The seven principles in UU'ism - ranked

Did a little internet research today I thought I'd share. I searched for the full text string of each of the seven UU principles and recorded the number of hits. I think it is an interesting rough estimate of what priority each principle has at this point in history (although a better study would break down the evaluation by posting date, so that the time element contributes to the analysis instead of weakening it). At any rate, here's what I found:

[# of Hits - UU Principle]
34.2k -The inherent worth and dignity of every person
22k - A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
21.9k - Justice, equity and compassion in human relations
18k - Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part
17k - The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all
11.6k - Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations
10.7k - The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

I think the conclusion here is that similar to the Robert Bellah article which I refered to a few posts back, the UU Church is pretty firmly seated in mainstream America's obsession with individualism and is still working to come to terms with the importance of a more socially centered orientation.

E

Comments

Ann Edwards said…
There is a striking difference in number of hits between principle one and two. However, the other principles are separated in a simple stairstep fashion. It may simply be evidence that many people search the first few principles and give up at a certain point, leaving a brave few to search on through all seven principles.
June 20, 2009 at 3:05 PM
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