RELIGIOUS EXPLORATION: A RAINBOW VISION
(adapted from several sources by Rev. Linda Weaver Horton)
1) RED: RESPECT ALL BEINGS. Social Responsibility and faith in action.
As Unitarian*Universalists, we are committed to treating all people (and other beings) as inherently valuable and worthy of care. Activities nurture compassion, addressing challenges and inequities in human relations, as well as our responsibility to care for our world. Concerns embrace congregation, community, country and the larger world.
Red is the heart colour.
2) ORANGE: OFFER FAIRNESS AND KINDNESS TO ALL. Relationship skills.
Communities such as ours, where all ages worship, work and play together, where people practice power with, not over, each other, can teach healthy and life-affirming relationship skills.
Orange is for the warmth of human caring.
3) YELLOW: YEARN TO LEARN BY CONNECTING AND CARING. Community.
Through community-building and socializing, people to get to know one another. We share values, establish trust, generate intimacy, and practice acceptance of one another and authenticity. It is also a time for celebrating, and for fun. A sense of community through time also grounds us.
Yellow is the colour of memory and hope and sunshine.
4) GREEN: GROW THROUGH EXPLORING NEW IDEAS TOGETHER. Learning.
With creative curricula as a resource, we create a safe place to expand our horizons and to learn more about ourselves and the world. We encourage deeper understanding of world faiths and spiritual practices, of ethical issues and resources for living, and the ability to ask questions, deepen awareness, think creatively and find meaning for oneself.
Green is for growing things and people.
5) BLUE: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF YET LISTEN TO OTHERS. Leadership.
Developing the leadership skills of children, youth and adults is critical to the future of our faith community and the larger world. Our congregations teach and model participatory forms of decision-making and empowering leadership. Freedom of conscience is supported for people of all ages, as is the courage to practice it.
Blue is a colour of tranquility, and of the nurturing sea and embracing sky.
6) INDIGO: INSIST ON A PEACEFUL WORLD. Embracing diversity.
A key component of religious growth in Unitarian*Universalist congregations is appreciative education about diversity, including culture and theology, spiritual practice, identity and sexual orientation, diverse abilities and psychological bent. We celebrate and garner wisdom from that rich diversity. We promote peace-making skills, as well as a sense of personal responsibility and empowerment to make a healing difference.
Indigo is a rich and rare colour, saturated with life and depth.
7) VIOLET: VALUE THE WEB OF ALL LIFE. Spiritual practice & worship.
This principle has two dimensions. One is the ecological, which is also part of social responsibility. The other is mindfulness, and the practices that remind us we are connected to all that is, that help us to “give shape to what is of worth” (worship), and to draw strength from the depth dimension of life. In valuing, we celebrate and center and reflect upon how we can live lives true to the deepest potential of who we are.
Violet unites warm and cool into harmony.