The Unitarian Universalist values are as follows:

• Pluralism
• Interdependence
• Generosity
• Justice
• Equity
• Transformation
• with LOVE at the center

When I was a young man in college there were race riots around the country. Major American cities were on fire. The Vietnam war was lumbering along, and our own government was lying about the fact that we were mired in a war of attrition that we could not hope to win. And yet there were many people who honestly believed that calling for an end to the war was a betrayal of the United States. Some young men burned their draft cards. Some went to Canada. Some burned American flags. And many of those who were drafted got sent to Vietnam and died in its jungles.

One of my favorite songs of that era was “Get Together,” as performed by the Youngbloods. The following words seemed to perfectly sum up my feelings about the world at the time:

Come on people now,

smile on your brother

everybody get together,

try to love one another right now.

If only people could learn to love their fellow human beings, I thought. People who have skin of a different color are members of the human race, so we all have an obligation to love them. If we could just learn to love the Vietnamese people perhaps we could find a settlement to a war that isn’t really benefiting the United States. Love is the answer to all of the hate and anger in the world. Love should be at the center of everything we do.

The same message is repeated throughout the New Testament:

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.”

Matthew 7:1-2, NRSVue

Do not judge other people– love them instead.

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

Matthew 18:21-22, NRSVue

Show love to those who sin against you, and forgive their sins 77 times each.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:43-48, NRSVue

You must love everyone— even those who persecute you. You must be as perfect– and as perfectly forgiving– as God.

The book of John relates a story of a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. A group of Jewish scribes and pharisees approached Jesus and told him that they intended to stone her to death, as required by Jewish law. Jesus responded by saying that the man who is without sin should cast the first stone.

Each of the men considered what Jesus had said, and each, one by one, realized that he was not without sin. One by one, they tossed aside their stones and left. And then…

Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

John 8:10-11

This story perfectly illustrates Jesus’s approach to morality. If you love those who sin, your love can overcome their desires and cause them to live without sin. Love is the answer. Love can truly conquer all.

On the other hand, here is what the Catholic Catechism has to say about the sins of others:

The efforts of the state to curb the spread of behavior harmful to people’s rights and to the basic rules of civil society correspond to the requirement of safeguarding the common good. Legitimate public authority has the right and the duty to inflict punishment proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Punishment has the primary aim of redressing the disorder introduced by the offense.

Paragraph 2266, Catholic Catechism

That passage is in direct opposition to what Jesus taught. It doesn’t appear that the Vatican actually read the New Testament. Jesus taught forgiveness; the Vatican teaches punishment.

Was Jesus right that love and forgiveness can truly overcome sin? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could simply express our love of our fellow human beings every day and eliminate sin simply by loving our neighbors?

But the fact is that while love and forgiveness might dissuade others from sinning in some cases, they don’t always work. And that leaves us with a hard choice: Do we keep love at the center of our every human interaction? Or do we sometimes seek to judge and punish those who violate our laws?

Maybe we should consider why Jesus recommended love and forgiveness over judgment and punishment. The answer can be found in Matthew 24 (and in Mark 13):

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:1-4, NRSVue

Jesus answers the second part of the disciples’ question first. And then at the very end of the chapter he answers the first part:

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Matthew 24:32-34, NRSVue

Jesus said that the end of the age would arrive before his own generation had passed away. That is, it would arrive in just a few years. And at that time God would resurrect the dead and judge both the living and the dead. What then would be the point of judging and punishing people on the basis of human laws when God would judge everyone on the basis of divine law within just a few years?

Jesus was wrong about when the resurrection would happen. And he was also wrong about the need to judge and to punish those who violate the law. A society that neglects criminal behavior invites chaos. And that means that forgiveness and love are not sufficient to steer humanity toward harmony and peace. Love should not be at the center. What, then, should be?

I propose a new set of values, with democracy at the center.

Humans are social creatures. And any social organization of humans necessarily implies some form of governmental structure. The ultimate question for any government is “Who should rule?”

Humans have tried many different forms of government. But those that have proved most adaptable and most stable over the long run have been various forms of representative democracy. Leaders of autocracies, plutocracies, and theocracies tend to lose sight of the needs and voices of their citizens. And as they drift further from the people they arrogate more power to themselves, further amplifying their detachment. Only when the voices of the people are heard and are acted on can a society achieve long term stability and happiness for its citizens.

In fact the UU values identified above are actually just aspects of democracy.

Pluralism: This value is the very essence of democracy. To support and participate in democracy means to accept that other citizens are worthy of your time, concern, and consideration. It means you have to commit to collaborating with people whose views and practices may be different from your own. You must believe that society itself is a plurality of people with different needs, and that all people deserve your cooperation and your acceptance.

Interdependence: Democracy requires all citizens to work together to address the problems and needs of society. It is the true governmental realization of interdependence. No one individual can solve or address every problem. We must all work together. And democracy is the only form of government that is designed around that ideal.

Generosity: Democracy forces citizens to recognize and to address the needs of all members of society. Working with people whose needs are greater than yours helps you to understand that yours are not the only needs. Democracy itself fosters generosity.

Justice: Democracy is based on the principle that all people must have equal political rights and privileges. That ideal is stated in America’s Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Yes, the word is “men,” rather than “people.” Yes, some individuals have greater or lesser natural abilities. And yes, some have financial or social backgrounds that give them an inherent advantage. But all citizens must have the right to vote, to be treated fairly by the laws of the land, and to live as they choose in society so long as they abide by the laws of the land. That is the very foundation of justice.

Equity: The Declaration of Independence also says that three of the unalienable rights guaranteed to all citizens are the rights to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This ideal implies that all citizens should have the opportunity to pursue their own version of happiness, so long as they do not violate the laws of the land. Democracy requires that this opportunity be extended to people of all social strata, not just to selected groups of insiders or elites. Democracy is the only form of government that engenders equity.

Transformation: Democracy is based on the principle that leaders are elected, and that elected leaders are replaced at regular intervals. A society whose leadership is being constantly renewed cannot remain stagnant and unchanging. It must necessarily be transformational. It must evolve with the times.

Love: Democracy is the governmental expression of the love of humanity as a whole. We are all of one race– the human race. We should all be of one purpose– namely the enrichment of human life. Oppressive governments, such as dictatorships, plutocracies, or theocracies are based on the love of self, or of a very small group of insiders. Democracy is the only form of government that is truly based on the love of all of humanity.

I therefore propose a new set of UU values, with democracy at the center. We can list the seven values above, removing love from the center and listing it as simply another attribute. But with democracy as the center the Unitarian Universalist community can support the one form of government that is fully in accord with its most deeply held values.

Copyright (c) 2026, David S. Moore

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