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What is Unity?
What are the basic tenets of the
Unity teachings?
Does Unity believe in the
divinity of Jesus Christ?
What are Unity’s
distinctive characteristics?
What is the Association of
Unity Churches?
What is Unity School
of Christianity?
Who are Unity students?
What is the relationship of
Unity to other churches?
Is there any connection
between Unity and Unitarianism?
Is Unity an offshoot
of Christian Science?
What is the place of the Bible in
Unity?
Does Unity practice
baptism and communion?
What is the significance of the
blood of Jesus Christ?
What about the Crucifixion?
Does Unity accept the virgin
birth?
Does Unity look for the
second coming of Jesus Christ?
How does Unity regard the Trinity?
What does Unity teach about
sin and salvation, heaven and hell?
Does Unity believe in
reincarnation?
What are the advantages of
attending Unity?
What is Unity?
Unity is positive, practical Christianity. It teaches 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 and the Association of Unity
Churches. Unity is a way of life that leads to health, prosperity,
happiness and peace of mind.
We believe that all people are created with sacred worth. Therefore, we
recognize the importance of serving all people within the Unity family
in spiritually and emotionally caring ways. It is imperative that our
ministries and outreaches be free of discrimination on the basis of
race, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity,
physical disability or sexual orientation. Our sincere desire is to
create spiritually aware organizations that are nondiscriminatory and
that support diversity.
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- What are the basic tenets of the Unity teachings?
- First: God,
Divine Mind, is the source and creator of all. 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.
Evil’s origin is ignorance.
- Second: We are
spiritual beings, ideas in the Mind of God, created in God’s image and
likeness. Each individual manifests the Christ in his or her own unique
fashion. The perfect expression of the Christ is, therefore, different
in each person.
- Third: Jesus was
a special 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 of prayer involves the use of the spoken word, the
creative power of God, which is made practical through denials and
affirmations. Unity teaches that repeated use of statements of Truth
(denials and affirmations) establishes right patterns of thinking,
feeling and acting. This is one way individuals take use the creative
power of God to take dominion over mind, body and affairs.
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Does Unity believe in the
divinity of Jesus Christ?
Yes. Unity teaches that the spirit of God dwelt in Jesus, just as it
indwells every person: and that 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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What are Unity’s
distinctive characteristics?
Unity students are encouraged to align with the spirit of the Christ
within for personal guidance and direction that will best enhance their
spiritual growth. Each Unity ministry is supported by the freewill
offerings of those who share its vision. Respect for and faith in the
spirit of God in every person makes it unnecessary to set down fixed
creeds or impose limiting beliefs.
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What is the Association
of Unity Churches?
The Association of Unity Churches is comprised of member ministries;
satellite ministries on the North American Continent and through the
World Outreach Department of Unity School there are international
ministries. Each ministry is under the leadership of a licensed or
ordained minister or authorized spiritual leader.
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What is Unity School of
Christianity?
Unity School is the world headquarters for the Unity movement founded
by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. The teaching of the practice of prayer,
through classes and correspondence, led to the establishment of Silent
Unity, the Unity School for Religious Studies Continuing Education
Program and Ministerial Education Program and the retreat programs. It
is a threefold ministry of prayer, publishing (Unity Magazine, books
audio and videocassettes, CD’s and pamphlets for adults and children)
and education.
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Who are Unity students?
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. They are from all
walks of life and of all races, creeds and nationalities.
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What is the relationship
of Unity to other churches?
Unity puts into practice a true ecumenical approach. Unity sees itself
as a vehicle for instruction, inspiration and prayer support for
spiritual seekers, regardless of their religious affiliation. Rather
than a denomination, locked in tight parameters that restrict. Unity
views itself as an ever-expanding expression of love, light and peace.
Therefore, it freely shares its teachings with all churches. Emphasis
is always in the similarities rather than the differences in the human
expression.
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Is there any
connection between Unity and Unitarianism?
No, there is no connection. There is sometimes confusion because of the
similarity of names. In a very general way, it might be said that the
two differ mainly in their beliefs regarding Jesus Christ and the
Trinity. 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.
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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 19th century.
Many of the leaders of these groups studied under the same teachers.
There are similarities in the teachings including the importance of
prayer, practice of spiritual healing and some fundamental theological
points. The application of principles, methods of teaching and the
organization of the two are quite different.
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What is the place of the Bible
in Unity?
The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New
Testaments, New Standard Revised Version, is Unity’s basic
textbook. Unity accepts it as a body of history, moral and ethical
teaching and great literary work. Unity finds deep significance in the
Bible through its metaphysical interpretation wherein names of places
and people and their experiences symbolize the enfoldment of human
consciousness.
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Does Unity practice
baptism and communion?
Yes, symbolically. 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 the body of
Jesus Christ. The wine, or the blood of Jesus Christ symbolizes the
conscious realization of God-life. Unity practices communion by
appropriating, or partaking of the spiritual energy represented by
these elements.
In Unity services, a ritual is de-emphasized as a rule so
that full attention may be devoted to the teachings and their practical
application.
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What is the significance of the
blood of Jesus Christ?
The Blood of Jesus 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. Unity focuses on Jesus’ life
rather than his death. He did not relieve us of the necessity of
working out our own salvation, but his example and teachings show us
the way.
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What about the
Crucifixion?
Unity teaches that the cross symbolizes the crossing out of all false
beliefs. Emphasis is on life and living, through the resurrection
rather than the crucifixion.
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Does Unity accept the
virgin birth?
Unity accepts the virgin birth as an experience in the spiritual
enfoldment of each individual. Thus the virgin birth is spiritually
interpreted as the birth of the Christ consciousness (the awakening of
the awareness of God’s Spirit within.)
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Does Unity look for the
second coming of Jesus Christ?
Unity understands the second coming as the individual expression of the
Christ consciousness, not an event to happen in the future. It is
happening here and now through prayer, meditation, study and
application.
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How does Unity regard the
Trinity?
Unity interprets the religious terms Father, Son and Holy Spirit
metaphysically as three aspects of mind action: mind, idea and
expression. This is the process though which all manifestation takes
place.
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What does Unity teach
about sin and salvation, heaven and hell?
Sin is our separation from God in consciousness caused by our belief in
the “devil” or a power other than God, the good. This belief leads us
to our unwise use of God-given powers and abilities. Salvation is now –
not something that occurs after death. It happens whenever we turn our
thoughts (repent) from fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt to thought's 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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Does Unity believe in
reincarnation?
Many Unity students accept the concept of reincarnation (re-embodiment
after a period of soul rest.) This allows us to attain new
understandings in a new life experience, so that we can eventually
express perfection and demonstrate eternal life. This is our ultimate
goal. Unity’s real emphasis is on regeneration, not reincarnation. When
we achieve this goal as Jesus did it will no longer be necessary to
reincarnate. The belief that we could ever be re-embodied into a lower
form of life is not accepted by Unity.
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What are the advantages of
attending Unity?
To attend Unity is to be assured that one will be kept constantly in
the remembrance of his or her own inner Christ potential This
awareness, plus the practical principles for living a happy and
successful life is experienced at Sunday services and weekday classes.
It is very helpful for individuals to have a place where they can be
involved in putting these teachings into practice in serving others.
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