What is Unitarian Universalism?

Unitarian Universalism is unambiguously, unapologetically, progressive. This church affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all people through antiracism, anti-oppression, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, working for reproductive justice, voting rights and others issues as needed. We seek to build Beloved Community not only here but in our surrounding area.

Ours is a religion that rather than revolving around shared belief, instead is centered on the promises that we make to one another to support each other’s spiritual journeys and to work to make the world better. We call our promises “covenant.”

As individual members of Live Oak, we agree to this covenant:

We, the members of Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, affirm a welcoming, vibrant, caring community for all ages.

We embrace UU values, humor, and community growth on our shared spiritual journey.

We covenant with one another to create relationships that are inclusive, open-minded, sensitive, and celebrate the differences within our community.

We will accept, support and appreciate one another, keep our commitments, maintain healthy boundaries, and use constructive communication.

We will be accountable to one another in a helpful, non-judgmental, peaceful environment, with integrity, respect and love.

See why we love Unitarian Universalism

The Share Values of Unitarian Universalism (Updated 2024)

Unitarian Universalism has adopted the following Values and Covenant in 2024 under Article 2.

As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.

Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.

Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:

[This image is of a chalice with an overlay of the word Love over the flame, with six outstretched arms that create a circle around each of the core values and form a six-petal flower shape. Each arm is a different color, and clockwise they are: Interdependence (Orange), Equity (Red), Transformation (Purple), Pluralism (Blue), Generosity (Green), and Justice (Yellow). The image was created by Tanya Webster]

The history of UU

Unitarian Universalism is non-creedal, which means there’s no required doctrine you must profess in order to belong. We do have a rich and long history, and the writings and understandings of theology continue to influence us today. Theologian James Luther Adams summarized some of our key values in “The Five Smooth Stones of Liberal Religion”:

  • “Religious liberalism depends on the principle that ‘revelation’ is continuous.” Our religious tradition is a living tradition because we are always learning new truths.
  • “All relations between persons ought ideally to rest on mutual, free consent and not on coercion.” We freely choose to enter into relationship with one another.
  • “Religious liberalism affirms the moral obligation to direct one’s effort toward the establishment of a just and loving community. It is this which makes the role of the prophet central and indispensable in liberalism.” Justice.
  • “… [W]e deny the immaculate conception of virtue and affirm the necessity of social incarnation.” Agency: Good things don’t just happen, people make them happen.
  • “[L]iberalism holds that the resources (divine and human) that are available for the achievement of meaningful change justify an attitude of ultimate optimism.” Hope.

from: “Guiding Principles for a Free Faith” in On Being Human Religiously: Selected Essays in Religion and Society, Max Stackhouse, ed. Beacon Press, 1976, pp. 12—20.

To learn more about Unitarian Universalism,  visit the Unitarian Universalist Association website.

The UU Principles

Unitarian Universalism is an evolving faith, which leads to change. In 1960, the UU principles were adopted, and later changed in 1985. These are called our Seven Principles. In December 2022, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church, along with hundreds of UU congregations around the country, voted to add an 8th principle to our existing principles. Note that the UUA has updated the core beliefs in 2024, however many UU members historically will follow these principles.

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), covenant to affirm and promote:

  • The inherent worth and dignity of all persons.
  • Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.
  • Acceptance of one another and mutual encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.
  • A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
  • The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.
  • The goal of world community with peace, liberty, & justice for all.
  • Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
  • We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.

The 6 UU Sources

The living tradition we share draws from many sources:

  • Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.
  • Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love.
  • Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.
  • Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.
  • Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit
  • Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.