There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote (see below). First Universalist member Meg Riley, director of the UUA Office of Advocacy and Witness, developed the Rainbow Path as a mnemonic device for the Unitarian Universalist religious education curriculum to help youth remember and apply these values in their spiritual development.
Red Respect All Beings
Orange Offer Fair and Kind Treatment to All
Yellow Yearn to Learn
Green Grow in Spirit and Mind
Blue Believe in Our Ideas and Act On Them e
Indigo Insist on Peace, Freedom, and Justice
Violet Value the Connections in Creation
The adult version of the seven principles and six sources is below:
- Red The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Orange Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Yellow Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- Green A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- Blue The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- Indigo The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- Violet Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
Unitarian Universalism (UU) draws from many sources:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
These principles and sources of faith are the backbone of our religious community.
