What We Believe
Unity is a positive, practical, and progressive approach to spirituality, centered on the transformative power of affirmative prayer. The Unity movement began in 1889 when Charles and Myrtle Fillmore founded it as a healing ministry.
We teach that our thoughts help shape our experience of life. As we intentionally choose life-affirming thoughts, words, and actions, we open ourselves to a more meaningful, abundant way of living.
Our teachings continue to grow and evolve as we explore, embrace, and apply spiritual wisdom alongside new discoveries and understandings. At the heart of Unity are five basic principles that guide how we live, grow, and serve in the world.
5 Basic Unity Principles
-
The Divine Presence - what many call God - is absolute good, and everywhere present.
-
Our essence is of Godness, therefore we and all people are inherently good.
-
We create our life experiences through our way of thinking.
-
Through prayer and meditation, we align our heart-mind with God.
-
Through thoughts, words, and actions, we live the truth we know.
Our Spiritual Beliefs
Unity honors the universal truths in all religions and respects each individual’s right to choose a spiritual path. Unity founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore regarded Jesus as the great example, rather than the great exception, and they interpreted the Bible metaphysically. Here is a translation of those beliefs:
- God: We understand God as Spirit — the loving presence and source of all that is. God is the divine energy, continuously creating, expressing, and sustaining all of life. This same Source energy lives in and moves through each of us; it is the very essence of who we are. Through this divine presence, we live, move, and have our being. In Unity, we may also use many names for God, including Life, Light, Love, the Divine, Source, and Universal Mind.
- The Nature of Humankind: We are each individual, eternal expressions of Source. Our essential nature is divine and therefore inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as realized and demonstrated by Jesus and other master teachers. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully the Divine Presence expresses in and through our lives.
- Prayer and Meditation: We believe affirmative prayer is a powerful form of creative thought. It involves releasing limiting or negative patterns while intentionally holding to statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation, we deepen our awareness of the divine presence within and around us. Together, prayer and meditation expand our awareness and support meaningful transformation in our lives.
Our Social Action Position
Unity Spiritual Center of Central Minnesota stands in alignment with the Unity Worldwide Ministries Statement of Social Action Position by saying “we are stronger together.” We believe embracing and encouraging a culture of belonging brings out the very best in us individually and collectively.
We acknowledge discrimination and bias - even when unconscious or unintentional - negatively impact our environment and we are aware we must first recognize where we lack in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
We recognize the work of dismantling systems of oppression requires a commitment to an ongoing and lifelong process of acknowledgement, conversation, and education in order to actively remove barriers that exist in our community and culture.
Unity provides an uplifting path to spiritual living. As a global, inclusive spiritual community, we offer practical tools and resources to help all people embrace positive spiritual principles in everyday life.