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Boston, Mass. (April 16, 2026) – In a letter released today directed towards the President of the United States, the Speaker of the House of U.S. Representatives, and the U.S. Senate President, Unitarian Universalists (UU) are rejecting the theological reasons that some in the Pentagon and the administration have used to justify the current military conflict with Iran. The letter is signed by Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, along with several other prominent UU leaders and theologians.

The text of the letter can be found below.

“This conflict in Iran violates all the commitments that we as Unitarian Universalists hold sacred,” UU faith leaders said in the letter. “It sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the religious liberties that UUs have fought and died for throughout our history. And it infringes on a value that is part of our shared covenant – pluralism. As a matter of faith, UUs believe we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.”

The letter highlights the Statement of Conscience that UUs passed at their 2010 General Assembly (GA), called “Creating Peace,” which reflects Unitarian Universalist religious beliefs when it comes to military conflict and peacemaking. Additionally, it showcases the objections that UUs have raised to bombing and engaging in military action against Iran for almost two decades. Over the past year, as the current administration has undertaken military aggression, the UUA has repeated its condemnation against going to war with Iran.

“This administration has reportedly threatened global faith leaders who have objected both to their words and actions. Now is the time for all of us to use our voices to speak out against both this war and the theology that underpins it,” said Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt. “The roots of Unitarian Universalism in this country go all the way back to its founding. This conflict is being justified by fundamentalist religious ideologies that are antithetical to the values of millions of American believers, including those of Unitarian Universalists across this country, and not only do we have the right to speak out against it, we have the obligation.”

The President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500

The Honorable Mike Johnson
Speaker of the House of Representatives
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable John Thune
President of the U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

April 16, 2026

Dear Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, and Senator Thune,

When John Adams – defender of civil liberties, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Treaty of Paris, author of the oldest continuously serving constitution in the world, Founding Father, first Vice President of the United States, and second President of the United States – died 200 years ago, he did so as a Unitarian.

The religious roots of Unitarian Universalism in this country are deep and long, and they have shaped how the United States thinks about itself, its democracy, its religious pluralism, and its sacred commitment to the idea that all people are created equal. Unitarians and Universalists signed the Declaration of Independence, supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, were Presidents and legislators, and they were the philosophers, thinkers, and poets that shaped our national identity. Since General George Washington signed the commission of Universalist Reverend John Murray to become a chaplain in the Continental Army in 1775, Universalists, Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists (UUs) have provided religious leadership, ethical advice and spiritual care as military chaplains. Today, Unitarian Universalists are activists, policymakers, filmmakers, community leaders, and more. And throughout our history as a uniquely American faith tradition, we have advocated on behalf of religious liberty, protecting a pluralistic society, defending minority communities, and creating peace.

We feel compelled to write today because this country has entered into a military conflict with another nation, the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), and according to published reports, those leading this war “have been invoking extremist Christian rhetoric about biblical ‘end times’ to justify involvement in the Iran war to troops.” In other words, this conflict is being justified by fundamentalist religious traditions that are antithetical to the values of millions of American believers, including those of Unitarian Universalists across this country.

In 2010, UUs voted to adopt a Statement of Conscience called “Creating Peace” that reflects our religious beliefs when it comes to military conflict and peacemaking. In it, we committed ourselves to a radically inclusive and transformative approach to peace that calls us to support structures that address the roots of conflict, including economic exploitation, political marginalization, the violation of human rights, and a lack of accountability to law. We also committed to advocate for a culture of peace through a transformation of public policies, religious consciousness, and individual lifestyles. The heart of this transformation is the readiness to honor the truths of multiple voices, based on our theology wherein love is at the center of all we do.

Additionally, in that statement, we repudiated aggressive and preventive wars, the disproportionate use of force, covert wars, and targeting that includes a high risk to civilians. At the same time, we renounced unilateral interventions and extended military occupations as dangerous new forms of imperialism. As UUs, we believe in the value of interdependence, and as such, also believe that true peace requires the cooperation of all nations and peoples.

This conflict in Iran violates all the commitments that we as Unitarian Universalists hold sacred. It sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the religious liberties that UUs have fought and died for throughout our history. And it infringes on a value that is part of our shared covenant – pluralism. As a matter of faith, UUs believe we are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has long opposed any intervention into Iran by the U.S. military and supported the pursuit of diplomatic resolutions in the region that protect innocent life and global human rights. In 2008, UUs voted in favor of an Action of Immediate Witness that called upon UU congregations to urge Congress to prohibit an attack on Iran without specific congressional authorization and discourage an attack by an ally, and to urge Iran to cooperate with inspections of its nuclear program. We would be remiss if we did not mention that, in fact, Congress has not authorized this recent military intervention, and that this war is being prosecuted without the legal authority the Constitution sets out for such actions. Furthermore, in June 2025, the UUA reiterated its opposition to such military action. And we renewed that opposition yet again on the first day of this new war.

It is important to note that for decades, the Iranian people have courageously protested the brutality they have experienced from their own government. We note the human rights violations there not to engage in a specious “both sides are bad” argument but instead to point out that this military intervention only endangers those who have sought to bring democracy – or, at the very least, the end of political violence — to that country. This illegal and destructive use of military force cannot be justified on the grounds of human rights.

We recognize that merely opposing military intervention itself is not enough when our government is acting in a way that violates our foundational religious beliefs and longstanding theological commitments. Grounded in a generations-long witness for religious pluralism, we count ourselves among many American religious people whose faith lies in opposition to imperialist aims masquerading as faithful commitments. On behalf of the tens of thousands of UUs, their families, and their congregations, we call on you to end this war and end military interventions based on a radical religious ideology that most Americans do not share.

Signed,

Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, President
Unitarian Universalist Association

The Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, PhD
Senior Minister, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston
Visiting Fellow, Centre for Unitarian and Dissenting Studies, Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford

Rev. Dr. Clyde Grubbs
Affiliate Community Minister, First Parish Unitarian Universalist-Canton, a Neponset River UU Community

Rev. Dr. Stephanie May
Senior Minister, First Church Boston

Professor Dan McKanan
Emerson Senior Lecturer, Harvard Divinity School

Elías Ortega, Ph.D.
President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership
Meadville Lombard Theological School

Rev. Dr. Meg Richardson
Associate Professor of Unitarian Universalist History, Starr King School for Ministry

Rev. Dr. Adam Robersmith
Trustee, Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees
Adjunct Professor, Meadville Lombard Theological School

Rev. Dr. Megan Visser
Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Studio City

Rev. Dr. Michelle Walsh
Lead Minister, First Parish Unitarian Universalist-Canton, a Neponset River UU Community

//End

About the UUA:

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to shared values and principles that hold closely the worthiness and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, the right of conscience, and respect for the interdependent nature of all existence.