Five Principles
To Simplify matters Unity's Teachings are often defined by being broken-down into five basic principles of Truth, yet this is only the beginning.
Unity's Teachings cover a broad spectrum of Spiritual ideas, concepts and laws all inspired in part by the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Although we believe Jesus was a master teacher of all the spiritual traditions of his time, which include Mystical Judaism, Taoism, Buddhism, and the Vedic Teachings of Hinduism, we believe that there are many wayshowers along the path.
God Is…
One of the most basic premises of the Christian movement, is that God is everywhere present across the universe at one time. This is the foundational statement of the Unity Movement.
In Unity we seek to understand the nature of God and how that Nature shapes the world and our lives. Unity stresses that God is not a physical man in the sky, for that limits our understanding. Rather Unity invites individuals to explore inspirational ideas that will lead to a deeper, more fulfilling understanding of the Divine. Like Jesus’ words, “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), which in Aramaic means, “Breath; breath of life,” God is the breath of life, and with each breath you take you breathe in the Life of God. Another powerful statement is Acts 17:28, “For in God we live and move and have our being.” God is the Field of Life, a Living Matrix, everywhere present, flowing in and through all things, visible and invisible.
The Nature of Humankind
If God is everywhere present across the universe at one time, then God must also be within each one of us as well. We believe there is a Divine Spark within each person and all of creation, which seeks to be expressed. We believe that we were created in Original Virtue and in the image and likeness of God as it says in Genesis 1:27. Humankind has forgotten this truth and lives in a consciousness of separation from Divine reality.
We believe it’s time to wake up, and that this was the essence of Jesus’ Message. We believe Jesus was the individual who most clearly demonstrates this Divine Spark, and his purpose was to show us how to express ours. In Unity we use the term “Christ” to refer to this Divine Spark. Salvation then is the expanding of our awareness to embrace and demonstrated our own innate Divinity. We see Jesus as a Master Teacher of Universal Truths and an incredible example of the Christ in Expression.
We believe that Jesus left some very powerful teachings as guidelines on how to seek the Divine Presence. How we can achieve an awareness of the “Divine spark,” so we might live life to our fullest, and experience “The Kingdom,” here and now. Consequently, Unity seeks to understand these guidelines and use them as the basis for all of our teachings. Jesus’ primary teachings were on Heaven, Love and Forgiveness, Non-resistance, Detachment, Non-judgment, the Inner Light, God as Spirit and a Loving Presence (Father) – who is always willing to welcome us home.
The Law of Mind Action
Unity teaches the Mind is Our Connecting Link with Divine Mind (God), and shows how the action of our mind affects our body and circumstances through the Law of Mind Action. Therefore, an emphasis is placed on how our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions draw our experiences to us. We believe that everything in the manifest realm has its beginning in thought. When we take personal responsibility to choose life-affirming thoughts and words we experience a more fulfilling and abundant life!
Prayer and Meditation
In Unity prayer is not seen as a technique for changing God, but as a means of aligning our mind with the Infinite and thereby changing us. Prayer is our connection with the One Creative Force of the Universe, and is the way we seek and attune our mind to be in accord with God. We believe that meditation is a form of prayer, a type of creative thinking that heightens our link to the Divine and therefore brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity, and everything good. Unity also teaches a unique form of affirmative prayer, called Denials and Affirmations, which is a way to eliminate our erroneous thoughts and empower us to focus on the Truth and the Good we seek.
The Bible
We recognize The Bible as God inspired, although its present form was written down years ago in ancient languages, and then translated into modern languages. Each of the authors had their own relationship with the Creator and their own view. We see the adventures, words, and teachings of the Bible as the Spiritual Truth, which we should allow to speak through our soul and guide us. In Unity we see the Bible as a spiritual guide that can lead us from Adam Awareness to Christ Consciousness.
The Twelve Powers of Man
An inspiring and engaging teaching that is Unique to Unity is the called the Twelve Powers of Man. Author and Co-Founder of the Unity Movement while studying the Book of Revelation According to John, came across the Tree of Life which resides by the River of Life in the closing chapters. This mystified him and he began to research the number twelve in the Bible. He came to believe that there were twelve power center in humankind that need to be purified before a human can evolve to a higher state of consciousness. His book the Twelve Powers of Man became a starting point of other literature that took up the concept. My favorite is "Healing Secrets of the Ages," by Catherine Ponder.
Unity Welcomes You To Your Journey in Spirit
Unity is an educational movement that provides tools that will empower you and your spiritual path and can help individuals to truly think for themselves and to decide on their own about the ways of Spirit. Unity aims to demonstrate an understanding of the laws of the universe so one can develop faith in the realm of the invisible.
Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and believes that different religions are like spokes on a wheel, with the hub being God. They may be set apart by variations in doctrines and worship styles, but their essence is the same and all are seeking to know the One. Therefore, Unity does not deny anyone the right to have his/her own beliefs. We invite the individual to explore Unity teachings and use what works best on their path.