What UUs Believe

This list is a great starting point toward understanding Unitarian Universalism:

“Ten Things Commonly Believed Among Us” ~ by the Reverend David O. Rankin
  1. We believe in the freedom of religious expression. All individuals should be encouraged to develop a personal theology, and to openly present their religious opinions without fear of censure or reprisal.
  2. We believe in tolerance of religious ideas. The religions of every age and culture have something to teach those who listen.
  3. We believe in the authority of reason and conscience. The ultimate arbiter in religion is not a church, a document, or an official, but the personal choice and decision of the individual.
  4. We believe in the search for truth. With an open mind and heart, there is no end to the fruitful and exciting revelations that the human spirit can find.
  5. We believe in the unity of experience. There is no fundamental conflict between faith and knowledge; religion and the world; the sacred and the secular.
  6. We believe in the worth and dignity of each human being. All people on earth have an equal claim to life, liberty and justice; no idea, ideal, or philosophy is superior to a single human life.
  7. We believe in the ethical application of religion. Inner grace and faith find completion in social and community involvement.
  8. We believe in the force of love, that the governing principle in human relationships is the principle of love, which seeks to help and heal, never to hurt or destroy.
  9. We believe in the necessity of the democratic process. Records are open to scrutiny, elections are open to members, and ideas are open to criticism, so that people might govern themselves.
  10. We believe in the importance of a religious community. Peers confirm and validate experience, and provide a critical platform, as well as a network of mutual support.
    - excerpted from Our Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism,
    by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church (Boston: Beacon Press, 1989).