Unity of New York - A Spiritual Center for Creative Living is part of the world-wide spiritual movement called Unity. Unity is a New Thought spiritual philosophy that teaches that the power of God lies within each individual, regardless of religious affiliation (or no religious affiliation); and that it is the responsibility of each one of us to access that sacred power for the healing, prosperity, loving relationships and all other blessings available to us. Our ultimate goal is the realization of our oneness with God and each other.
Every Unity practitioner (or Truth Student) is free to believe what he or she chooses about God and our place in this beautiful and abundant universe. However, there are five concepts that Unity holds to be basic Truths; most Unity members and practitioners incorporate these tenets into their belief systems:
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God is Absolute Good. We don't believe God is a mean and vindictive man in the sky waiting to punish us for failing. God (Spirit, Principle, or First Cause) is found within our very being as Love, Peace, Joy, Wisdom, Light, Life, and Perfection Itself. These God qualities are available and accessible to all of us at any moment when we turn within to where our Creator resides. We believe that there is only one Power and one Presence in the universe and in our lives - God the Good.
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Since God is Good, then all of us, as God's creation, must also be good. We do not believe in the concept of Original Sin; we believe that we have been created in Original Blessing. You are God's wonderful, perfect offspring at this very moment, even if we have forgotten that Truth. God created you perfect just as you are, and cannot create anything less than God. Jesus, our great Teacher and Elder Brother reminded us: "You are gods" (John 10:34). However, to access the fullness of this good, we have to awaken to it and become a co-creator with God.
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We access God's wholeness, prosperity, peace of mind, and joy beyond any imagined, by transforming our thoughts, words and actions from negative, limiting, and defeatist, to positive, joyful and optimist ones. We are responsible for the kind of lives we lead, regardless of what life has been up to this point. When we change our thoughts/beliefs, we change our lives.
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Through affirmative prayer and meditation, we make intimate contact with God within us. When we take time during the day to turn everything over to Spirit within, we receive exactly the right information needed to make our lives work. We must take time daily to go apart in silence for the renewal of our minds, souls and bodies.
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Knowing these Truths intellectually isn't enough; we must implement them daily - for the realization of our oneness with God, and to be a blessing and of service to others. Scripture tells us, "Faith without works is dead." With joyful enthusiasm we make life a great adventure, and we (and others) are blessed beyond measure by the creative use of our Truth principles.
Although we consider Jesus the Christ to be our Great Teacher and Elder Brother, and the Christ-based teachings to be our primary learning path, we bless and honor other spiritual teachings and philosophies as well. Unity welcomes all interested individuals to join us for our services, classes, retreats and other activities without coercion, proselytizing, or pressure to conform to our teachings. We request an openness of mind and heart in considering a new way of looking at this wonderful life we have been given by God. Unity of New York celebrates the divinity of every creation of God, regardless of belief system, ethnic background, age, gender, or sexual orientation.
Unity of New York is a member of the Unity Worldwide Ministries/Association of Unity Churches. You may link to their site directly by going to www.unity.org.
Unity of New York is affiliated with Unity Institute and the Silent Unity Prayer Ministry at Unity Village, Missouri, headquarters of the world-wide Unity movement. You may visit this website by going to www.unityonline.org.
Blessings,
Paul James Tenaglia
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