WHAT IS UNITY?
WHAT IS UNITY?
Although Unity Is over one hundred years old as a religious movement, most of Its adherents are new to It, and
may find it difficult to answer when friends ask, "What Is Unity?" I find two ways that help me to answer. First, I
compare Unity to other religious and philosophical systems with which they may be familiar. Second, I give them a
three-word answer: Unity is "positive, practical Christianity."
This challenge of defining Unity is made more difficult by Its confusion with other philosophies with
coincidentally similar names. Even so, there are some similarities between Unity and Unitarianism that go beyond
the sound of their names. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a Unitarian minister, and was also a favorite author of the
founder of Unity, Charles Fillmore. Many members of the New England transcendentalist movement, out of which Unity
sprung, were Unitarians. Although today's Unitarian Church has changed a great deal, with its current emphasis on
political, social-action and intellectual issues, it has its roots in a progressive, inclusive, universal attitude
toward religion that is similar to Unity's.
I find that it is easier to define Unity in comparison to other organizations than it is to define it by its set
of beliefs, because Unity is an experiential religion, not a dogmatic one. That is, Unity stresses the internal
spiritual experience of its adherents, rather than a rigidly held code of beliefs. So, I usually compare Unity to
the teachings of those who have been influenced by it, but who might be better known, such as Norman Vincent Peale
and. Robert Schuller, or to the Unity-influenced teachings of the 12-step groups. Emmet Fox, who was a Unity
minister in every respect except his ordination (he asked for one but was told he had to attend the ministerial
school) wrote the book Sermon on the Mount, which was used for study In the first Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Unity's indirect influence on the religious scene may far surpass its direct Influence.
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