r/leesummit • u/como365 • 1d ago
Unity Village Tower circa 1947
From the State Historical Society of Missouri
https://digital.shsmo.org/digital/collection/imc/id/67778/rec/2
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u/BearAccomplished5355 1d ago edited 1d ago
Isn't this place run by a cult?
Edit to mention that I dont mean this in a negative connotation. Just what I have always heard about the place.
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u/como365 1d ago
Yes, although a pretty benign healthy one. They are friendly!
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u/Humble-Positive2169 1d ago
No, it isn't a cult. Smh
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u/como365 1d ago
A cult is a social group or movement defined by unusual, extreme, or unorthodox religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs. The word originally meant simple religious worship or the cultivation of a practice (from the Latin cultus). It does not necessarily have a negative connotation.
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u/Grand_Lawyer7242 1d ago
Language changes and evolves. Cult absolutely has a negative connotation now regardless of the original dennotation.
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u/Humble-Positive2169 1d ago
Have you ever been to a Unity service? Nothing they do is unusual or extreme. However they are dogmatically undogmatic, which puts them easily within the Protestant tradition.
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u/como365 1d ago
Yes several times. The surface level is. However if you move higher in the organization or read the writings of the founders you will see it is a rather lovely version of esoteric Christianity, influenced by the theosophical thought of the late 1800s.
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u/Humble-Positive2169 1d ago
True. Doesn't make it a cult.
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u/BearAccomplished5355 1d ago
Considering how little I hear about that part of it I am inclined to agree with you that they are pretty benign. Never met anyone who associated with it so I was curious if it was actually true.
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u/Humble-Positive2169 1d ago
I was a member for quite some time.
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u/BearAccomplished5355 1d ago
I don't have any ill feeling towards them. not sure why I'm being downvoted for asking an honest question.
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u/J0E_SpRaY 14h ago
I went to elementary school next door to it and they always did lots of events with us and I don’t remember ever feeling weird about any of them.
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u/joeboo5150 1d ago
FWIW, the tower and several of the large buildings that are around it today are an office park rented to other businesses, but still owned by Unity. There's probably a dozen or more other businesses in there today.
I think Unity is a lot smaller organization than they used to be, and a lot of their buildings had been sitting empty for years.
But kudos to them for not letting them go into complete disrepair, rather instead remodeling them, renting them out, and keeping the grounds and surrounding area in immaculate condition still.
It's still a very popular wedding & event location for the area. They've also renovated several of the old, historical homes on the property into AirBnBs, they also have a hotel, coffee shop, book shop, golf course, and other amenities on the campus.