Given the problems with religions and spiritual traditions, why do we even propose to create a new religion?

The answer is: Religions also address and satisfy important human needs. So instead of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”, let’s ask:

How can we create a new tradition which enjoys the same benefits that religions offer,
but without any of their problems and harms?

I believe it is an important endeavor as a way to fill the void in the modern secular world. That’s in order to meet the central human needs that currenlty go unanswered, a problem which leads to social pathologies.

The core beliefs

  1. Caring for Wellbeing in all its forms (physical, psychological, social, financial) for ourselves and for others - this is a central value and goal of our faith.
  2. Respect for the personal sovereignty of ourselves and of others
  3. Anti-dogmatism: treating our understanding of truth, ethics, and practice as always provisional, open to revision through free inquiry, direct experience, reason, and new evidence.
  4. Anti-coercion: relying on persuasion and free choice, never coercion, to influence what others believe or do — the sole exception being defense of the innocent from harm.
  5. There are limits to toleration: Respecting everyone’s personal sovereignty is as long as they do not aim to harm other people’s freedoms and personal sovereignty. It is justified to oppose bigotry and harmful ideologies.

Meeting human needs

How our tradition meets each of the human needs that religions meet:

  • Meaning: Helping each person explore the big questions of life, without imposing answers.
  • Moral guidance: A shared ethics built on caring for the wellbeing and personal sovereignty of every person.
  • Practices: Practices for inner transformation, freely co-created rather than imposed.
  • Transcendence: Room for direct experience of something greater than oneself.
  • Rites of passage: Marking life’s major transitions together.
  • Comfort and encouragement: Support in the face of hardship, loss, and suffering.
  • Continuity: Connecting generations, even as a new tradition.
  • Community: Coming together to live the tradition, rather than doing it individualistically.
  • Acts of kindness and grace: Caring for the wellbeing of others as a central value of our faith.
  • Extraordinary accomplishments: Inspiring people to create and build.

Avoiding the problems of religions

How our tradition avoids each of the problems of religions:

Problem in existing religions Our principle Details
Dogma Anti-dogmatism Treating our understanding of truth, ethics, and practice as provisional, open to free inquiry and revision.
Coercion Personal sovereignty Relying on persuasion and free choice, never coercion (except in defense of the innocent from harm).
Fundamentalism and zealotry Temperance Keeping a balance, with compassion and kindness, instead of fundamentalism and zealotry.
Religious violence Peaceful coexistence Instead of violence in the name of faith.
Violation of human rights Upholding human rights Protecting the wellbeing and personal sovereignty of every person.
Rigid adherence to the past
Hollow or rigid practices		 Flexible co-creation of tradition Designing and revising our practices together, instead of preserving forms for their own sake.
Conformity Support of independent thinking Encouraging honest disagreement, instead of conformity and groupthink.
False perception of superiority Humility No claim that only our group has the truth, or is “chosen”.
Restricting love, relationships, and marriage Celebration of love in all its forms Respecting the free choice of consenting adults over their own relationships.

Questions