A recent short essay entitled "Spiritual Social Action Leads to Unity in the Community" by Jane Simmons has been posted on Unity.org which originally appeared in the Jan. 2009 issue of Contact magazine.
In this brief article Simmons articulates what I've been hoping to see come about in Unity as an over-all movement. I know social action has always been a part of Unity circles and groups, but it has rarely been emphasized as an integral part of Unity metaphysical thought or made a distinct and explicit ministry in the Association of Unity Churches. That is, until recently when the "spiritual social action" group in Unity began formulating a language and spiritual rationale that places importance on social engagement and justice advocacy and this activity's significance for spiritual growth.
Simmons sums up well the communal dimension I've always felt is an integral element of one's spiritual journey. Sometimes Unity people and Unity metaphysical thought are so individualistic that this societal-intersubjective facet is downplayed or not even spoken of or engaged in at all.
No human is an island unto his/her self. Based on the belief and conviction of the interconnectivity of all life grounded in a God often referred to as Oneness or Source or Absolute, it seems that social justice, human rights, and general community action to better others' well being as well as our own would be a foundational ethical principle in Unity. If God in Christ is present equally and fully in each of us and our thought, word, and deed actions substantially affect ourselves and all else around us (based on the principle of Oneness), then our service for others not only physcially and spiritually helps others, it also uplifts ourselves.
The notion of spiritual social action should be integrated into Unity metaphysics. In fact, I'd like to develop a Unity systematic theology wherein the principle of spiritual social action becomes a central theological piece. Social engagement, as an ethic, can be formulated as the organic outgrowth of a mature and effective inner contemplative life -- and the inner contemplative life can be furthered, deepened and expanded through the participation in the service of social action toward the betterment of lives, relationships, and society as a whole.
I like the five points of spiritual social action based on Unity principles that are forwarded by Simmons:
- Empowerment of individuals rather than inviting dependency (which I take to mean a complete dependency on others that dissolves one's sense of worth, uniqueness, and distinction as and individual spiritual being; this is not a negation of the principle of inter-dependence, which refers to the reality of every individual being affected by and in intimate relationship with other individuals)
- Creation of sustainable living, allowing the receiver to give back (that is, when the receiver becomes too reliant on the giver a lack of integrity and equality arises; true social action gives with the intention and implementation of empowering the receiver with resources to become the giver of social service as well)
- Honoring the wholeness of Spirit within all beings, regardless of the outer appearance (no matter what the outer conditions may be, "spiritual" social action recognizes the inner dimension of spiritual integrity and God-presence within all individuals)
- Coming from a consciousness of love and compassion (the intention and attitude with which spiritual social action is done is characterized by love and compassion for humanity, usually grounded in an inner practice of some kind, i.e. prayer, meditation, contemplation)
- Moves us from the role of "benevolent giver, handing down to a needy receiver" to instead, the conscious realization of the privilege to be of service to the divine (in other words, the hierarchy and inequality of relationship inherent in other forms of social service is abrogated in favor of a more humble role of giving to a spiritual equal -- giving from God, through God, to God since God is fully present in every piece of the process).
Read the essay at Unity.org.
Hi there, Jess! I like this piece. I too am a Unity person who has been considering lately the question of spiritual social action within the denomination. I have been in Unity since 2005 and I have wished we'd embrace social action more as a denomination, but through the prism of our denominational priciples. I really like this vision they have put forth. On Unity.org most of the discuss and ideas are led by people in established leadership roles. So, I'm reaching out to other lay people who are interested in the conversation and perhaps we can all brainstorm together one day. There are two causes that I always thought fit beautifully with Unity priciples. 1.) Microlending orgs like Kiva make low interest business loans to low income entrepreneurs in the developing world. When loans are repaid that money cycles back into the system into a new loan, and so on and so on. I think this fits with the New Thought mindset of getting at the root causes of things rather than operating at the consciousness level of the problem. Plus, it does not rely on a system of dependency. 2.) Certified Fair Trade ensures hard working laborers in the developing world get a living wage. Many of these laborers operate in worker run co-ops that give back to communities by funding local water projects, schools, etc. Anyhow, I don't know if you check this blog anymore but I wanted to write just in case. I can be found at htt://moonbeamsecodreams.blogspot.com
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