The central spiritual value of Unitarian Universalism is Love. UUs believe Love holds us together and should be the common ground for conducting our lives.
This perspective emerges from two great heresies that distinguished Universalists and Unitarians from (and often caused them to be ostracized by) most 19th century New England congregations.
The Universalists’ heresy was to view God as Love. They believed that love is embedded in the fabric of the universe, that it is strong, nurturing, and inclusive. Love doesn’t reject anyone, ever. Therefore, Universalists discarded ideas of an afterlife that separated humankind into the “saved” and the “damned,” as well as the notion that Jesus was ordained to suffer and die to atone for humanity’s sins. They viewed salvation as a given, so the locus for their religiosity became this world, rather than the next. They held that the core of our living should be coming into greater alignment with Love, here and now.
Following a similar thread, 19th century Unitarians understood religious life as encouraging the human soul to grow towards being like God, towards Loving. They understood acting from Love to be a capacity inherent in every human being. Rather than encouraging congregants to seclude themselves for worship and prayer, they urged them to “unfold their divine likeness” through their daily activities of living.
Through the years, Unitarian Universalists have evolved and elaborated upon these beliefs; with many redefining their notions of God or the divine in religious life. But they hold fast to Love. They continue to affirm the power of Love to heal what is broken, to hold us together across diverse religious practices and beliefs, to support us when things fall apart, to grow our capacities, and to guide us as we return again and again in our families and communities to side with Love.