Guest Blog by Kathy Stevenson
Ours is a dynamic religion, designed to encourage us to educate ourselves, explore new truths, raise our consciousness and respond to changes in our culture. When the women’s movement led us in changing the male-centric language in our initial 6 Principles, all of our Principles were updated. At the same time it was clear that a 7th Principle was needed in response to our growing awareness of the precious value of the Earth and acknowledging ‘the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part.’ The intention of revisiting the Principles was written into the by-laws in 1985, with direction to revisit them every 15 years.
The 7 Principles have not been altered since 1985. There have been a few attempts, but nothing has stuck. They have served us well as guideposts to understanding and living our religion. To read about the history of the 7 Principles, click here.
Since 2013 there has been growing interest in adopting an 8th Principle. It is a very different Principle; it is longer, more specific and holds us accountable. It addresses something that is embedded in the current 7 Principles, but not specific enough for many of us. It addresses our desire to rid our society of racism and other oppressions. It comes at a time when UUs are realizing, like a lot of Americans, that our culture has not lived up to our intention of understanding and overcoming racism in our society. It speaks to our journey towards spiritual wholeness for everyone.
In the next several months we will be offering opportunities for everyone to explore the proposed 8th Principle. We ask that you step into the conversation with an open mind and heart. If you find yourself bothered by the wording or the complexity, Be Curious. Notice your reactions, and bring them to one of our Learning Circles. Together we will share our excitement and our fears, our doubts, and our certainties. We will see if we can be the living religion that is open to new information, new thought, new awareness.
In the words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr: “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”
The 8th Principle: We covenant to affirm and promote:
• Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by building a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
8th Principle Task Force: Amy Hepburn, Cecilia Flickinger, Cindy Brittain, Diane Haas, Frances Loubere, Henry Amick, Jesse Wild, Jo Blair, Julia Cochrane, John Collins, Kathleen Holt, Katie Franco, Kathy Stevenson, Patrick Johnson, Peg Hunter, Susan Brittain
Excellent blog, Kathy, and wonderful idea! I am all for it. And while I know it may be wordy, I understand that this wording comes from many groups beyond just ours, and years of working on it so I feel we can go along with it as is. Thank you for all of this work and time.
Hi Kathy,
When I first saw the proposed 8th principle at GA in 2019, it struck me as redundant given not only our first principle, but also the second and third. Given everything that has happened since then, while still redundant, I now think it is a completely appropriate and necessary addition to our principles. That being said, I agree that it is overly wordy and potentially confusing. Here is what I would do:
‘- Building a diverse and multicultural community by accountably dismantling racism and other oppressions in ourselves, our congregations and in society at large.’
‘Journeying toward spiritual wholeness’ is implicit in everything we do and to me does not need to be said.
The term ‘Beloved Community’ begs the question of what that is, and thus requires one to know what Dr. King meant. This concept is largely if not wholly reflected in our other principles in any case.
Yes, I agree that the 8th principle, as written here is a necessary and important addition. Thank you, Kathy and everyone on the task force!
Thank you Kathy! I appreciate the links – good info. I support adoption of the 8th principle. It completes the other 7 by making the implicit call to action, explicit without being redundant. Thank you also to the task force members. Your work is appreciated.
thank you, Kathy! i love this 8th principle! no objections at all. i wonder, though, if some are uncomfortable with the word “spiritual,” if it isn’t already contained in the word “wholeness.”
Thank you Kathy for your well written Blog, and your link to the history of our 7 Principles! Many horrific events, especially this past year amplify the need for this new 8th Principle…
I hope to help build “a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community” and “dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” I look forward to being a part of THIS history!
Kathy – YES! I am so grateful for the Anti-racist Action Group (and others) who are participating in this extensive work of examining the ways systemic racism exists in ourselves, our community and our world. I am learning, on my own and with this committee, how we can transform our lives and our institutions to work towards the “Beloved Community” envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Beloved Community is a community of authentic inclusion, equity and equality. It is what the Seven Principles of UU faith compel us to work towards. Adopting this principle is one of the ways QUUF can work towards a Beloved Community.
Thank you Kathy! I believe that if Unitarians want to help lead the way toward a better world and healthier communities, the 8th Principle is the first step in the right direction. I look forward to the journey.
Well written Kathy, thank you. Our country has a long history of oppression by white supremaCISTS and the siege on our Capitol is its most recent expression. We get to choose whether we continue supreMACY, that is the culture, that allows this violence, oppression and lies to continue OR we stand for our UU principles and oppose hatred, violence and oppresion.
Well done, Kathy! Your blog is both informative and spirited. I especially appreciated the background of the Principles. It is high time to add the 8th principle!