Unitarian Universalism is an unfinished religious faith for modern men and women. It is still developing its theology and forms of worship. Yet it is by no means a newcomer to the religious scene. In America, it grew out of the Congregational Churches of New England in the early years of the United States. And there have been Unitarian Churches in Eastern Europe for more than 400 years.

While we grew out of the Protestant Christian tradition, most present-day Unitarian Universalists no longer consider themselves Christians. Most would call themselves Humanists or Religious Liberals. Our main emphasis is on humanity — people as individuals and as members of society — now, rather than seeking salvation in an afterlife.

As a church, we have no official creed. Each individual member is encouraged to discover and express her or his own personal theology. These theologies range from agnosticism and non-theistic Humanism through a naturalistic mysticism and theism to a Liberal Christianity. But all share a common cluster of values and principles:

• A primary reliance on human intelligence and reason as the chief means for arriving at religious truth, rather than faith in divine revelation;
• Faith in the potentiality of all human beings to lead productive, loving lives;
• Belief in democracy as a best method of making group decisions;
• Confidence that through human effort we can solve the age-old problems of poverty, war, racial and ethnic conflict and prejudice, and social injustice.

One Hundred Questions and Answers about Unitarian Universalism (hosted by The Unitarian-Universalist Church of Nashua, New Hampshire)