would be only one religion, one theology, and one system of religious practice. But we know this isn't the case. We live in a world of countless religious paths, most of which are genuine and sincere journeys towards the Holy. We've concluded that our faith “should promote a free and responsible search for truth, meaning, communion, and love,” a search that is open to the wisdom of all the great world religions. We remain open to wisdom along with our own so that we may expand our knowledge. Thus we seek out the wisdom in the Bible, and of all great and poetic spiritual writings that have been written throughout the ages. We practice this first Principle by being open and willing to expand our mind and our heart by seeking out the good wherever it may be found.

     As Unitarians who believe in God, we also agree that Reason and Free Will are gifts from God, as our second and third Principles state. Too often the religious impulse becomes an overbearing shadow over the wisdom of science and rational thinking. Too often conventional religion jettisons reason for the easier way out—faith. But we have come to understand that there is a harmonious balance between religion and science, faith and reason. We've grown to know that we cannot have one without the other. They have become a blessed partnership in the search for truth and meaning. We also value the gift of Free Will, the freedom to make our own choices, and to be responsible for ourselves. We see that God has given us a life and the power to control it and to make it better for the good of all. For by choosing our direction, and by living up to our choices, we become, in the words of Mr. David Burton, “co-creators with God.” With God as our source and guide, we work together to create our life and to shape it according to what is good and sacred and true.

     The fourth and fifth Principles are related in that they deal with religious tradition. As Unitarians who believe in God, and in spiritual and creative freedom, we recognize that “humility, religious tolerance and freedom of conscience should be a central part of any religious experience.” We say this because we recognize that we are only humans. We are all prone to letting our motives and emotions getting the best of us. We are limited in our knowledge and understanding. We will not all think alike, and we will not all arrive at the same conclusions. However, each and every window through which the light of a person shines is valuable to our tradition. And “our religious tradition is the Unitarian tradition, which emphasizes the importance of reason in religion, tolerance, and the unity of God.” As Unitarians we embrace the many different paths people choose to come to know the Holy, and we value each person's input as a beautiful expression of their inner faith. We all have come to know a sense of humbleness when among people of differing views, because we can grasp just how different, yet alike, we all are.

     As Unitarians who believe in God and in the ever-changing power of religious wisdom, we agree that “revelation is ongoing,” as our sixth Principle says. The Bible is not sealed. The brain and heart are not shut off from thinking higher thoughts and experiencing deeper feelings. The natural world is a huge canvas, where new sights and sounds and truths are waiting to be found. We believe and know that God speaks to us through the natural world, through scriptures, through science, through the arts, and through our conscience. Revelation is the manifestation of divine will or truth, and we can read divine truths of love and mercy and order and responsibility through the wonder of nature, through the great thoughts and actions of religious thinkers, and through our own thoughts and actions. We keep an open ear, an open mind, and an open heart, waiting for what God has to tell us day by day.

     Finally, as Unitarians who believe in God and in his universal Parenthood over all his creatures, we know that “works of mercy and compassion should be a part of any religious experience.” The seventh Principle is about being aware of the “spiritual and material needs of our fellow men and women.” We believe God has given us freedom and creativity and compassion, and we believe he equally gives it to all his children. So in this way, we are one family, one commonwealth. The good we do for others will be returned to us when we are in need. Religion is about community, and in order to belong to a community you must be an active participant, caring for the needs of others, and not hiding your own needs from them. The Gospels tell us that Jesus went about doing good. He did so because he loved his fellow man, which grew out of his love for God. We have the power to do the same as he did, to lighten the loads of others, to give and advise and help with our own two hands. After all, service has long been considered a form of prayer.

     And let it be our prayer, my fellow seekers of truth and meaning, that we may live up to our values, our beliefs, our principles, and never be ashamed or hide them from others. Let us live our faith to the best of our ability. When we fall, may our beliefs pick us back up. When we doubt our own worth, may our beliefs give back our confidence. One of the best things to tell yourself is that “God doesn’t make trash.” We are all capable of living our faith, of practicing our reason, and lending our hands. May our faith and example live on after us to enter future after future, bringing new light and new hope to each generation. May it be so.

About the Author:

David Dulin is an anthropology major and religious studies minor at the University of Houston. He has been involved with the Unitarian faith for several years now, and likes to take credit for bringing Christianity back into his UU church. David has written for The American Unitarian before. He has been a member of the AUC since August of 2001.