Sounds very Unitarian. We believe in ourselves and Reason -- for no particular reason. Impressive, and perhaps noble, but ultimately shallow. :(
Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 29, 2015, at 09:20, BILROJ via Centroids: The Center of the Radical > Centrist Community <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The Church of Reality > "If its real, we believe in it" > > > A futurist is a person who has a forward looking philosophy. Futurists look > in the Sacred Direction and are concerned with the Positive Evolution of the > human race. A futurist is the opposite of a Dogmatist which is someone who > focuses attention on the past. We in the Church of Reality are Futurists. We > are a Futuristic religion that practices Futurism. We are also the opposite > of the Extinctionists world view that the world will end in destruction. Our > goal is The Star Trek Future. > > > Awakening is the acceptance of reality. To awaken is the equivalent of "being > saved" in the Christian religions. To awaken is to make a personal commitment > to reality as it really is and to reject fictional beliefs. Awakening happens > in stages and is just a point of beginning, a point on the path of knowledge. > The opposite is to be asleep. The metaphor is that a person is asleep and > dreaming a fictional world and then wakes up to the real world. It is to go > from the imaginary to the world of reality. > > > Intellectual Incest is a situation where too many people in a group all think > alike and exclude legitimate diverse viewpoints. Not all points of view are > intelligent arguments but sometimes when people become too uniform, they fail > to evolve for lack of fresh new ideas. The concept is similar to genetic > inbreeding. Realists are encouraged to exchange ideas with people who are not > of the same mindset because it gives both individuals the opportunity to > learn something new. When people hang out with people who agree on everything > then there is less opportunity to learn from a new point of view and it leads > to stagnation. > > As the name implies, your worldview is your view of the world. It is the sum > total of everything you believe in. It's everything you believe to be true, > whether or not it is actually true. Your Worldview also includes your mental > processes for evaluating reality. It includes the axioms or basic assumptions > that you rely upon to process new information and integrate it into your > personal reality or personal fiction. > > In the Church of Reality our worldview is based on Reason. Our religion > defines the fundamental axioms for which we experience reality. Our worldview > is based on our choice to see reality the way it really is. > > > When someone puts Faith or a deity before the Sacred Truth we call that > worshiping a false truth. A False Truth is the belief in something that isn't > true or isn't real. It's when you have turned your back on reality and chosen > a Golden Calf instead. It when you have rejected Scrutiny and accepted > Bullshit. > > In the Church of Reality we Accept the Truth by putting Reality First. We > believe that the Sacred Truth is purified through Scrutiny and that anything > that doesn't stand up to Doubt is considered not true. Realists do not > worship false truths. > > > Also known as Praying to the Tree is to take a moment to reflect on reality - > the way it really is - and to not only wonder what is real - but to reflect > on the importance of Reality in our daily lives. We give thanks to those in > our society who do the hard work to make sure that reality is considered in > making decisions that affect our lives. When we reflect on the Tree of > Knowledge - the sum total of human understanding - as we look around us in > humble amazement and thankfulness of those who came before us and whose > thoughts and discoveries are part of who we are today. Who we are and how we > live has been given to us through the Tree. We put our energy back into the > Tree by being Real in the Sacred Moment. > > "Yes we can!" is our statement of determination to succeed. There are those > who say that the Church of Reality isn't a real religion. Many believe that > we will digress into corruption and become another money grubbing religious > scam. Some say that our moral values will never rise to the level of other > religions. Many believe that we'll never amount to anything, that we are just > a fad, and that we'll soon be forgotten. They say that humanity is too > corrupt and doesn't deserve to survive. That human nature is inherently evil > or that we are unworthy. They say that the end of the world is inevitable. To > those who doubt if we can make it happen our reply is, "Yes we can!" > Anything you can do we can do better. We can do anything better than you. Yes > we can, yes we can! > > The universe isn't fair or compassionate. Unless a deity shows up and becomes > an omnipotent father figure, we have to assume that we are alone and that we > are responsible for our own survival. Very few planets can sustain life let > alone intelligent life. There is no other planet in the universe that has > people like us. We exist because we survive and if we fail to continue to > survive, then we will no longer exist. If we, as a species, fail to make good > choices, we will end up on the Path of Extinction. > > "Yes we can" is like the Principle of Positive Evolution. It's not a belief > that we can base on nothing, or hope, or Faith. It is a statement of > determination that we commit ourselves to making it happen. We commit to > getting the job done. We are going to defy the odds. We are going to succeed. > We are going to survive and prosper. We will make tomorrow better than today > and to those who think we can't do it, Yes we can! > > Your Story is a reference to your Life Story. It's the sum total of > everything you have done in your life up to the present. The term "Your > Story" is more often used to refer to what you are presently doing, or what > you are involved in. Someone might ask, "What's your story?" as a way of > asking you what your life is about and what values you stand for > > The Story of Humanity is the sum total everything that has happened to anyone > since the beginning of humanity. Your Life Story becomes part of the Story of > Humanity. The Story of Humainity is part of the Story of Life, the Story of > the Earth, and the Story of the Universe. > > > The Story of Life actually refers to the story of life on Earth. The story of > life is the entire history of life on this planet since life formed on this > planet. It is the history of the Tree of Life. Your personal Life Story is > part of the Story of Life. The Story of Life is part of the Story of the > Earth and the Story of the Universe. > > The story of the Earth is the sum total of everything that happened on this > planet since the Earth was formed. It includes the Story of Life and the > Story of Humanity as well as the stories of all other species in the planet > that exist and have ever existed. > > The Story of the Universe is the sum total of everything that happened > everywhere in the universe from the beginning of time. It is the Life Story > of the cosmos. Everything you do from the moment you are born to the moment > you dies is part of the Story of the Universe. What happens becomes what > happened and what you do becomes what you did. > > A popular name for the Story of the Universe is Big History. It's big because > it includes everything that actually happened. Big History and the Story of > the Universe are almost but not quite the Story of Reality. The Story of > Reality contemplates that our universe might be part of some larger structure > that we are not yet aware of. > > The Tree of Knowledge is the collection of all things known to the human > race. The species knowledge of humanity. Our collective knowledge. It is the > sum total of all human knowledge. > > The Tree of Knowledge is what separates us from the animals. We are able to > communicate and share information and it is this collection of information > that defines who we are as a species. What is the difference between humanity > today and humanity 500 years ago? It's our Tree of Knowledge. Because of the > Tree of Knowledge we know how to fly - how to use electricity - know how to > build computers - and know how to cure diseases. If we as a species adhere to > the Principle of Positive Evolution then in the future our Tree of Knowledge > will be bigger than it is today and we will all live in a better world. We > will be able to do things that we can't do today. The Tree of Knowledge is > central to the Church of Reality and we as Realists dedicate our existence to > the service of the Tree. > > The Tree of Life is our genetic heritage through time. Like the Tree of > Knowledge which represents the sum total of human understanding, the Tree of > Life is also a mathematical tree rather than a plant. The Tree of Life > represents all the genetic material on the planet that exists now and in the > past and everything about the DNA and the life evolution process. Evolution > is the growth of the Tree of Life. As we evolve forward in the Sacred > Direction we grow the Tree of Life. > > The Tree of Life is our evolutionary history. It's our ancestry all the way > back to the very first organic molecules that formed on this planet that lead > to life. It is how we are all biologically connected to each other. How we > share common ancestors with all forms of life. We are all related to each > other, and interdependent on each other. In a sense we are all part of a > single living organism that includes all life on Earth. It's where we fit in > the food chain. We are all part of the Story of Life on this planet. If you > go back 55 million years the squirrel and I share a common ancestor. He is my > cousin. I think we look alike. > > Educational material on the Tree of Life can be found at the Tree of Life Web > Project > > > Christians aren't the only religion with a holy trinity. The Church of > Reality has a Holy Trinity too, but our trinity is reality based. Our Trinity > is: > > The Past - (Father) > The Present - (Son) > The Future - (Holy Spirit) > > What's interesting is that it is remarkably similar to The Catechism of the > Catholic Church which states "It is the Father who generates, the Son who is > begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds." It's almost scary how this all > fits together. > > The Past > > In the Church of Reality The Past is the some total of all events that has > happened in the universe since the Big Bang. All of the events of the past > led up to our creation. (The Father) The past generated the present. (The > Son) We are the result of the sum total if all past event. (Begotten) From > the perspective of Calculus the present is the integral of the past. The Past > can not be changed. What we do becomes what we have done. > > > The Present > > The Present is what we call the Sacred Moment. It is where we live. It is the > latest page of Our Story. It is where our free will lives. It is what we > choose our destiny. It is the think line that separates The Past from The > Future. In The Present we move through time. Every new moment adds to The > Past. Every choice we make affects The Future. In calculus, The Present is > the derivative. The Present is the transition from where we have been to > where we are going. > > The Future > > The Future is what proceeds. It is the great mystery of what will come. It > contains all of our possibilities. The Future is what we create. It is what > we are building. Those who came before us created us. Likewise those who come > after us will be created by us. > > There are two views of the how The Future works. If we live in a > deterministic universe where we are the mathematical progression of all the > events of the present then we are like a movie that has already been written. > Choice is only an illusion. However if we live in a non-deterministic > universe where the universe is some kind of nonlinear equation with fractal > properties that are randomized at the quantum level then what we choose > matters. > > If we make the right choices we might evolve into something we consider > paradise. (Heaven) If we make the wrong choices then our future will be > bleak. (Hell) Or we might even become extinct. Forever separated from > Reality. > > Since our choices control The Future and we have to live with the results of > those choices then The Future takes on a special religious significance to > Realists. That's why we call The Future the Sacred Direction and that we > commit ourselves to the Principle of Positive Evolution. Our commitment to > positive evolution would be analogous to the "Holy Spirit" who proceeds. > > Contributing new and useful information to the Tree of Knowledge. > Intellectual Tithing is giving freely to the Tree of Knowledge. Giving back > to the public domain. Almost everything we know today came from other people > who are either living today or knowledge that was handed down. The reason you > can read my words here is because we are using a public domain language that > allows us to communicate thoughts and ideas. The Tree of Knowledge is the > glue that hold society together and allows us to communicate and share new > ideas. > > But - as we receive so shall we give back. Because our ideas are based almost > entirely on the ideas of others, we give back to the tree so that we can > contribute to that for which we draw from. Our very thoughts - our awareness > - our soul - is made of the thoughts of others. When we think we are thinking > in a language that was invented by other people. The words we hear in our > mind and the meaning of those words were invented by other people. And when > we give back to the Tree of Knowledge through Intellectual Tithing - then who > we are and what we have to contribute is passed back into the collective mind > and we achieve a level of immortality. Every time we think of the work > "wheel" or drive a car with wheels on it - the person who invented the wheel > lives on. If we have something to contribute then we will live on too. People > like Einstein, Newton, Tesla, and Darwin are all preserved in part in the > Tree of Knowledge and are part of who we are today. If we give back then who > we are lives on. We pass on ourselves biologically through having children. > but we pass on our soul through Intellectual Tithing. > > An example of Intellectual Tithing is putting up a free web site that > contains information useful to other people. Writing software that other > people can use freely is Intellectual Tithing. The Linux penguin symbolically > represents Intellectual Tithing because it is an operating system that is an > intellectual contribution freely available to humanity that has significantly > enhanced our ability to explore reality. > > > [Truth is] The sum total, or any subset of the sum total, of all that is > real. There are things that are real and there are things that are not real. > The Truth refers to what is real. Bullshit refers to what is not real. > > > Ultimate Reality refers to the sum total of everything that is real in all > contexts. It is the container that contains everything that is real and for > which there is nothing that is real that is not part of the Ultimate Reality. > > Human language is often imprecise. Some might say that the Universe is all of > reality. But our universe might be a subset of some greater structure out > there. Some people talk about "other realities" which is often nonsense but > could refer to other contexts that actually exist but for which we have no > contact. It would not however include references to worlds that do not exist. > > If looked at in the context of set theory, the Ultimate Reality would be the > largest reality set containing all realities and for which there is no bigger > set that contain more things that are real. The only things outside of this > set is that which is not real. The Church of Reality is a MonoRealistic > religion, and the one reality we believe in is the ultimate Reality. > > > > > The Fruits Test refers to a Bible scripture where Jesus says, "You will know > them by their fruits." This was the way that one could tell true believers > from those who do not truly believe. > > The Church of Reality members are always being challenged by believers who > claim that they have a personal relationship with a deity that has changed > their life and made them a better person. Many religions claim to have an > affiliation with the supernatural claiming that God is on their side and that > they are somehow benefited from the relationship in a way that Atheists can't > match. > > There are those who claim that for some reason God isn't directly observable. > But if someone has on some level merged with the spirit of an omnipotent > deity, then there should be an observable affect on that person. If a > religious group claims an affiliation with an omnipotent deity then that > groups behavior should reflect a measurable benefit from that relationship. > > In the world of science we to believe in the invisible. We cannot see black > holes even with our deep space telescopes. But we know they are there because > we can detect their existence by their effect on what they influence. We have > seen a gravitational lens effect as light is bent by their strong gravity. We > see energy jets raiding from the polls of spinning black holes. And we see > stars orbiting them. So we know that they are their because they have > influence on the real world. > > If there is a God and if Christians, Jews, or Muslims or any other religious > group has a relationship with it and their spirit or soul is connected to > this deity, and that deity has transformed them and speaks to them, then that > influence should be observable to Realists and we can conclude that God > exists the same way we can conclude that black holes exist by what they > influence. > > The Fruits Test doesn't determine if God exists. But if a group claims to be > affiliated with God and they are raping children then it's clear that God is > not in their hearts and that God is not influencing their religion. The > Fruits Test can be used to determine who is not influenced by an omnipotent > deity because if someone has a personal connection with the Lord then they > simply would not behave the way they do. > > If you consider the concept of an omnipotent God, and all powerful God, an > all good God, an all knowing God, then you have to assume that the people who > are connected to it would be significantly improved by the relationship. That > these people would be better than the Atheists. And that is the Fruits Test. > "You will know them by their fruits." > > The Church of Reality's position is that we will believe in anything that is > real. And we will disbelieve in anything that isn't real. We are a Doubt > Based religion. Our standards include Scrutiny. We are currently atheists. We > are however open to any proof that we might be wrong. But if you want our > attention you have to at least show us indirect evidence that God exists by > God's influence on your lives. > > So if your organization is raping children and hiding the priests that do it, > don't waste our time. If your people are strapping bombs on children and > blowing them up in crowds of innocent people, you are insulting the God you > claim to believe in. If you are stoning people to death then you have turned > you back on your own deity. If you are dropping cluster bombs on children > then you can't claim you are God's chosen people. Your fruits reflect your > connection to your God and if you are doing evil things then it is impossible > that the spirit of God, if there were one, is in your heart. > > In the world of science if a star is moving in a straight line we can tell > that no invisible black hole is near, because if a black hole is near then > the star will be pulled into a tight orbit around the black hole. Likewise if > you claim that you are in a close relationship with an omnipotent deity then > you should be in a tight orbit, not moving is a straight line. > > Different religions see the future differently. Many religions see the future > from an Extinctionist point of view where the world is destroyed either by > humanity itself or by and angry deity. The Church of Reality is a Futurist > religion and our goal is the Star Trek Future. > > The television series Star Trek which we call the Holy TV Show, created by > Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s, is a fictional depiction of the future of > humanity where humans have developed space craft that can travel faster than > the speed of light to go out and explore the universe. In this future > humanity has evolved beyond war and poverty, cured diseases, and we are all > Explorers on a quest for knowledge. > > Although in the real future we are not likely to break the speed of light > barrier and find planets full of humanoid life, sexy green skinned women, all > who speak perfect English, and form a Federation of Planets, the series makes > many important points about a new view of the future that we in the Church of > Reality aspire to create. > > We see a future that when we look back at history from their point of view > that we are proud of what humanity has accomplished and have a continued > sense that we are on the right track. That we have become explorers, to > explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to > boldly go where no one has gone before. It is this vision that fires the > souls of Realists and we as a culture are committed to making the Star Trek > Future actually happen. > > Cheating in the Church of Reality refers to a dishonest argument or kind of > behavior where a person expects a shortcut or pass when none is > deserved.Examples of cheating include: > > Absolution from Sin - There is no deity that is going to clean up after you > and expunge your {ln:Karmic Record). > God did it - The argument that anything that can't yet be explained > scientifically is the work of a deity. > God told me to do it - Can't blame your actions on the deity or enhance > something that you accomplished by inferring an alliance with a deity. > Definition Twisting - In order to explain away contradictions definitions of > words are twisted and switched. An example would be "Maybe God means the > universe and the universe exists, therefore God exists. > Credit but not Blame - If God saved someone from the plane crash, then why > did he allow the plane to crash in the first place? > > In the religious debate the view of the Church of Reality is that the pursuit > of the understanding of reality, the way it really is, has value. This is our > Sacred Axiom. It is not our mission to prove what doesn't exist, but to focus > on what does exist. Staying on subject is to keep turning the conversation > back to reality. If we are spreading the Sacred Message it is important that > we make sure that the conversation is about reality. So if we discuss the > existence of God then we do so in the context of reality based testing or > from a reality based perspective. > > We see conversation as a kind of sport. In sports sometimes the game is > played on the home field and sometimes it is played away on their home field. > There is a concept in sports that one plays better when they have the home > field advantage. Reality is our home field. God is their home field. If we > are going to have the home field advantage we have to stay on subject. > > > The term "Waste of Neurons" is a recognition that there is only so much room > in the brain and that one's mental resources are valuable and should be used > to store important information. It is similar to not downloading junk files > on your computer that take up space and prevent you from storing useful > information. > > Obsessive Atheism, for example can become a waste of neurons in that if one > spends all their time thinking about what isn't real then the brain becomes > full of trivia and there isn't room for what is real. The Church of Reality > considers memorizing the sacred text of other religions to be a waste of > neurons that could better be used to understand the reality we live in. One > of our disciplines is Staying on Subject which means to bring the debate back > to reality > > > The "Next World" is the place where people go when they die. it is based on > the belief that one has an immortal soul that lives forever in some form. > After one dies the soul might go to a world of infinite reward or infinite > punishment depending on if the believer met the qualifications in this life. > > It might also mean a person's next incarnation, that if you are a good person > in this life then the next time you will come back as a better person, or > excape the reincarnation cycle altogether. > > Belief in the next world is considered to be a Distraction by Realists in > that we are focused on this world and this reality that we actually all are > part of and that unless science discovers an afterlife the next world is a > Waste of Neurons. > > Anti-realism is a world view that this reality we live is an illusion or > unimportant, or an evil world that is not worthy of understanding. > Anti-realists are taught to understand through Faith and to actively suppress > logic and reason in favor of focusing on a mythical Next World. > > > Although the Church of Reality encourages forgiveness and rehabilitation, we > do not absolve sinners. Forgiveness is between the parties involved and can > not be given out by a third party such as a church or deity. Our view is that > absolution from sin is irresponsible and it gives the sinner a false sense > that their record is somehow expunged. > > Our view is that everything a person does is forever part of their Life Story > and the Story of the Universe. What you do becomes what you did and that once > it is done then it is part of history and one can not change history. Once a > bell is rung it cannot be unrung. This encourages Realists to take > responsibility for their actions and to not do bad things in the first place. > ... > > Sacred Axiom > The Sacred Axiom is the fundamental idea that forms the basis of the Church > of Reality religion. The Sacred Axiom is that the pursuit of the > understanding of reality by humans has value. The name Church of Reality > implies that we are a religion that believes in everything that is real and > doesn't believe in what isn't real. If we knew everything that was and wasn't > real then it would be simple. However since we are in the process of > exploring reality then a more accurate description is that we are in the > process of pursuing an accurate understanding of reality, and that reality is > our standard for determining what to believe and what not to believe. > Our Sacred Axiom is - The Understanding of Reality by Humans has Value > > The Sacred Axiom establishes the pursuit of the understanding of reality to > be our religious value that forms a basis for our religious identity. It is > the root axiom for which our moral and ethical systems are based and it gives > us a purpose in the universe. This purpose is a self chosen purpose and is > somewhat of an artificial construct that we, as Realists, accept as a > religious choice. The Sacred Axiom used to be the lowest level axiom for the > basis of the Church of Reality but we have actually realized an even more > primitive axiom that our Sacred Axiom can be derived from. Our new Root Axiom > is that to exist is better than to not exist. Our Sacred Axiom, the pursuit > of the understanding of reality is actually a method of achieving the root > axiom. In order to live in Right Relationship to Reality we have to > understand reality. Otherwise we will be Left Behind. > Sacred Axiom > The Sacred Axiom is the fundamental idea that forms the basis of the Church > of Reality religion. The Sacred Axiom is that the pursuit of the > understanding of reality by humans has value. The name Church of Reality > implies that we are a religion that believes in everything that is real and > doesn't believe in what isn't real. If we knew everything that was and wasn't > real then it would be simple. However since we are in the process of > exploring reality then a more accurate description is that we are in the > process of pursuing an accurate understanding of reality, and that reality is > our standard for determining what to believe and what not to believe. > Our Sacred Axiom is - The Understanding of Reality by Humans has Value > > The Sacred Axiom establishes the pursuit of the understanding of reality to > be our religious value that forms a basis for our religious identity. It is > the root axiom for which our moral and ethical systems are based and it gives > us a purpose in the universe. This purpose is a self chosen purpose and is > somewhat of an artificial construct that we, as Realists, accept as a > religious choice. The Sacred Axiom used to be the lowest level axiom for the > basis of the Church of Reality but we have actually realized an even more > primitive axiom that our Sacred Axiom can be derived from. Our new Root Axiom > is that to exist is better than to not exist. Our Sacred Axiom, the pursuit > of the understanding of reality is actually a method of achieving the root > axiom. In order to live in Right Relationship to Reality we have to > understand reality. Otherwise we will be Left Behind. > > Sacred Axiom > The Sacred Axiom is the fundamental idea that forms the basis of the Church > of Reality religion. The Sacred Axiom is that the pursuit of the > understanding of reality by humans has value. The name Church of Reality > implies that we are a religion that believes in everything that is real and > doesn't believe in what isn't real. If we knew everything that was and wasn't > real then it would be simple. However since we are in the process of > exploring reality then a more accurate description is that we are in the > process of pursuing an accurate understanding of reality, and that reality is > our standard for determining what to believe and what not to believe. > Our Sacred Axiom is - The Understanding of Reality by Humans has Value > > The Sacred Axiom establishes the pursuit of the understanding of reality to > be our religious value that forms a basis for our religious identity. It is > the root axiom for which our moral and ethical systems are based and it gives > us a purpose in the universe. This purpose is a self chosen purpose and is > somewhat of an artificial construct that we, as Realists, accept as a > religious choice. The Sacred Axiom used to be the lowest level axiom for the > basis of the Church of Reality but we have actually realized an even more > primitive axiom that our Sacred Axiom can be derived from. Our new Root Axiom > is that to exist is better than to not exist. Our Sacred Axiom, the pursuit > of the understanding of reality is actually a method of achieving the root > axiom. In order to live in Right Relationship to Reality we have to > understand reality. Otherwise we will be Left Behind. > The Sacred Axiom is the fundamental idea that forms the basis of the Church > of Reality religion. The Sacred Axiom is that the pursuit of the > understanding of reality by humans has value. The name Church of Reality > implies that we are a religion that believes in everything that is real and > doesn't believe in what isn't real. If we knew everything that was and wasn't > real then it would be simple. However since we are in the process of > exploring reality then a more accurate description is that we are in the > process of pursuing an accurate understanding of reality, and that reality is > our standard for determining what to believe and what not to believe. > Our Sacred Axiom is - The Understanding of Reality by Humans has Value > > The Sacred Axiom establishes the pursuit of the understanding of reality to > be our religious value that forms a basis for our religious identity. It is > the root axiom for which our moral and ethical systems are based and it gives > us a purpose in the universe. This purpose is a self chosen purpose and is > somewhat of an artificial construct that we, as Realists, accept as a > religious choice. The Sacred Axiom used to be the lowest level axiom for the > basis of the Church of Reality but we have actually realized an even more > primitive axiom that our Sacred Axiom can be derived from. Our new Root Axiom > is that to exist is better than to not exist. Our Sacred Axiom, the pursuit > of the understanding of reality is actually a method of achieving the root > axiom. In order to live in Right Relationship to Reality we have to > understand reality. Otherwise we will be Left Behind. > > > The list of the Sacred Principles of the Church of Reality are: > > The Principle of Positive Evolution > The Principle of Existence and Survival > The Principle of Exploration > The Principle of Curiosity > The Principle of Honesty and Integrity > The Principle of Freedom > The Principle of Peace > The Principle of Courage > The Principle of Patience and Persistence > The Principle of Environmentalism > The Principle of Compassion > The Principle of Determination and Defiance > The Principle of Communication > The Principle of Justice > The Principle of Inclusiveness > The Principle of Respect > The Principle of Scrutiny and Doubt > The Principle of Humility > The Principle of Reason > The Principle of Wisdom > The Principle of Personal Responsibility > The Principle of Bullshit > The principle of Activism and Maintenance > The Principle of Personal Privacy > The Principle of Historical Preservation > The Principle of Humor and Fun > > > selections : > > Positive evolution is one of the core principles of the Church of Reality. We > are here, we seem to exist. So what do we do now? We in the Church of Reality > have chosen to try to understand reality as it really is. We can do that > individually to a limited extent but an individual can't build a Hubble > Telescope in their back yard and launch it into space. In order to pursue the > understanding of reality we have to do so collectively, as a society. The > pursuit of the understanding of reality is something that we all do together > as a community. In order to increase our understanding of reality we have to > make progress as a community and evolve forward. We look to the future which > we call the Sacred Direction. > > Humans are more like a hive of bees in many ways than individuals. We have a > vast amount of shared information and technology that we all rely upon in our > daily lives. We call this vast resource of shared knowledge the Tree of > Knowledge. We expand our understanding of reality by growing the Tree of > Knowledge and in order to do that we have to evolve in a positive direction. > > We choose Evolution over Extinction. We commit to the progress of the human > race towards a brighter tomorrow. > > Positive evolution isn't just a belief that we are evolving forward. It is a > personal commitment that realists make to ensure that we evolve forward. > There is nothing that protects us from extinction except our effort to make > sure the human race doesn't do something stupid and destroy itself. To help > ensure that we progress we spread the Sacred Message which is to talk about > reality and bring reality into the daily lives of as many people as we can. > Our world view is that the more the people of all religions are in touch with > reality, the faster the human race will progress. > > Positive evolution creates the basis for morality in our religion. The > concepts of right and wrong are based in part on if it is good for the > progress of the human race. One of our sacred missions is to ask the Sacred > Moral Question, "Is this a good thing?" and by "good" we mean is it good in > terms of making progress. > > > The Principle of Exploration is that we choose to be curious. We choose to > try to understand. The Church of Reality is not just a static statement of > our world view of reality. We choose to actively pursue reality by exploring > the universe that we live in. We strive to understand the understanding of > understanding. We want to learn as much as we can. We want to know how > everything works. We want to know what is really real. > > Exploration is part of our religious identity. We are not "followers", we are > Explorers -- we are on a Quest to know more. To that end we support education > and all the tools of the mind. We consider the Internet to be a holy item to > us. We call it the Golden Router because it provides us a way to store > knowledge and communicate what we learn. Exploration expands the Frontier of > Knowledge leading to Positive Evolution. Through exploration we grow the Tree > of Knowledge. > > > The Church of Reality is about real reality the way it really is. Reality is > a holy word to us that has real meaning and is important. The reason our > Sacred Question is "What is Real?" is because we really do want to know what > actually is real. Real reality can't be faked. It comes from a place of pure > honesty and integrity. Honesty and integrity are essential to the core > meaning of the Church of Reality. > > The Church of Reality has an obligation to humanity to uphold the meaning of > our church name. We can only do that if we stay honest. > > Reality is about truth. It's about being intellectually honest. It's about > putting your personal positions aside to accept what is real. In accepting > the title of Church of Reality we make a solemn commitment to the human race > to uphold the integrity of the name. The Church of Reality is not just some > bullshit religion that is making things up. We are not a scam. We are not a > cult. Our world view is that the path to reality requires honesty and > integrity and that reality can not be found through lies and deception. We > think it is our job to never become corrupt, to never sell out, to never > compromise the integrity of our mission. Although no one is perfect, we are > committed to doing a damn good job and do the best we can. We intend to live > up to the standards that the name of our church implies. We recognize that > without honesty there is no meaningful exploration of reality. > > It is the dharma of the Church of Reality to be explorers and we therefore > must be free to do so. We recognize that historically various societies have > imposed severe restrictions upon belief forcing people to accept a world view > that is not real - or being prohibited from believing things that are real - > or having knowledge restricted by law in ways that prevent us from fulfilling > our Sacred Duty. There was a time when people were jailed and killed for > believing that the Earth was round and that the Earth was not the center of > the universe. People are jailed today for easing the suffering of those who > are dying a hideous death from a terminal disease. With these historical > facts in mind the Church of Reality - as part of its mission - acts to > protect and preserve the freedom in which the pursuit of reality and the > Principle of Positive Evolution may flourish. > > What is freedom and by what power do we assert freedom? We seem to be here > and we seem to exist. We seem to be aware of ourselves and our surroundings. > It is the nature of our existence as a species now that we have shared > knowledge that we have the freedom to pursue that knowledge, and to > understand the understanding of understanding. We are the defenders of the > understanding of reality itself and we as a church claim that reality itself > needs the freedom to become self aware. We are all part of a reality that we > all share. Reality is sacred to us and as explorers, therefore we must be > free to explore it. When we make the Sacred Choices and accept the Sacred > Duty, we must also pursue the freedom that is required to grow the Tree of > Knowledge. > > Personal freedom leads to innovation, exploration and positive evolution. We > will not progress unless the weird people are allowed to be weird. > > Individual freedom is very important to the Church of Reality. Freedom allows > explorers to come up with new and interesting ideas. It allows us to think > "outside the box" without fear of punishment. If you look at the great > inventors and the people who were behind much of the great leaps in human > evolution you will notice that most of them were "weird people". It's the > weird people who come up with most of the new cool ideas. Cultures that > accept weird people, like the San Francisco Bay Area, tend to be the kind of > places where innovation occurs. We can not evolve forward unless the weird > people are free to be weird. Personal freedom is necessary for positive > evolution to occur. > > > The pursuit of reality the way it really is is not for the timid. Reality > takes courage. It takes more courage to stand up to an unjust cause than it > does to die in a war. People are herd animals. We want to be part of a > community. It is one of our survival strategies that the human race evolved. > Much of our information that we rely upon is part of the Tree of Knowledge. > But what if a culture has a strongly held world view that is not only wrong, > but dangerous? A world view like the world is going to be destroyed in our > lifetime? There is a lot of pressure to go with the flow, but going with the > flow is not the way of reality. We are committed to what is real, not what is > popular. > > Realists can expect some persecution for their views. Fortunately in most of > the world at present Realists are no longer burned alive for expressing > scientific fact. However in most countries it's hard to get elected to public > office without giving lip service to the invisible cloud being. The Human > brain likes a stable comfortable reality and when one upsets an axiom it > causes a lot of mental anguish. This is true not only in religion, but > science. The idea that humans have a 98.5% genetic match with monkeys is very > disturbing to some people. We want to believe in flat space and linear time > and people like Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are just disruptive > trouble makers. They make us rethink everything. > > Change is disruptive and evolution isn't always pretty. Reality isn't always > pleasant and it is far easier to go along to get along. Everyone is > comfortable and then someone comes along and speaks the truth and you know > they are right but you just don't want to have to deal with it. It takes > courage to go against the flow, but if you make a true commitment to reality > the way it really is, then that's often what you have to do. > > It also takes courage to realize you are wrong because facing reality might > have a personal cost. This is what keeps people in cults. They are integrated > into a community and have a place in an artificial society. But then they > realize it's all bullshit. That means they have to leave the cult. If the > person isn't ready to leave the cult then the mind will play tricks on itself > to keep the person from realizing a truth that would be obvious to someone > who wasn't in the cult. > > Often bad things are allowed to happen because people fail to speak out to > stop them. To be silent when one should speak can become an endorsement. A > Realist has to be prepared to pay a personal price to stand up for what is > real because if we don't then we allow others to take reality away from the > Tree of Knowledge and humanity is diminished. Realism is a religion of > courage for without courage reality cannot be meaningfully pursued. > > The Principle of Compassion recognizes the cooperative nature of the human > race. We are individuals that are part of a great and evolving society. We > are both independent and interdependent. Our societies are what makes us > strong, but those societies are made up of individuals who have to be secure > and taken care of individually in order to maintain our individualism. > > We are one planet, we are all here together, and if we all help each other > out, life will be better for all of us. > > No person is an end unto themself. We are all totally interdependent. When we > are born we are helpless and we depend on others to take care of our needs. > The same is true when we are old or when we are sick or injured. There are > times in our lives when we care for others, and times in our lives when > others care for us. Compassion is absolutely essential for the human race to > survive. Without compassion all of society would fall apart and we would > become extinct. > > The Church of Reality subscribes to the Philosophy of the Open Hand. We are > altruistic, generous, giving, sharing, loving, selfless, and caring people. > We honor loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, > amity, concord, charity, and non-violence. Our compassion is based on the > reality of our interdependence, that we are strong collectively, and our > independence, that we can be secure individually. We take care of each other, > and we are taken care of. > > > > We believe the Wisdom comes from having an intimate relationship with > reality. So it is up to us as Realists to bring wisdom in to society. We have > to inject the importance of taking reality into consideration when making > important decisions. We raise the question, "Is what we do today good for our > future?" "Will we look back at this moment with pride or shame?" That is why > the Sacred Direction is sacred because if we screw up we're not going to > achieve Positive Evolution. If we screw up then tomorrow won't be better than > today and our children will live in a worse world than the one we came into. > .....and much more. > > some of this is warmed over Leftism but some of it consists of an original > attempt > to re-think religion starting from zero to see where basic "truths" that can > be indetifed > lead to. > > > -- > -- > Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community > <[email protected]> > Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism > Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. 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