# What do Unitarians believe? > The Unitarian Universalist Association’s bylaws center Love and six values, and they forbid a required creed. That covenant does not confess the Trinity or that Jesus is God. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/unitarian-universalism/what-do-unitarians-believe - Religions: Unitarian Universalism - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: unitarian, trinity, jesus - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Unitarian Universalists, in their current bylaws, covenant around Love and six values, and they do not require a creed. The Association began in liberal Christian traditions. It does not confess that Jesus is God. Christians do. The one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ## Key points - The Unitarian Universalist Association’s “What We Believe” page: “Although Unitarianism and Universalism both have origins as liberal Christian traditions, today we embrace diverse teachings from many different global religions and philosophies.” [(2)](#ref-2) - The same page: “We have no shared creed.” The shared covenant is the values “interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, and equity – all centered around love.” [(2)](#ref-2) - Bylaws Section C-2.2: “Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.” The six values follow. [(1)](#ref-1) - Section C-2.5: “Congregations may establish statements of purpose, covenants, and bonds of union so long as they do not require that members adhere to a particular creed.” [(1)](#ref-1) - The beliefs page lists members as “Atheist/Agnostic, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, and many other beliefs.” [(2)](#ref-2) - [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4): “The LORD our God is one LORD.” [Matthew 28:19](/bible/matthew/28/19) names the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1): “the Word was God.” [(4)](#ref-4) [(5)](#ref-5) [(6)](#ref-6) - The name Unitarian comes from a Christian argument that denied the Son is a second divine person beside the Father. The bylaws quoted here do not require that denial, and they do not require the Nicene confession either. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity). ## What the bylaws require Section C-1.1 of the bylaws: [(1)](#ref-1) > The name of this Association shall be Unitarian Universalist Association. It is the successor to the American Unitarian Association, which was founded in 1825 and incorporated in 1847, and the Universalist Church of America, which was founded in 1793 and incorporated in 1866. Section C-2.2, Values and Covenant: [(1)](#ref-1) > As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our Association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love. > Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are: Interdependence: “We honor the interdependent web of all existence. With reverence for the great web of life and with humility, we acknowledge our place in it. We covenant to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation.” Pluralism: “We celebrate that we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology. We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” Justice: “We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression.” Transformation: “We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.” Generosity: “We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources.” Equity: “We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love and compassion. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.” Section C-2.3 says, “Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration,” and that the Association draws on “sacred, secular, and scientific understandings.” Section C-2.5, Freedom of Belief: [(1)](#ref-1) > Congregational freedom and the individual’s right of conscience are central to our Unitarian Universalist heritage. > Congregations may establish statements of purpose, covenants, and bonds of union so long as they do not require that members adhere to a particular creed. Another Association page, “Beliefs,” still says: “We are united in our broad and inclusive outlook, and in our values, as expressed in our seven Principles.” [(3)](#ref-3) Article II of these bylaws does not use that heading. It states Love and the six values above. This page quotes the bylaws as the covenant in force in that PDF. The beliefs page: [(2)](#ref-2) > Although Unitarianism and Universalism both have origins as liberal Christian traditions, today we embrace diverse teachings from many different global religions and philosophies. > We have no shared creed. Our shared covenant is expressed through the inseparable and deeply interdependent shared values of interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, and equity – all centered around love. > We are Unitarian Universalist and: Atheist/Agnostic, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, and many other beliefs. A member may be Christian. A member may be an atheist. The covenant does not require either. ## Jesus and the Trinity The bylaws do not say “Jesus is not God.” They say a congregation may not require a particular creed. The Nicene creed is a particular creed. So is a creed that denies the Son. Section C-2.5 bars both as a condition of membership. The name is older than that silence. Unitarian, in Christian history, is the claim that God is one person and that the Son is not God. This page does not quote Faustus Socinus, Joseph Priestley, or the Racovian Catechism, because those texts are not the Association’s current bylaws. The bylaws are what the Association now binds itself to: no required creed, and a center that is Love and the six values, not the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4), King James Version: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” [(4)](#ref-4) [Matthew 28:19](/bible/matthew/28/19): “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” [(5)](#ref-5) [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28): “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.” [(6)](#ref-6) That is one God, not three gods, and not one person wearing three names. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is the confession. [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) is the Son. [The deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) is how other communities hear it. A covenant that will not require this confession is not this confession, even when some of its members are Christians. [What is Christian Science?](/christian-science/what-is-christian-science) is a different body that uses Christian names and says it does not equate Jesus with God. The Unitarian Universalist bylaws do not make that equation either. They decline to require any equation at all. ## Frequently asked questions ### What do Unitarian Universalists believe? They covenant to the values in Article II: interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, and equity, centered on love. Section C-2.5 says they do not require members to adhere to a particular creed. [(1)](#ref-1) [(2)](#ref-2) ### Do Unitarians believe in Jesus as God? The bylaws do not require that belief, and they do not require its denial. The beliefs page includes both “Christian” and “Atheist/Agnostic” among members. [(1)](#ref-1) [(2)](#ref-2) The Christian confession that Jesus is God is [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) and [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28). ### Does Unitarian Universalism believe in God? Section C-2.5 forbids a required creed. The beliefs page lists atheist and agnostic beside Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and others. The Association does not require belief in God. [(1)](#ref-1) [(2)](#ref-2) ### What happened to the seven Principles? The Association’s “Beliefs” page says the values are “expressed in our seven Principles.” [(3)](#ref-3) Article II of the bylaws PDF states Love at the center and the six values quoted above, and it does not use the heading “seven Principles.” [(1)](#ref-1) ### Are Unitarian Universalists a Christian denomination? The Association says Unitarianism and Universalism “have origins as liberal Christian traditions,” and that today it embraces “diverse teachings from many different global religions and philosophies.” [(2)](#ref-2) A Christian denomination on this site confesses the Trinity. This covenant does not require that confession. [Christianity](/christianity) is the Nicene shelf. This page stays with communities that do not have a shelf of their own. ## Keep reading - [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) - [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) - [The deity of Christ](/christianity/deity-of-christ) - [What is Christian Science?](/christian-science/what-is-christian-science) - [What is the difference between Judaism and Christianity?](/judaism/what-is-the-difference-between-judaism-and-christianity) - [Can God have a Son?](/islam/can-god-have-a-son) ## Passages quoted on this page ### Deuteronomy 6:4 King James Version. > Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ### Matthew 28:19 King James Version. > Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Unitarian Universalist Association Bylaws, Article II](https://www.uua.org/files/2025-07/uua_bylaws_12082025.pdf) (Article II, Values and Covenant, and Section C-2.5, Freedom of Belief. Bylaws file dated in the July 2025 path.) 2. [What We Believe, Unitarian Universalist Association](https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe) (No shared creed. Origins as liberal Christian traditions. The list of beliefs members hold.) 3. [Beliefs, What unites us](https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/beliefs) (The page still says the Association’s values are expressed in “our seven Principles.”) 4. [Deuteronomy, 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/6/4). King James Version 5. [Gospel of Matthew, 28:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/28/19). King James Version 6. [Gospel of John, 1:1; 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version ## See also - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Pray?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray) — Jesus prayed, said the Father is greater, and said he did not know the hour. The same Gospel says the Word was God and was made flesh. - [Is Jesus God? Where Jesus Claimed to Be God](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-jesus-god) — Yes. Jesus is truly God and truly human. He forgave sins, applied God’s name and honor to himself, and received the words “My LORD and my God,” which is why the church confesses him as God the Son. - [The Deity of Christ: Is Jesus God?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/deity-of-christ) — Yes. Christians confess that Jesus is truly God and truly human. The passages are in Is Jesus God?; this page maps how Muslims, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, and atheists hear that confession. - [What is Christian Science? Is it Christian?](https://apologetics.wiki/christian-science/what-is-christian-science) — Christian Science, founded in 1866 by Mary Baker Eddy, calls itself a Bible-based Christian religion. Its tenets and its own statement that it does not equate Jesus with God are not the Nicene confession. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/what-do-unitarians-believe.md)