What We Believe

About Unitarian Universalism

We are brave, curious, and compassionate thinkers and doers. We are diverse in faith, ethnicity, history, and spirituality, but aligned in our desire to make a difference for good. We have a track record of standing on the side of love, justice, and peace.

We have radical roots and a history as self-motivated spiritual people: we think for ourselves and recognize that life experience influences our beliefs more than anything.

We need not think alike to love alike. We are people of many beliefs and backgrounds: people with a religious background, people with none, people who believe in a God, people who don’t, and people who let the mystery be.

We are Unitarian Universalist and Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, atheist and agnostic, believers in God, and more.

On the forefront of LGBTQ+ inclusion for more than 40 years, we are people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

We welcome you: your whole self, with all your truths and your doubts, your worries and your hopes. Join us on this extraordinary adventure of faith. Get involved!

Principles & Sources

Birmingham Unitarian Church affirms and promotes eight Principles, which we hold as strong values and moral guides.

As Rev. Barbara Wells ten Hove explains, “The Principles are not dogma or doctrine, but rather a guide for those of us who choose to join and participate in Unitarian Universalist religious communities.” They are:

  1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
  2. Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
  3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
  4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
  5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
  6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
  7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part;
  8. 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.

We live out these Principles within a “living tradition” of wisdom and spirituality, drawn from Sources as diverse as science, poetry, scripture, and personal experience:

  1. 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;
  2. 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;
  3. Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
  4. Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
  5. 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;
  6. 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.

These eight Principles and six Sources of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) grew out of the grassroots of our tradition, were affirmed democratically, and are part of who we are.

Values

Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition that has changed in many ways from the original Christian roots of its Universalist and Unitarian heritages, and it continues to evolve today. Most recently, this evolution has taken the form of adopting new language to describe who we are as UUs. At General Assembly in June 2024, UUs voted to replace existing Seven Principles and Six Sources language in our bylaws with language describing Unitarian Universalism through these shared values:

  • Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
  • Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
  • Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
  • Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
  • Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
  • Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.

We arrived at this description of Unitarian Universalism after a multi-year process of discernment and discussion, writing and revision, and eventually a final democratic vote. The process of review and revision is mandated by UUA bylaws to happen every 15 years, and the language describing Unitarian Universalist faith has changed multiple times over the course of our history.