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Philosophy

Unity and Jesus

Unity recognizes and embraces the teachings and demonstrations of Jesus Christ. We believe that He was reminding people of spiritual truths that are eternal and universal - truths that other great spiritual leaders have also taught.

We believe that Jesus was the son of God just as each of us is the child of God. Jesus perfectly expressed His Oneness - His Unity - with God, but he did not present himself as a unique being. Rather He called us to follow His example, to recognize the same spiritual power within ourselves that He was able to express in His life. "What I have done you will do," He tells his followers in the Gospel of John, "and greater things than these will you do, because I go to the Father." In other words, Jesus Christ is a Wayshower, inviting us to follow Him into the kingdom of heaven, and available always to help us along the way.

Unity and the Bible

Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore was widely known for his Bible scholarship, and the Bible continues to serve as a basic Unity text, even as we appreciate and draw strength from other scriptures as well. We honor it as a history of the Hebrew people, including the stories, myths, songs and sayings that defined their culture and beliefs.

We recognize it on a second level as a great textbook, offering practical life lessons that help people to survive and grow in their human experience.

And at its deepest level, we recognize the Bible metaphysically as the story of each person's great journey through fear and ignorance to understanding, love and a full expression of our spiritual nature.

Unity and You

As we affirm at each service, Unity in Chicago welcomes all people and honors all the many different spiritual paths that can lead to an awareness of the Creative Power of the universe. This Power may be known by many names, including God, Brahman, Allah, Spirit and Divine Mind. Even as we honor all paths, however, we also recognize an expression of universal spiritual principle that is uniquely Unity.

We believe that there is one Presence and Power in the universe, a spiritual energy that we call God. That which we call "evil" is not a separate power, rather it arises from our ignorance of God's Presence and how that Presence is meant to express in our lives.

We believe that as God is Spirit, so are we spiritual beings caught up in a shared adventure of human experience. Through ignorance of our spiritual essence we create a sense of lack, limitation and separation from each other-and from God. In truth, however, we are one---one with each other and with all of life, because all of life is an integral part of the energy that is God.

We believe that God is present within us, seeking to express through us. We call this indwelling Presence of God the Christ, and we recognize Jesus Christ as a perfect demonstration of our own potential. Jesus used his life to show what we can achieve in terms of healing, abundance, love and peace. Achieving our full spiritual expression, the state of being that Jesus called "the kingdom of heaven," is the entire purpose of life.

We believe that we will achieve the kingdom through prayer and meditation, as we recognize our spiritual potential and make choices that allow the creative power of God to flow through us, creating a life experience based entirely on our Oneness with God.