Liberal religious · branch

Unitarian Universalism

A covenant rather than a creed: members hold theist, humanist, pagan and Buddhist positions inside one congregation, bound by shared principles rather than shared beliefs. Has the widest dispersions in the entire matrix, and that is the tradition working as designed.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

B3 Institutional authorityindividual conscience decidesFurther toward "individual conscience decides" than most traditions in the matrix.
A1 Divine realitybetween nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsFurther toward "nothing beyond the natural" than most traditions in the matrix.
E1 Exclusivitymany valid pathsFurther toward "many valid paths" than most traditions in the matrix.
B2 Reading of sacred textmetaphorical, or no text at allFurther toward "metaphorical, or no text at all" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	between nothing beyond the natural and a divine reality certainly existsUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.38	0.28
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	leaning impersonal principle or orderUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.30	0.25
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	leaning strictly oneUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.30	0.22
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	leaning fully present within itUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.78	0.15

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	reason and direct experienceUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.92	0.06
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	metaphorical, or no text at allUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.95	0.04
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	individual conscience decidesUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.95	0.04

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	leaning ends at deathUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.35	0.28
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	leaning one life, then judgmentUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.30	0.22
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	ignorant but fundamentally soundUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.90	0.07

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	leaning achieved by effort or insightUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.82	0.12
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	between essential and prescribed and optional or absentUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.62	0.18
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	leaning to be celebratedUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.78	0.12

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	many valid pathsUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.98	0.02
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	leaning beginningless or naturalUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.72	0.20
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	an individual choiceUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.88	0.08
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	leaning animate and itself sacredUUA Seven Principles and Six Sources	0.78	0.12

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.