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At this June\u2019s annual assembly of the Unitarian Universalists in Rochester, NY, the voting delegates decisively embedded love into the bedrock of the faith, as 80 percent chose to adopt changes<\/a> to its covenant clause, otherwise known as Article II of the faith\u2019s bylaws.<\/p>\n The change in the bylaws, which are essentially a mission statement, is the first since 1987. This year\u2019s vote was made possible by a vote at last year\u2019s assembly, allowing the revision to go forward to a final vote this year.<\/p>\n Central to Article II are the Seven Principles<\/a>, which guide those who wish to join the religious community. These principles have included \u201cThe inherent worth and dignity of every person; justice, equity and compassion in human relations; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; and the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the Seven Principles developed four decades ago, co-chair of the Article II Study Commission Rob Spirko said last year<\/a>, \u201cnot everybody immediately printed it out and slapped it on their wall and said, \u2018Yay, Big Seven!\u2019\u201d He added that while the Seven Principles of the current Article II \u201cwill still be there, people can still see them, maybe this new vision can help bring new people in\u201d to the faith.<\/p>\n The new vision is immediately distinct from the former vision in two ways. First, it contains verbs (\u201cWe honor,\u201d \u201cWe celebrate,\u201d \u201cWe covenant,\u201d \u201cWe work,\u201d \u201cWe adapt,\u201d etc.), whereas the former Article II has none. Second, it is steeped in love: \u201cLove 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The new Article II<\/a> even posts a graphic described as \u201ca chalice with an overlay of the word \u201clove\u201d over the flame, with six outstretched arms that create a circle around each of the core values [interdependence, equity, transformation, pluralism, generosity and justice] and form a six-petal flower shape.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time, then the seven core values of the faith are not co-equal but are six that are held together by a seventh: love.<\/p>\n In a dramatic demonstration of the centrality of love, Rev. JeKaren Olaoya used the 90 seconds allotted to her to give a special message to transgender, nonbinary and gender diverse people: \u201cI love you, I love you, I love you. . .\u201d<\/p>\n According to the faith\u2019s bylaws, Article II must be reviewed at least every 15 years. The process for the current revisit began in 2020. \u201cWhat I\u2019m excited about is the tens of thousands of Unitarian Universalists dedicating four years\u2019 worth of time to expressing the values of this faith,\u201d the Rev. Sof\u00eda Betancourt, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, said<\/a>. \u201cWe understand ourselves as a living tradition in the line of the free church tradition, and having our congregations represented by their leaders and members and in articulating what we hold most dear, to me is really, really powerful.\u201d By its very nature, the Unitarian Universalist Church is an evolving faith. As co-chair of the Article II Study Commission, Cheryl M. Walker reflected, \u201cWe are not writing a creed, we are not etching in stone, we are writing in pencil, and we hope that in twenty to thirty years, as the world has changed again and there are things we need to say that we did not say this time, that somebody changes it again\u2014so that we are a Living Tradition, not one that is stagnant. If we are not changing, we are not living.\u201d<\/p>\n Photo credits: We are Unitarian Universalists<\/a> by UU World<\/a>. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n