What Unity Teaches

wil said:
Namaste GtG,

He gets quoted often in Unity churches...well mine anyway...along with Jesus, Moses, Chopra, Thay, Tolle, Spock, Deep Space 9 and Jason Bourne.
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got to say that I have never heard of unity church before, sounds interesting.

but yeah Paramahansa Yogananda is the man, I read "Autobiography of a Yogi back in the early 1990's but have recently been rediscovering his work :)
 
GlorytoGod said:
got to say that I have never heard of unity church before, sounds interesting.

but yeah Paramahansa Yogananda is the man, I read "Autobiography of a Yogi back in the early 1990's but have recently been rediscovering his work :)
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Unity started late 19th century and is mostly known around the world for the 'Daily Word' a daily reading of thought and scripture...many get it and read it and don't know there is a church. They've also got Silent Unity, a group of people that have been in prayer for a hundred years...(new people, evolving group) they follow technology, they still answer letters and phone calls but now take email as well.

Think of the thought of the transcendentalists Thoreau, Emerson etc. and then add some Christian healing Quimby, EB Weeks and New Thought was born...or born again.

Initially the Fillmores had no intention of starting a church. They held classes in bible study and metaphysics during the week, hoping folks would go back to their own churches with an expanded understanding. They published newsletters and books. Eventually the folks attending classes wanted a Sunday talk as well.
 
The following is a quote from UnityOnline that Bendee previously provided. I thought I'd post it here so folks would have easy access in one place.

It should be noted that when Charles Fillmore was writing he was writing his understandings as of that day and time (late 1800's early 1900's) and often wrote "I reserve the right to change my mind as new information comes to light" and odds are much of his writings (especially those relating to sciences, anatomy, physics, biology etc) would have changed if he were writing today.

Also he wrote what he believed, and didn't impose that on everyone who studied with him. He wished to provide thought for contemplation and personal testing, and that his students would learn for themselves what they believed.

bendee said:
Unity Beliefs:

Deity: Unity has abandoned the popular image that God is an elderly,
superhuman male with a white flowing beard who lives in a remote place "up
there". We do not believe that God is fickle, answering some prayers and
ignoring others. We do not look upon God as a deity to be feared.

One fundamental attribute of God is that God is good. We are created to
be "healthy, happy, prosperous, loved and loving, courageous and
strong". If we fall short of these goals, it is because we have separated our
mind from God, and allowed negative thoughts to intrude.

God is within each one of us; and is directly accessible. We need only
to quietly turn within ourselves to contact God.

God exists in all things. God is present throughout creation: in
humans, plants, animals, the earth itself, etc.

Jesus Christ: Unity rejects the traditional view that Jesus is a deity
to be worshipped. At no time did Jesus tell his disciples to worship
him. We look upon Jesus as a great healer, miracle worker, and mystic who
had a direct access to God. We believe that his actions can be emulated
by us today.

One's life is to be dominated by love, and compassion, even toward
one's enemies.

Unity rejects the concept of original sin, (the belief that because of
Adam and Eve's actions in the Garden of Eden, we are all born in sin).
We look upon the Genesis story as an allegory; a very human attempt to
explain our beginnings. We emphasize that humans are created in the
image and likeness of God, and are thus not intrinsically evil or sinful.

Heaven: Rather than looking upon heaven as a place "up there" to be
experienced as a reward after death, Unity conceives of heaven as
expressed by Jesus: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand", and "The kingdom of God is in the midst of (within) you". Charles Fillmore defined it as "a
state of consciousness in which the soul and the body are in harmony with
Divine Mind". One does not have to wait until death. Heaven can be
enjoyed at any time through prayer. Through proper technique, attitude and
receptivity one can elevate one's personal consciousness to a heavenly
state.

Hell: Unity does not believe hell to be a place of eternal torment in
which people are eternally punished with fire because of their beliefs
and /or actions during life. It is not a place to go to after death.
Rather it is a state of consciousness to be suffered here on earth.
Charles Fillmore wrote: "One does not have to die in order to go to hell, any
more than one has to die to get to heaven. Both are states of mind and
conditions, which people experience as a direct outworking of their
thoughts, beliefs, words, and acts. If one's mental processes are out of
harmony with the law of our being, they result in trouble and sorrow;
mental as well as bodily anguish overtakes one, and this is hell".

Satan: Many look upon Satan as a separate power; an all evil presence
who is the opposite of the goodness of God. Satan and God are often
portrayed as fighting over individuals souls. This dual divinity has
obvious links to Zoroastrianism which was incorporated into ancient Jewish
legends which, in turn, were later codified as parts of the book of
Genesis. Other aspects of Satan were derived from ancient Greek and
Babylonian beliefs.

Unity interprets Satan's temptation of Jesus symbolically. Satan did
not tempt Jesus to turn stones into bread; it was the "voice of human
hunger"; the temptation to throw himself off the highest part of the
temple was "the voice of human desire for recognition"; the temptation to
become a ruler was "the voice of worldliness".

Thus Satan is not a separate entity; but is our lower nature:
selfishness, greed, the desire to turn away from God. Satan can be resisted by
systematically striving towards our higher nature.

Sin: Traditionally, sin has been defined as falling short of
perfection. Unity uses an alternate definition: "living under a false sense of
separation from God". We view this as a delusion because God is in
reality continuously present within us. This false belief can be overcome
through prayer.

Life After Death: Unity defines heaven and hell as conditions in the
here and now. They are not places where people go to spend eternity. Many
in Unity believe in a form of reincarnation. After death the soul is
believed to leave the body, and to live again in another human body. This
is / was a common belief among:

*Present day Eastern religions
*The early Christian Church prior to the Council of Constantinople in
533 CE
*The Essenes, one of the three Jewish sects while Jesus was alive.

Unity cites references from the Christian Scriptures which show that
the concept of reincarnation was common during Jesus' time. In the
Gospels of Matthew and Mark , John the Baptist is referred to as the
reincarnation of Elijah. In Matthew, some of the populace guessed that Jesus
was a reincarnation of John the Baptist; others guessed Elijah; still
others guessed Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Jesus neither
criticized the people for their beliefs, nor declared reincarnation to be
heresy.

Each lifetime is viewed as a time of preparation for the next life,
leading towards eventual perfection.
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Unity Practices:

Unity has no missionaries. We rely upon our teachings being spread by
our readers and followers and by the literature itself.

"New centers and churches are normally started as study groups
sponsored by an existing ministry or the expansion department of the
Association of Unity Churches. Both the Association and Unity School of
Christianity provide support materials and services to emerging ministries."

Prayer: Real prayer does not involve begging God for a favour, or
repeating standard prayers in a ritual setting. It an act of becoming
spiritually one with God. If one applies Ralph Waldo Emerson's concept of
prayer: the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of
view, then prayer can be a constant personal activity. One can also use
the "arms" of prayer by mentally embracing some other individual as the
target of a prayer or the "wings" of prayer by directing one's prayer
at all those who are receptive.

Worship: It is not limited to Sunday church services. Worship can be
pursued at any time and location when one feels adoration and devotion
for God. Ideally, it can be experienced continually through the day.

Baptism: Within Christianity, some groups follow the tradition started
by John the Baptist; they totally immerse the body in water. Others
regard baptism as symbolic; they simply sprinkle drops of water on the
person. In Unity one experiences a Spiritual Baptism which is a deeply
personal event, a cleansing "prayer experience with Spirit, an ultimate
union between an individual and God." The individual emerges purified,
having experienced a spiritual conversion of great intensity.

Communion: There is mystical meaning in the details and purpose of the
rite of Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper. We recall the words of St.
Paul "The Kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit". Communion becomes a close encounter
with God in prayer, in which one becomes aware of the impact that God is
making in all areas of one's life.

Sacred Texts: The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures are the main
religious text used by Unity followers. However, all writings of all world
religions are respected. "Unity believes that there is good in every
religion on earth" (Charles Fillmore).
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Expressions of shared divinity that I have heard of:

Namaste (from Wikipedia): ...it means "I bow to you". The word is derived from Sanskrit (namas): to bow, obeisance, reverential salutation. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent. In yoga, namaste is said to mean "The light within me honors the light within you,"

I and I (religionfacts.com): An important Rastafarian concept is "I and I," which is said instead of "you and I." It emphasizes the oneness between humanity and God as well as the equality of all humans.

Holy Kiss (Christian NT): Romans 16:16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. Ephesians 5:20-21 always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Do you know of any more of these?
 
reiki [japanese symbol] 'hon sha ze sho nen', 'the buddha in me reaches out to the buddha in you to promote enlightement and peace'. used in distant healing/before events.
 
nativeastral said:
reiki [japanese symbol] 'hon sha ze sho nen', 'the buddha in me reaches out to the buddha in you to promote enlightement and peace'. used in distant healing/before events.
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Nice, I wouldn't have known that one. I am scraping the internet to find more, but I don't know how to look.
 
Dream said:
Do you know of any more of these?
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How about "I am"

Everytime we use it we are announcing our oneness with spirit and all that is...*sometimes unfortunately.

I say all that is as if as you identify yourself as standing with the I am...and I am, and she is, and he is...therefor we are all one with G!d, one with each other.

UNeyeR1


Paul said Put on the mind of Christ.

Christ said I and the Father are one.

Get into that mind.

The purpose of Unity is to teach the truth taught by Jesus Christ and help people to understand and to prove the that truth through the way they live their lives.

So the goal the destination for a Christian is Christ.

The model is Jesus.

I and the father are one.

I am.

UNeyeR1

*sometimes unfortunately - why unfortunately? Because we have this tendency to claim our divinity with that which is less than. 'I am' a statement of oneness...now consider...

'I am' sorry
'I am' sick
'I am' depressed
'I am' not worthy
'I am' incapable
'I am' ....

Why claim that? Why put that into the ethers, why connect the negative with your 'I am' why claim oneness with that?

I apologize
My body currently experiences dis-ease
I need to change my perception
etc.
 
Thomas said:
I always find this kind of statement amazing — it's a huge assumption which only a materialist/consumerist culture would make. There's not one shred of evidence to support it.
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I fail to see any connection between that statement and a "materialist/consumerist culture". Prior to such modern cultures, there were plenty of cultures that accepted claims without evidence.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
Millions of people have been introduced to Unity through its periodicals, "Daily Word" and "Unity Magazine", published by Unity World Headquarters in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Millions of other people have come to know Unity and receive prayer help through Silent Unity, which has maintained a round the clock vigil of prayer for more than 80 years.

Unity:
  • Offers an approach which is scientifically sound, psychologically healthy, intellectually challenging, and spiritually satisfying.
  • Asks you to accept and use the teachings which appear to you to be true, and to withhold judgement on the rest.
  • Gives you freedom to grow spiritually at your own pace and to evolve your own working philosophy of ideas and beliefs.
  • Has no creedal requirements; never asks you to profess something you do not believe.
  • Has little concern for dogma, ritual, ecclesiastical garb, and other trappings of religiosity.
  • Does not impose any financial burden on its adherents; is supported by freewill offerings, and looks upon tithing and other forms of giving as the joyous response of a generous, Spirit-filled soul.
  • Sees religion as an open-ended search for Truth rather than a closed system.
  • Sees worship as serving God by uplifting and glorifying God's spirit in man in a positive, joyous way.
  • Offers more than a once-a-week religion; gives you positive ideas to think on and apply seven days a week.
  • Feels it has no exclusive right to or "corner" on truth.
  • Emphasizes the spiritual unity of all churches, faiths, man, and truth.
  • Welcomes in dignity and love, people of all races, colors, religions, social backgrounds, and economic levels.
  • Is dedicated to loving service to individuals, society, and the world at large.
  • Proclaims the divinity of Jesus, but goes further and assures you that you, like Jesus, are a child of God and therefore divine in nature.
  • Declares that as a child of God, you inherit His goodness, His spiritual qualities, His spiritual and material abundance.
  • Stresses your dominion, as a child of God, over every challenge.
  • Seeks to relate religion to daily needs, affirming that for every need there is God's perfect answer.
  • Believes no negative condition of mind, body, or affairs is incurable.
  • Teaches and demonstrates that healing comes through belief in prayer, but accepts all forms of healing as divine.
  • Believes the body of man to be the holy temple of God, created to express harmony, life, and perfection of Spirit.
  • Invites questioning minds to seek valid reasons for faith, but recognizes that intellectual perception is fulfilled in deep conviction that leads to action.
  • Explains the mind as your link with God or Divine Mind, and shows how action of your mind affects your body and your circumstances.
  • Sees prayer not as technique for changing God, but as a technique that expands and transforms your mind, and thus changes you.
  • Assures that you can commune with God directly without intercessor or intermediary.
  • Acknowledges Jesus as Savior, Teacher, Way-Shower, and Elder Brother.
  • Explains the Bible spiritually or metaphysically, since literal "letter of the law" interpretation reveals only part of the truth.
  • Explains the Bible and relates that God is all. "In Him we live, and move, and have our being."
  • Describes God as Spirit, Creator, Source, Sustainer, Divine Mind, Life, Light, Love, Energy, Principle, Divine Law, Omnipresence, Omnipotent, Omniscience, Our Father, Mother.
  • Affirms God's will to be good for every person: joy, life, plenty.
  • Denies the existence of any power or presence opposed to God. There is no personal "Devil" or place called "Hell," Unity sees there are evil appearances and suffering in the world, but ascribes these to man's ignorance and erroneous use of God's laws of life.
 
wil said:
Millions of people have been introduced to Unity through its periodicals, "Daily Word" and "Unity Magazine", published by Unity World Headquarters in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Millions of other people have come to know Unity and receive prayer help through Silent Unity, which has maintained a round the clock vigil of prayer for more than 80 years.


Unity:
  • Offers an approach which is scientifically sound, psychologically healthy, intellectually challenging, and spiritually satisfying.
  • Asks you to accept and use the teachings which appear to you to be true, and to withhold judgement on the rest.
  • Gives you freedom to grow spiritually at your own pace and to evolve your own working philosophy of ideas and beliefs.
  • Has no creedal requirements; never asks you to profess something you do not believe.
  • Has little concern for dogma, ritual, ecclesiastical garb, and other trappings of religiosity.
  • Does not impose any financial burden on its adherents; is supported by freewill offerings, and looks upon tithing and other forms of giving as the joyous response of a generous, Spirit-filled soul.
  • Sees religion as an open-ended search for Truth rather than a closed system.
  • Sees worship as serving God by uplifting and glorifying God's spirit in man in a positive, joyous way.
  • Offers more than a once-a-week religion; gives you positive ideas to think on and apply seven days a week.
  • Feels it has no exclusive right to or "corner" on truth.
  • Emphasizes the spiritual unity of all churches, faiths, man, and truth.
  • Welcomes in dignity and love, people of all races, colors, religions, social backgrounds, and economic levels.
  • Is dedicated to loving service to individuals, society, and the world at large.
  • Proclaims the divinity of Jesus, but goes further and assures you that you, like Jesus, are a child of God and therefore divine in nature.
  • Declares that as a child of God, you inherit His goodness, His spiritual qualities, His spiritual and material abundance.
  • Stresses your dominion, as a child of God, over every challenge.
  • Seeks to relate religion to daily needs, affirming that for every need there is God's perfect answer.
  • Believes no negative condition of mind, body, or affairs is incurable.
  • Teaches and demonstrates that healing comes through belief in prayer, but accepts all forms of healing as divine.
  • Believes the body of man to be the holy temple of God, created to express harmony, life, and perfection of Spirit.
  • Invites questioning minds to seek valid reasons for faith, but recognizes that intellectual perception is fulfilled in deep conviction that leads to action.
  • Explains the mind as your link with God or Divine Mind, and shows how action of your mind affects your body and your circumstances.
  • Sees prayer not as technique for changing God, but as a technique that expands and transforms your mind, and thus changes you.
  • Assures that you can commune with God directly without intercessor or intermediary.
  • Acknowledges Jesus as Savior, Teacher, Way-Shower, and Elder Brother.
  • Explains the Bible spiritually or metaphysically, since literal "letter of the law" interpretation reveals only part of the truth.
  • Explains the Bible and relates that God is all. "In Him we live, and move, and have our being."
  • Describes God as Spirit, Creator, Source, Sustainer, Divine Mind, Life, Light, Love, Energy, Principle, Divine Law, Omnipresence, Omnipotent, Omniscience, Our Father, Mother.
  • Affirms God's will to be good for every person: joy, life, plenty.
  • Denies the existence of any power or presence opposed to God. There is no personal "Devil" or place called "Hell," Unity sees there are evil appearances and suffering in the world, but ascribes these to man's ignorance and erroneous use of God's laws of life.
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I agree , the devil and hell is a psychological disease that harms. Hell is supposed to be a place of learning NOT harm, even that is distorted. As in revelation there will be no more death or hades for the old order of things has passed away. Doesnt this refer to enlightenment. How do we destroy the disease of the devil (hate) and satan(the lie about gods kingdom and paraside on earth) so ignorance is a blocking of a light in a candle. When we become enlightened as a human community the candles light up. The flame of a candle is symbolic for the spirit. The candle itself the body. Our bodies are like lamps with endless amounts of oil. So the key is to not allow those in those positions of power be light dimmers instead of light bringers -)
 
“ 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 the 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. “
 
I'm a sunday school teacher....teens...... we may have a lesson plan, a topic for discussion, a biblical passage to contemplate...but all that is secondary. We want the kids that enter that door to know one thing... They are loved. We want them to feel and grasp the understanding of unconditional love. That is number one...number two is that we don't want to teach them what to think, but 'to' think. Not take anything for um....er...gospel, but to question, to contemplate, meditate, circumambulate. So whatever is in their 'now' whatever is formost on their mind, what is troubling/bothering them is what we are concerned with...and once we accomplish that...and it is ok that that is all we accomplish...but if we do...we go onto the lesson plan...

Teens are great people to have challenge the above notions and indicate where you (I) need work.
 
wil said:
I'm a sunday school teacher....teens...... we may have a lesson plan, a topic for discussion, a biblical passage to contemplate...but all that is secondary. We want the kids that enter that door to know one thing... They are loved. We want them to feel and grasp the understanding of unconditional love. That is number one...number two is that we don't want to teach them what to think, but 'to' think. Not take anything for um....er...gospel, but to question, to contemplate, meditate, circumambulate. So whatever is in their 'now' whatever is formost on their mind, what is troubling/bothering them is what we are concerned with...and once we accomplish that...and it is ok that that is all we accomplish...but if we do...we go onto the lesson plan...

Teens are great people to have challenge the above notions and indicate where you (I) need work.
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Now if only we could get the public school system to adopt this policy...
 
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Gordian Knot said:
That's a vague comment, NJ. What policy would you like to see adopted in the public schools?
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I was talking about the last part of Wil's post in regard to listening to the kids and addressing their problems before moving on with the lesson. I think too often the school system teaches our kids to memorize and except the opinion of others rather than thinking on their own.
 
The school systems task is to create out of the majority of the masses, good citizens who go to work and pay taxes...who cost society less than they produce for society.

They accomplish not much more than that...(as evidenced by our society, average wages, average education level, standing in the world etc.) While I imagine there exists a significant number of public school students who go on to be famous inventors, politicians, prominent business owners, CEOs, movers and shakers of society, I'd again say the majority of those got a private education most of the way....or didn't make it through college at all.

5,500 drop out of high school every day...we are currently touting a 40 year high in graduation rate (percentage of those that start high school that finish) and we are at 75%... with inner cities all over at less than 50%...

Yes, if we wish to better society we need to better or schools by not just creating lemmings that fit our base societal needs but also creativity, wisdom not just intelligence, leadership skills, and community building skills....not put everyone in thru the cookie cutter but allow the individual to thrive.
 
wil said:
The school systems task is to create out of the majority of the masses, good citizens who go to work and pay taxes...who cost society less than they produce for society.

They accomplish not much more than that...(as evidenced by our society, average wages, average education level, standing in the world etc.) While I imagine there exists a significant number of public school students who go on to be famous inventors, politicians, prominent business owners, CEOs, movers and shakers of society, I'd again say the majority of those got a private education most of the way....or didn't make it through college at all.

5,500 drop out of high school every day...we are currently touting a 40 year high in graduation rate (percentage of those that start high school that finish) and we are at 75%... with inner cities all over at less than 50%...

Yes, if we wish to better society we need to better or schools by not just creating lemmings that fit our base societal needs but also creativity, wisdom not just intelligence, leadership skills, and community building skills....not put everyone in thru the cookie cutter but allow the individual to thrive.
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I couldn't agree more. You know, in Fiji they teach the kids how to be productive citizens and to be self sufficient. In the US they teach how to get a job and dependence on others. Seems like it should be the other way around.
 
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