The five basic ideas that make up the Unity belief system are: 1) God is the source and creator of all. There is no other enduring power. God is good and present everywhere. 2) We are spiritual beings, created in God's image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. 3) We create our life's experiences through our way of thinking. 4) There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our awareness of God. 5) Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them. The Unity movement is open and welcoming of all individuals regardless of race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, physical disability or sexual orientation.

LGBTQ EQUALITY

ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY

Unity teaches that all people are created with sacred worth and that no one exists outside the heart of God. Its basic principles state that God is Good, and because all people exist within God, they also are inherently good. To reflect its inclusiveness, Unity issued a formal Statement of Diversity in 1995: "We believe that all people are created with sacred worth. Therefore, we recognize the importance of serving all people within the Unity family in spiritually and emotionally caring ways. We strive for our ministries, publications and programs to reach out to all who seek Unity support and spiritual growth. It is imperative that our ministries and outreaches be free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, age, creed, religion, national origin, ethnicity, physical disability or sexual orientation. Our sincere desire is to ensure that all Unity organizations are nondiscriminatory and support diversity."

Additionally, in 2011, Unity launched an LGBTQ+ Resource Center to provide spiritual resources geared to the LGBTQ+ community. The resource center includes articles, podcasts, prayer support and a list of Unity churches and centers around the country. Site resources are provided by teachers, authors and contributors both inside and outside the Unity movement.

ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Though Unity takes no official position on social issues, Unity churches are free to support same-sex marriages. Unity Village, the world headquarters of the Unity movement, and many churches and centers perform holy unions and marriages where they are legal.

ON NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Unity movement does not appear to have taken an official stand on the Equality Act or other issues regarding non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.

ON ORDINATION

The Unity movement accepts and welcomes LGBTQ+ ministers, licensed Unity teachers, and ministerial and licensed Unity teacher candidates. While no specific data is available, a sizeable percentage of Unity ministers and congregants are connected to the LGBTQ+ community.

RESOURCES

LGBT Spiritual Resource Center offers a variety of resources specifically for LGBTQ+ people and their family and friends in the Unity movement.

CONTACT INFO

World Headquarters at Unity Village Silent Unity
1901 NW Blue Parkway
Unity Village, MO 64065
Website: www.unity.org