History and Philosophy
Unity was founded in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, a couple who lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Both of them had physical challenges. Myrtle had a tubercular condition and had been given only a short time to live, and Charles was in constant pain with a withered leg caused by a childhood accident and inadequate medical treatment. After a great deal of prayer, spiritual research, and study of the religions of the world, they formulated a philosophy based upon spiritual principles as taught by Jesus Christ. They practiced these principles and found that they worked; their lives were changed both physically and spiritually. Others inquired about these principles, applied them to their lives, and they, too, were helped. From a small prayer group meeting in the Fillmore’s home during the late 1880s, a movement began that has encircled the globe.
The Fillmore’s believed Jesus taught the presence of God in every person and that God’s will for mankind is good. They believed that, as children of God, we are heirs to all that God is and that through prayer and meditation each of us can find God in our own way, at our own pace.
Through the practical application of the spiritual principles as taught by Jesus Christ and as interpreted in the light of modern-day experience, Unity has helped people around the world to live happier, healthier, and more productive lives. Unity is a way of life with no strict dogma or creed.
Unity is non-denominational and welcomes all people. It emphasizes the divine potential within every child of God and seeks to help each person realize and express his or her divine potential for a more fulfilling and successful life.
Unity teaches that your life can be totally transformed as you apply the principles of Truth as taught by Jesus Christ and affirmed by Paul’s words, “Be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Unity teaches you how to renew your mind and how to get in touch with the indwelling Christ. Unity teaches you how to interpret the teachings of Jesus Christ in the light of modern-day experience and how to apply the principles in a practical way.
Unity helps you come to understand your own uniqueness and your oneness with all of life, so you may realize and express your divine potential for a happier, fuller and more successful life.