If you recognize Daily Word®, then you'll quickly recognize many of the uplifting and inspirational teachings of Unity.  In circulation for over 80 years, this publication continues to cross lines of age, denomination and ethnicity and to inspire spiritual seekers all over the world. It offers positive messages of God, spiritual truth, and encouragement.

What is Unity?

Unity is a link in the great educational movement inaugurated by Jesus Christ. Our objective is to discern the Truth, to prove it and to experience it.

"Our purpose is to help, teach and facilitate mankind to use, prove
and experience the eternal Truth taught by the Master."
~Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity

Many people who study Unity beliefs are Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, Unitarians, Jews, as well as people from other denominations and religions.  And yes, there are even agnostics who study Unity Principles.  Many of these people are content with their religious belief systems and see Unity as a support to those beliefs.  Some people are often moved to become actively affiliated with a Unity church or ministry as their spiritual home.  Unity believes that God's love and acceptance are limitless, free, and accessible to all people at all times.

Unity is positive and practical Christianity, and is more a way of life than a religion. We seek to apply the principles taught by Jesus in a practical way that enhances our way of living in the world today. Unity Principles teach the practical application in daily life of the principles of truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ, as interpreted in the light of modern-day experience by the Association of Unity Churches International. Unity is a way of life that leads to health, prosperity, happiness, and peace of mind. The Association of Unity Churches, in cooperation with the Unity Institute, has established centers of study and worship throughout the world where people study and practice the Unity way of life.

Unity was founded over 100 years ago in the United States by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. A ministry based on prayer and healing, Unity teachings focus on the loving nature of God, the inherent divinity in everyone and the power of affirmative prayer.

We look to Jesus Christ, our way-shower and teacher. We act from His directive, "to love the Lord, your God, with all your soul, and with all your heart, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37, 39)

As followers of Unity Principles, we cherish and serve all people in uplifting, spiritual and emotionally caring ways, and we teach unconditional love, acceptance and inclusion of all people. We believe the teachings of Jesus are about open doors and open minds. We believe that all of God's people are divinely created with equally sacred worth.  We strive to reach out to all who are seeking in order to facilitate positive spiritual growth. In our effort to reach out and be an example to all peoples (as Jesus commissioned and He, himself, exemplified in action and deed), it is with joy, love, and celebration of our diversity that we affirm this unified position.

What are the basic tenets of the Unity teachings?

First:  God is the Source and Creator of all. There is no other abiding power. The nature of God is timeless and is absolutely good. "Evil" is an incomplete expression of God and its origin is ignorance. Because we as humans were created in the image and likeness of God and because of the fact that God's spirit dwells within every person, we also express the idea of God in ways more conducive to a clearer human understanding of that Truth; for example, Divine Mind.

Second:  We are completely spiritual beings; thoughts in the Mind of God.  We were created in God's image. The ideal expression for every human being is seeking to be at one with God and to bring forth and act in the character of God. We, as individuals, manifest the Christ in our own unique fashion, as was divinely intended. For this reason, the perfect expression of the Christ is quite different for each person.

Third:  Jesus expressed divine perfection and thereby became the Christ. He was a Teacher, anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as Prophet, Priest, and King of his people. He taught and exemplified the individual requirement of shaping our thoughts, words, and deeds around the love and good of God, the Creator of All. The blood of Jesus Christ represents the spiritual energy of God that purifies and redeems the body through the renewing of the consciousness by the spoken word. The life of Jesus and His teachings show us the way.

Fourth: Jesus' teaching was based on prayer, which is conscious, deliberate and focused communion with God. Made practically through affirmations and denouncement, prayer uses the spoken word and manifests the prolific power of God. Unity teaches that consistent use of and meditation on statements of the Truth and affirmations of God build right patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Does Unity believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ?

Yes! We believe that the spirit of God resided in Jesus Christ. Jesus taught that God's spirit dwelt in Him and His in ours and therefore, we are all of one spirit.  God's spirit is within every person, so each and every one of us possess the potential to express the perfection of Christ, and therefore God, by being more Christ-like in everyday life.

Joint Statement for Peace
Unity & International Association of Unity Churches

Unity stands for peace in the presence of conflict; for love in the presence of hatred; for forgiveness in the presence of injury. Unity honors the many names for God, the many paths to God, the many ways to worship God; for there is only one power and presence of God and that God loves each one of us equally. It is therefore the position of the International Association of Unity Churches and Unity to urge all nations, their leaders, and their people to turn to God by whatever name for guidance during these challenging times and pursue peace, not war, for this is what honors the God of all our faith traditions. Unity stands for peace in our lifetime.

What is the relationship of Unity to other ministries, churches and religions?

Unity views itself as an instrument of instruction, inspiration and prayer support for spiritual seekers, regardless of their other religious affiliations. Rather than a denomination that can sometimes emphasize strict rules and tight parameters which may hinder individual seeking and growth, Unity views itself as a continuously growing expression of God's love, light, and peace. We freely share our teachings with all people and believe in the oneness and freedom of all. At Unity we emphasize our similarities rather than our differences in the human form of spiritual expression, as there are many and diverse paths of understanding that lead to the Truth of the One God.

How does Unity feel about the Bible and its teachings?

Unity's teachings are Bible based and we utilize it as our basic guide and textbook. We accept the Bible completely as history, a divinely appointed moral and ethical teaching, and as the great literary work of all time. Through metaphysical interpretations, we find deep spiritual significance and guidance in the Bible.  Unity believes that the names of people and places in the Bible, as well as the teachings and stories based on their experiences, symbolize and guide us through the continuing development of the God-human consciousness. Through study, the Bible is made more meaningful to individuals and we believe that we each have an inherent drive and obligation to seek. Scripture becomes a clear and helpful guide for today's experiences when studied and meditated on as a group and as an individual. The Bible reveals the spirit of Truth and the word of God and the Holy Spirit, works individually through those who study Scripture and listen to the God within; it is the final authority in spiritual awakening and development.

Does Unity practice baptism and communion?

Yes we do, in a symbolic nature. Baptism by water represents the purification of the consciousness and spiritual baptism announces the intimate arrival of the Holy Spirit within. No human can truly baptize any other, as baptism is a mental and spiritual cleansing process that takes place within an individual as he or she comes into balance with the spirit of God.

Unity believes that spiritual communion takes place via prayer and meditation of an individual in the silence and peace of God. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ, The Word of Truth. The wine symbolizes the conscious realization of God-life, or the blood of Jesus Christ. We practice communion by absorbing the spiritual energy represented by these elements and aspects of the character of God.

As a general rule in Unity services, the physical rituals themselves are not emphasized, so that full attention is devoted to the teachings and their practical applications.

Does Unity believe in the Trinity?

Unity interprets the religious terms Father, Son, and Holy Spirit metaphysically as three aspects of mind action, which are mind, idea, and expression. This is the process through which all manifestation takes place. We believe that the terms "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" are to be interpreted on many levels, including the metaphysical interpretations of mind, idea and expression, as well as in the literal Father, Son and Holy Spirit as represented in the process of the manifestation of being at one with the spirit and character of God while having plentiful access as a human through our facilitator, the Holy Spirit that is within.

What about the Crucifixion?

Again, we believe that this is to be interpreted on many levels.  Unity teaches that the cross is symbolic of "crossing out," or denouncing false beliefs that we as humans have absorbed as a result of being told how we must believe in the form of rules and strict parameters of conventional religions throughout history, as opposed to absorbing through individual seeking, study and desire to know the Truth of God. We emphasize life and living with the ultimate example of sacrifice and service through the teaching of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, rather than simply focusing on the Crucifixion alone.

How does Unity interpret the virgin birth?

Unity believes that the virgin birth is to be spiritually interpreted as the birth of the Christ consciousness in the spiritual unfoldment and awakening awareness of the individual in the cleansed and purified soul; however seeking, study and interpretation are again, the responsibility of each of us as individual souls.

What about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?

Unity members comprehend the Second Coming as an individual's expression of the Christ consciousness in the here and now being obtained through prayer, meditation, seeking, study and application of the Truth, as opposed to a physical event to be anticipated in the future.

What does Unity teach regarding sin, salvation, heaven and hell?

Unity believes that sin is separation from God in consciousness; that it is caused by an individual's belief in the "devil" or an evil power other than God, the Loving and Good. This belief, often rooted in fear,  leads to our immature use of God-given powers and abilities. We believe that Salvation is ours now, as opposed to something that occurs after death, and that we attain our hold on Salvation every time we reject human trappings such as fear, anxiety, worry, and doubt (among other things), in favor of love, harmony, joy, and peace and the good that is God. We believe that the "fall" takes place within our consciousness at any time that we find ourselves falling into negative habits in thinking, which often translates to negative action, as well.

Unity believes that heaven and hell are states of consciousness that we as souls experience in the here and now, as opposed to being geographical locations. We believe that an individual creates their own heaven or hell here and now by our thoughts, words, and deeds.

Do Unity ministries and churches believe in reincarnation?

Unity emphasizes regeneration, defined as spiritual or moral revival or rebirth, rather than reincarnation. However, many Unity students, scholars and spiritual seekers do accept the concept of reincarnation, which is defined as the re-embodiment of a soul after a period of rest. We believe that no matter the individual method of interpretation, these beliefs allow us to attain new understandings in new life experience; which in turn enables us to eventually attain and express more perfectly our at oneness with God both individually and collectively (which is our ultimate goal), and therefore demonstrates eternal life. When we achieve this goal, as Jesus did, we believe that it will no longer be necessary to regenerate or reincarnate. The belief that we could ever be re-embodied into a lower form of life (other than human) is not accepted under Unity teachings.

Why should I become involved with a Unity ministry or church?

To become involved with a Unity ministry or church is to be assured that you will be constantly encouraged and reminded of the potential of your own inner Christ. The awareness of the Christ in you that Unity teachings bring, coupled with practical application principles for living a happy and successful life, are the staple of our worship services, groups and classes.

By joining with others in the conscious seeking, study and realization of the Christ within, it is a common experience for people to gain a joyful, positive spiritual uplifting, understanding and growth, often bringing forth the abundance of everything that God offers in life and spirit.

Joining with others on this journey also makes it possible for local Unity ministries and churches to provide ever expanding services to the community through various methods of outreach, prayer, support groups and counseling to name a few. These can also be helpful to you as an individual, providing a place where you can be involved in putting these life changing applications into practice in service to others. Through your local ministry's affiliation and participation in the Association of Unity Churches, you as an individual can be part of a global movement, which serves to form a base on which to stand as we build a better world together.

What makes Unity different from other Christian churches and ministries?
Unity is unique as a Christian church because of its approach to prayer. Previously considered the domain of Eastern religions, meditation plays a significant role in Unity thought. Followers of Unity rely on both prayer and meditation as vehicles for communicating with God and becoming spiritually centered. Silent Unity maintains a 24-hour-a-day prayer vigil, with staff available at all times to accept prayer requests by phone, fax, letter, e-mail or via the Unity website.

If you are not close enough to Delaware, Ohio, to visit us at UNITY in Community, visit this link to find another Unity church or ministry near you.