Unity....Church...Open and Accepting...

[Clean4ever]

Ive been thinking of going to Unity Church because of the openmindeness Ive exprienced in my 12 step program. I was raised Roman Catholic which was a place I went for peace from the chaos in our home life. I then became a Bible Believing Christian which I thought if you Read the Bible and prayed everyday for forgiveness (1 John 1:9) and not "Practice" sin I would live an overcoming life..Well I dont know no other sin but one that is practiced....In any case if it doesnt work ie..beliefs...It needs to change...in my opinion...and listening to fire and brimstone preaching hasnt helped me a bit..I believe in an "ALL-INCLUSIVE GOD" and dont belief in a little group that points fingers and throws stones at gays and those who dont share their doctrines. Clean Welcome to Unity: A Positive Path For Spiritual Living.

[Clean4ever]

(Overview of Unity)
Unity describes itself as a worldwide Christian organization which teaches a positive approach to life, seeking to accept the good in all people and events, and as beginning as a healing ministry and healing has been its main emphasis for over 100 years.[3] It teaches that all people can improve the quality of their lives through thought.[4]

Unity describes itself as having no particular creed, no set dogma, and no required ritual.[5] It maintains that there is good in every approach to God and in every religion that is filling someone's needs.[6] Its position holds that one should not focus on past sins but on the potential good in all.[7]

Unity emphasizes spiritual healing, prosperity and practical Christianity in its teachings. Illness is considered to be curable by spiritual means, but Unity does not reject or resist medical treatments.[1] It is an inclusive faith that welcomes diversity of belief. Unity is accepting of the beliefs of others.[8][9][10][11]

(Basic teachings)
Five basic ideas that Unity sets forward as its main belief system are:[12]

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 experiences through our way of thinking."
4."There is power in affirmative prayer, which we believe increases our connection to God."
5."Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must live them."
Unity is devoted to demonstrating that the teachings of Jesus Christ can be lived every day. Unity's basic position is that the true "Church" is a "state of consciousness in mankind".[13] Unity teaches that each person is a unique expression of God, that each person is sacred, and each person is worthy. Unity emphasizes the creative power of thought in people's experience, and encourages taking personal responsibility to choose life-affirming thoughts, words and actions, holding that when people do this, they experience a more fulfilling and abundant life.[14][15]

(God)
God is understood as spiritual energy which is everywhere present and is available to all people. In the Unity view, God is not a being in the sky who is capable of anger. The presence of God only seeks to express the highest good through everyone and everything.[16] According to Unity founder Charles Fillmore, God is spirit, the loving source of everything. God is one power, all good, wisdom, everywhere present.[17] God is Divine Energy, continually creating, expressing and sustaining all creation. In God we live and move and have our being.[18] [19][20]

(Jesus)
Unity proclaims the divinity of Jesus, but also proclaims that we are all children of God and share that divine potential. Unity believes that Jesus expressed his divine potential and sought to show others how to do the same. Unity sees Jesus as a master teacher of universal Truth and one who demonstrated the Way.[21][22] Unity uses the term "Christ" to mean the divinity in all people. Jesus is the great example of the Christ in expression.[23][24]

(The Nature of Humanity)
Unity teaches that we are individual, external expressions of God. Our essential nature is divine and therefore we are inherently good. Our purpose is to express our divine potential as demonstrated by Jesus. The more we awaken to our divine nature, the more fully God expresses in and through our lives.[25][26] Salvation, in the Unity view, is found in conscious understanding of one's innate divinity and then putting this knowledge into practice in everyday life.[27]

(The Bible)
Unity founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, studied the Bible as history and allegory. They interpreted it as a metaphysical representation of each soul's evolutionary journey toward spiritual awakening. Unity understands the Bible as a complex collection of writings compiled over many centuries. The Bible is a valuable spiritual resource, but is understood as a reflection of the comprehension and inspiration of the writers and their times.[28][29][30]

(Affirmative Prayer)
Affirmative prayer is understood, in Unity, as the highest form of creative thought. It includes the release of negative thoughts and holding in mind statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation and prayer, we can experience the presence of God. Prayer and meditation heighten our awareness of truth and thereby transform our lives.[31][32]

Prayer is valuable not because it alters the circumstances and conditions of your life, but because it alters you.[33]

Unity teaches that it is helpful to pray with the belief that we have already received all that we need. In this view, through prayer the mind is renewed and the body transformed. The awareness that we are conscious creators of our lives, has the power to make the bridge between the old Christianity where we are "sinners" to the new understanding that we are "learners."[34] The Unity school of Christianity holds that prayer is not a way to inform God of one's troubles or to change God in any way, but rather, prayer is properly used to align with the power that is God.[35][36]

(Relationship to Christianity)
Although Unity is not a traditional Christian teaching, the Fillmores were Christians and Unity is a Christian faith in that the foundations are founded on the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.[37][38][39][40][41][42] Unity stresses its agreements, not differences, with other Christians.[8]

It has been generally accepted that Jesus' great works were miracles and that the power to do miracles was delegated to His immediate followers only. In recent years many of Jesus' followers have inquired into His healing methods, and they have found that healing is based on universal mental and spiritual laws which anyone can utilize who will comply with the conditions involved in these laws.[43][44]

Unity considers itself to be a nonsectarian educational institution although Unity ministers do complete a prescribed program of courses and training. Due to the interdenominational nature of Unity, its influence extends far beyond its membership.[8]

[Clean4ever]

Originally Posted by Clean4ever

listening to fire and brimstone preaching hasnt helped me a bit..I believe in an "ALL-INCLUSIVE GOD" and dont belief in a little group that points fingers and throws stones at gays and those who dont share their doctrines. Clean Welcome to Unity: A Positive Path For Spiritual Living.

If I sound a little angry I AM..I trusted these people at my church and they were more concerned with getting people to repeat the sinners prayer and learn "THEIR" doctrines than actually helping the person LEARN to LIVE The GOSPEL...So it was'nt Grace after all...Clean

[Clean4ever]

Unity Church
Not to be confused with the Unitarian Church, the Unification Church, or unitarian theology in Christianity.

Unity VillageUnity, also known as the Unity School of Christianity and informally as Unity Church, is a religious movement within the wider New Thought movement and is best known to many through its Daily Word devotional publication.

It was founded in Kansas City, Missouri in 1889 by Charles Fillmore (1854–1948) and Myrtle Fillmore (1845–1931) after Mrs. Fillmore had been cured of her tuberculosis, she believed, by spiritual healing. This resulted in the Fillmores studying spiritual healing, and being influenced by Emma Curtis Hopkins. This gradually developed into the Unity School of Christianity as the Fillmores attempted to share their insights through magazines, books, and pamphlets and through 'Silent Unity', a telephone and mail service that offered people help through prayer and counseling. This growth led to several moves within Kansas City, and eventually, after World War I, to the development of Unity Village, 15 miles from Kansas City. The movement was led, in part, after Charles Fillmore’s death, by the Fillmores’ sons and grandchildren.[1]

It describes itself as a "positive, practical Christianity" which "teach[es] the effective daily application of the principles of Truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ" and promotes "a way of life that leads to health, prosperity, happiness, and peace of mind

[Isaiah]

I wish you well in that. I am a R.C. myself but let's face it, it matters less what church you go to to worship God than the sincerity and devotion you put into it.

To love God, to love others, to be charitable and kind, that's the essence of the Gospels and our true calling. The rest is just sinister detail.

[tjp613]

I'm a member of one of the most awesome Unity churches in the country... in Houston, TX. I found a home there after wandering in the darkness for 25 years.

[Dee74]

I'm glad you've found a church you want to belong to Clean - that's a great gift

D

[tjp613]

You might like to hear some of the lessons ("sermons") from Rev. Howard Caesar -- he's awesome:

Unity Church of Christianity / Audio Lessons/ Sund

[Boleo]

Originally Posted by Clean4ever

Unity Church
Not to be confused with the Unitarian Church, the Unification Church, or unitarian theology in Christianity.

LOL!!! This reminds me of a scene in a Monty Python movie:

"Life of Brian - Judean People's Front"

YouTube - Judean People's Front

[Clean4ever]

Originally Posted by Isaiah

but let's face it, it matters less what church you go to to worship God than the sincerity and devotion you put into it.

Well to Me it matters a whole lot what church I go to...How and where I worship is very important to me. If I go to a church where they exclude people then my "Sincerity and Devotion" is to the people NOT THE CHURCH.......Clean

[tjp613]

Did you fine a Unity church to attend? How'd you like it?

[AnthonyV]

I'm a former Catholic, but I could never return because of the sexism and homophobia that exists in the church hierarchy. I used to attend and I am planning on returning to one of the local Unitarian-Universalist congregations because I am spiritual but non-theist. But I did investigate Unity and they seem like a very spiritual based religion. I still enjoy checking out their Daily Word website just about every day, Home | Daily Word . I hope your spiritual journey leads you to where you need to be!

[Clean4ever]

Originally Posted by tjp613

Did you fine a Unity church to attend? How'd you like it?

No Not yet TJ..Their are only 2 Unity churches where Im at and I havent yet visited...Thanks for the link...I agree with you Anthony and I recieve Daily Word and love it....Have a Great Year..Clean

[larrylive]

Uh-oh, thought I would stop by and check out there spirituality side of things. I anticipated a calm, peaceful, easy going mood. Perhaps even some wisdom and enlightenment. But there seems to be some resentment and aggression pervading this thread. Not to mention want seems to be some misgiuded ignorance.
Please don't misunderstand, I was born and raised a Catholic, served as an alterboy and sang in the church chior. But as I began my search for and attempted to improve my conscious contact with God (which began long before my addiction) I noted a few discreppancies within the church. And not just the Catholics. Two of the most obvious disparities common to many religions are crucifixes and alters. The bible states that we are not to make an alter out of hewn stone, which is exactly what those polished marble ones are. We are also directed to create no image of anything in heaven or on earth (for worship purposes) yet every Catholic church has them, crucifixes and paintings of Jesus.
But I suppose what really confuses me the most is the question as to which "rules' of the bible can we can we ignore. I bring this up in reference to the comments about gays. Both the old testement and the new strictly forbid such practices. Which I believe one could safely assume to include Judaism and all the Christian sects. Please don't get me wrong, I don't think of myself as bias towards anyone, by way of judgement or exclusion. But I do not think it proper to openly proclaim ones dishonor to the faith one proports to follow.
I am sure all religions or at least thier followers have faults. But I think if we all try to stay close to God the world will become a better place.

Larry