Appendix

UUA Principles and Purposes

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

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and 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 congregations and in society at large;
• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

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 that 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.

Adopted as a Bylaw by the 1984 and 1985 General Assemblies.

David Rankin's Ten Beliefs Bible

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.

From A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church (Boston: Beacon Press, 1998).

Quiz

1. Name the first five books of the Old Testament.
2. Name the four Gospels.
3. Name three letters attributed to the Apostle Paul.
4. What chapter in what book begins with the words, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want"?
5. Name the giant that David slew.
6. Which of the Gospels do not include the narratives concerning the birth of Jesus?
7. In how many Gospels will you find the word "Trinity"?
8. List as many of the Ten Commandments as you can.
9. State the Golden Rule and tell where it is found in the Bible.
10. Name four of Jesus' disciples.

Answers to Bible Quiz

1. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
2. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.
3. Romans, Thessalonians 1 and 2, Galatians, Corinthians 1 and 2, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, Philippians, Timothy 1 and 2, and Titus have all traditionally been attributed to Paul.
4. The 23rd Psalm.
5. Goliath.
6. The birth story appears in Matthew I: 18 ff and in Luke I: 26 ff, but not in Mark or John.
7. "Trinity" appears nowhere in the Gospels.
8. From Deuteronomy V: 7-21:
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
4. Observe the sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.
5. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you; that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
6. You shall not kill.
7. Neither shall you commit adultery.
8. Neither shall you steal.
9. Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's.
9. 9. Luke VI:32 "And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them." Matthew VII:12 "So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets."
10. 10. The twelve disciples were Simon Peter, James and John (sons of Zebedee), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James (son of Alpheus), Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite, Judas Iscariot.

Beatitudes

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Forrest Church

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they know the unutterable beauty of simple things.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they have dared to risk their hearts by giving of their love.

Blessed are the meek, for the gentle earth shall embrace them and hallow them as its own.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall know the taste of noble deeds.

Blessed are the merciful, for in return theirs is the gift of giving.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be at one with themselves and the universe.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is a kinship with everything that is holy.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for the truth shall set them free.

Forrest Church's Beatitudes are taken from A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism, by John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church (Boston: Beacon Press, 1998).

Excerpts from The Humanist Manifesto II

Religion:

1. We believe . . . that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species. . . . [W]e can discover no divine purpose of providence for the human species. While there is much that we do not know, humans are responsible for what we are or will become. No deity will save us; we must save ourselves.

2. Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. . . . There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist in our progeny and in the way that our lives have influenced others in our culture.

Ethics:

3. We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction.

4. Reason and intelligence are the most effective instruments that humankind possesses. . . . Reason should be balanced with compassion and empathy and the whole person fulfilled.

The Individual:

5. The preciousness and dignity of the individual person are central humanist values. . . . We believe in maximum individual autonomy consonant with social responsibility.

6. In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. . . . We wish to cultivate the development of a responsible attitude toward sexuality, in which humans are not exploited as sexual objects, and in which intimacy, sensitivity, respect, and honesty in interpersonal relations are encouraged.

Democratic Society:

7. To enhance freedom and dignity, the individual must experience a full range of civil liberties in all societies. This includes freedom of speech and the press, political democracy, the legal right of opposition to governmental policies, fair judicial process, religious liberty, freedom of association, and artistic, scientific, and cultural freedom. It also includes a recognition of an individual's right to die with dignity, euthanasia, and the right to suicide.

8. We are committed to an open and democratic society. We must extend participatory democracy in its true sense to the economy, the school, the family, the workplace, and voluntary associations. . . . All persons should have a voice in developing the values and goals that determine their lives.

9. The separation of church and state and the separation of ideology and state are imperatives. The state should encourage maximum freedom for different moral, political, religious, and social values in society. It should not favor any particular religious bodies through the use of public monies, nor espouse a single ideology and function thereby as an instrument of propaganda or oppression, particularly against dissenters.

10. Humane societies should evaluate economic systems not by rhetoric or ideology, but by whether or not they increase economic well-being for all individuals and groups, minimize poverty and hardship, increase the sum of human satisfaction, and enhance the quality of life.

11. The principle of moral equality must be furthered through elimination of all discrimination based upon race, religion, sex, age, or national origin.

World Community:

12. We deplore the division of humankind on nationalistic grounds. . . . Thus we look to the development of a system of world law and a world order based upon transnational federal government.

13. This world community must renounce the resort to violence and force as a method of solving international disputes.

14. The world community must engage in cooperative planning concerning the use of rapidly depleting resources. The planet earth must be considered a single ecosystem. Ecological damage, resource depletion, and excessive population growth must be checked by international concord.

15. The problems of economic growth and development can no longer be resolved by one nation alone; they are worldwide in scope. World poverty must cease.

16. Technology is a vital key to human progress and development. . . . Technology must, however, be carefully judged by the consequences of its use; harmful and destructive changes should be avoided.

17. We must expand communication and transportation across frontiers. Travel restrictions must cease. . . . We thus call for full international cooperation in culture, science, the arts, and technology across ideological borders.

From The Humanist Manifesto I and II, edited by Paul Kurtz (Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books). Copyright © 1973. Prometheus Books. Reprinted by permission.

Taking the Program Further

Suggestions for Exploration and Growth

1. Review
Round out your experience with A Chosen Faith by reviewing what you have written in the course of these six sessions. In your notebook, write a summary statement entitled "My Chosen Faith." Include your current questions as well as the answers you have discovered thus far in your journey. Describe any open areas where you feel your mind and spirit reach for continuing growth.

2. Action
Take another step in your religious growth.

By yourself:
Develop a plan of action to nurture this new growth through reading and study, dialogue, group affiliation, creative arts, or a spiritual discipline of your choosing.

• Schedule another A Chosen Faith study series, led by one or two members of the group for the benefit of others in your congregation.
• Create a collection of excerpts from the notebooks of group members to be duplicated in booklet form for participants or for wider distribution. Excerpts might also appear periodically in your congregation's newsletter.
• Plan a congregational worship service or other program based on your group's experience with A Chosen Faith. As an alternative, have participants present personal credo statements in regular congregational services over a period of time.
• As individuals, develop personal action plans to continue your religious journeys through reading and study, dialogue, group affiliation, social action, creative arts, or a spiritual discipline of your choosing. Share your plans with one another and form a mutual support group to help each other carry out your plans.

About the Author
Joan Goodwin has served as Director of Religious Education for the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Larger Fellowship. She is also co-editor, with Ann Fields, of the intergenerational curriculum We Believe: Learning and Living Our Unitarian Universalist Principles (UUA, 1997).

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