Unity in Diversity

One of the most oft-quoted Unitarian aphorisms is "We need not think alike to love alike" by our Transylvanian founding father Francis David. Our fierce defence of freedom of belief, within the denomination, and in the wider world, boils down to our belief in this one phrase "We need not think alike to love alike."

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It is a concept sometimes explained by the phrase "unity in diversity", a seeming paradox which many outside the denomination, and indeed many inside it, struggle to comprehend. How can we claim to be one religious / spiritual movement, if we all believe different things?

Alfred Hall maintains in Beliefs of a Unitarian that Unitarianism is an attitude of mind. And this attitude is the key to understanding why, despite our wide-ranging and sometimes mutually-exclusive religious and spiritual beliefs, we manage to hang together as a movement.

For us, being Unitarian means having the freedom to believe what we will (so long as it is consonant with our reason and conscience, and doesn't harm anyone else) whilst simultaneously being a member of a religious / spiritual community, whose members share the attitude that we are all on a spiritual journey together. We come together in community, providing a safe and sacred space in which all can explore what gives our lives depth and meaning. For some this may involve a belief in a divine presence, which they may call God; for some it may be more of an internal process; or a faith in humankind; or a reverence for the natural world.

But the important thing is that we are united in our diversity; united in the mutual provision of this safe and sacred space, in which we may explore our diverse beliefs and faiths, knowing that our doubts and questions and beliefs will be held and respected, and that we will be welcomed just the way we are.

And it is precious.