Principle(d) Revision
Cup of Joe, November 11, 2022
The UU principles are changing, and not a moment too soon.
Unitarian Universalism is a living faith, a faith tradition that prides itself on being always relevant to the times we are living in now. That means we UU’s make a commitment to change and to growth, even though change and growth can be difficult, even painful.
All of the work and ministry that UU congregations do has its foundation in what we have come to call our UU Principles. The statement of our principles is an attempt to articulate the covenant that we Unitarian Universalists and UU congregations pledge ourselves to as fellow members of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Our Principles are not written in stone. We are a living faith! In the UUA’s organizational documents, we commit ourselves to revisiting them and revising them from time to time. When I was a brand new UU, one of these efforts to revisit and revise the Principles and Sources was underway. There were a few word changes that were tentatively proposed, but they went precisely nowhere. They were all voted down. No change was allowed. The statement of our Principles and Sources hasn’t really changed since 1987.
In 2020, as the UUA bylaws require, a new Commission was convened to re-evaluate the Principles. The statement of principles is part of Article II of our UUA bylaws, so the commission is called the Article II Study Commission. They have been charged to be bold and to explore possibilities for a wholly statement of what we UU’s are about. They’ve been holding lots of listening sessions and trying to gather input from UU’s everywhere. Since 2017, many UU’s and UU congregations have been advocating for an 8th Principle addressing racism. Others have proposed amending our 1st Principle to include non-human life as also having inherent worth and dignity. Amendments to 7th Principle, which talks about the interdependent web of life, have also been discussed. In 2009, a report was issued about the 5th Principle and the ways we do and do not embody an inclusive democratic process. The Article II Study Commission has been taking all of this in, and more.
This fall, the Article II Study Commission has published a new draft of Article II and they want our feedback! They have been holding discussion sessions last week and will hold more on Zoom Saturday (tomorrow!), Sunday, and Monday. Please read the draft the Commission has put together, and sign up to take part the last of these sessions:
Here are some resources:
- You’ll find the new draft of Article II HERE.
- You can submit feedback to the Commission using this Google form.
- You can learn about the Article II Study Commission and the amazing work they’ve done HERE.
- You can read the current Article II HERE.
This is an extremely important moment for UU Saratoga especially to be considering who we are and who we aspire to be, what being UU looks like and the work and ministry that our values call us to. We are considering the possibility of a new home, and that new home should be a clear, bold and brave embodiment of Unitarian Universalist values.
The world of 2023 is very different from the world of 1987, and a new, bold and brave Unitarian Universalism is necessary. The Saratoga Springs of 2023 is, I daresay, very different from the Saratoga Springs of 1987 or the Saratoga Springs of 1997 when UU Saratoga was first forming. The Saratoga Springs of 2023 is very different from the Saratoga Springs of 2018 when we last revised our mission statement. The Saratoga Springs of 2023 — the Saratoga Springs of 2033—needs a clear and committed, bold and brave Unitarian Universalist congregation.
May we be the clear and committed, bold and brave, joyful and playful UU congregation that our deepest self knows we are called to be.
Blessings,
Rev. Joe