The journey to respect began with religious tolerance, a virtue seldom practiced during the Reformation except by Unitarians and other religious traditions that were a part of the Radical Reformation, as opposed to the mainstream Magisterial Reformation. Unfortunately, we are currently seeing growing intolerance in political movements throughout the west.

In our tradition, we moved from tolerance to acceptance with the adoption of our current principles in 1985. Since then there has been a further evolution that acknowledges the importance of respect.

Respect does not mean agreement; rather it affirms our first principle, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. And respect does not eliminate the need for tolerance (and intolerance where appropriate) or acceptance. These are all tools in creating and extending the beloved community. They are also es-sential in the struggle for justice.