Recently it came up among our Unity Community Church members that when you Google “Unity Churches in the San Fernando Valley” an article comes up about UCC from 2005.
The only problem with that is that it has some old information in it--like our location and our interim minister at the time--and it doesn’t include the fabulous photo, which can be seen by clicking here, along with the full article as it appeared in the paper. But most of it holds true. Such as this part:
Steve Keener had given up hope of finding a church like Unity where there is an absence of dogma and religious buzz words.
"I like the inclusiveness of it,'' said Keener. "It was a big relief to be able to continue to study the Bhagavada Gita, for example, and yet it was familiar because it is Christianity-based. There are a lot of practical applications in Unity. It doesn't do me any good to have a Sunday message unless I can apply it during the week.''
Interestingly enough, the latest issue of Newsweek’s International Edition has an article entitled "We Are All Hindus Now". I can’t post it here, since the issue is still on the newsstands, but About.com’s Hinduism blog has the gist of it.
According to recent poll data, Americans are conceptually "slowly becoming more like Hindus and less like traditional Christians in the ways we think about God, our selves, each other, and eternity," says Miller.
The article also quotes the Rig Veda, the ancient Hindu scripture, which says: "Truth is One, but the sages speak of it by many names," a doctrine that many Americans have started to believe in the ways they think about religion and spirituality. It points out that 30 percent of Americans call themselves "spiritual, not religious," according to a 2009 Newsweek Poll.
Newsweek then cites Stephen Prothero, a professor of religion at Boston University "who has long framed the American propensity for "the divine-deli-cafeteria religion" as "very much in the spirit of Hinduism...""
Miller further states: "So here is another way in which Americans are becoming more Hindu: 24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris poll. So agnostic are we about the ultimate fates of our bodies that we're burning them—like Hindus—after death. More than a third of Americans now choose cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America. "
But Hindus aren’t the only ones who may find themselves feeling at home at Unity Community Church. The Daily News article also says:
Malayna Weeratunga, whose father was a Muslim from Sri Lanka, grew up attending West Valley Unity Church. She said she is excited to be a part of the new, diverse group looking to tune into spiritual truths.
"Being a part of Unity to me is, 'OK, I am one with everybody.' Unity - the name says it all - we're all one,'' said Weeratunga. "Unity is open- minded. It accepts all faiths and religions. People don't have to give up their religion. They can add Unity to their life.''
But, as it also says in that Daily News article, we are still based in Christianity:
A typical service at Unity Community Church includes a meditation prayer, singing, the message and contemporary music presented by Jackie Riggs, Keener's wife.
"The positive outlook on life is what I like about Unity,'' said Stacy Macris, who has been a Unity church member all her life. "Unity is a Christian-based religion, but it looks at how we're all connected and how to find the good in others.
"It's about taking responsibility as a human being. You're in charge of your life, and it can be a good life.''
The Unity movement was originally founded as a prayer ministry by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, in 1889 in Kansas City, MO. Unity is also well-known for its monthly publication of inspirational messages, "The Daily Word.''
So now that you're up to date, come and check us out at our new location – at 6901 Canby Avenue, Suite 107 in Reseda, California – still in the West San Fernando Valley. Click here for a map and directions, and our contact information, or just go to www.unity-community.org.
