I haven’t yet had a chance to read all of the essays that were recently submitted in the
92Y New Religion Challenge, but the ones I posted below (in no particular order) are some of my favorites among the many I have read. Also, I may not agree with everything these contestants wrote in their essays, but they do come very close to matching my own views and are worthy of a new philosophical framework for a new religion contest.
ONE ENERGY by Jiri C.
There is only ONE energy and it comes in different forms that create our reality. The ONE is called God or e.g. Tao. The ONE works in given order – laws. People should learn and understand these laws and obey them, not to change them. If they follow the laws, they are tuned into the ONE energy and become also ONE with it. It gives them life fulfillment. When they are tuned into ONE, they can use the energy for their good. The ONE energy is good. If you obey it and you are ONE with it, you cannot be bad. You are good to yourself and also to others. You are ONE with all people and all things.
Humans have one gift – natural Genius they are born with. Each person’s duty is to share his/her Genius with others who need it. People should grow and expand their talents for others. Thus humanity should be based on giving and not on receiving. Giving gives people fulfillment. The more they give, the more they get back. Their Genius is fulfilled.
We all can live as ONE. Together we should take care of each other and our planet – Earth and treat it as our Garden. The Garden is here for us to feed us and we are here for the Garden. We must take care of it as Gardeners. The better the Garden does the better quality of life we can enjoy as ONE.
Rituals should follow universal laws cycles. The most important holidays should be around these dates: summer and winter solstice, beginning of each season (spring, summer, fall, winter). We should also celebrate Garden harvests.
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The Religion of ONE by Mark S.
Precepts
1. There is only ONE creation
2. Creation has always been here in some form
3. There was no beginning, there will be no end
4. Consciousness is all there is, it is infinite
5. Consciousness can neither be created nor destroyed
6. We all are part of the eternal consciousness
7. All conscious beings experience emotion and pain
8. All beings posses a facet of eternal consciousness
9. We are a part of the Earth, it is conscious, it is alive
10. Good and Evil are judgments
11. The purpose of life is experience
12. The expansion of consciousness through experience is the foundation for the expansion of creation
Laws
1. You shall not kill any animal (humans are animals too)
2. Animals are NOT ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or abuse in any way.
3. Animals deserve the same rights as humans
4. You are responsible for the care of the Earth and all that live upon it
5. You shall respect the spirit within all living beings
6. You shall not discriminate nor oppress one another
7. You are responsible for your own life
8. You shall not submit to greed, gluttony, wrath, envy, nor pride
9. You shall be honest in all your dealings, both civil and private
10. You shall be kind and express compassion
11. You may incarnate anywhere or any time within creation
12. You shall respect others beliefs (except where the conflict with these laws)
Doctrine
1. Vegan is the way to compassion
2. Daily meditation is the key to expansion of consciousness
3. Volunteering builds community
4. Do no not dwell in the past or future
5. Be an active participant in life
6. Love one another unconditionally
7. Be your self
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Earthfellow by Debra A. Wintsmith
When you find a turtle helpless on its back, it is natural to turn it back over. Think not that the cosmos will do you a favor in return. We give not in hope of receiving. We give because we know we will take.
This is the law of reciprocity and the way of EARTHFELLOW. All are takers. Therefore, in order to maintain the balance, all must be givers. If we do not give when we take from the earth, the balance will be upset. As the spheres maintain the delicate balance in the solar system, so must the delicate balance be maintained on the worlds. The interdependence is complete. Should any species think to be takers only, they will ultimately give the terrible gift of themselves and all else that was interdependent with them.
Because you will take, give.
There is no separation between man and nature; we are nature. Our relation to other lifeforms is not as a brother, but as our selves in varied manifestations. Seek out the treeself. Take one of its verdant hands and see the life there, the delicate intricacy. Is it not like your own?
EARTHFELLOW blends the spirituality of pantheism with an excitement for scientific inquiry. We have rituals that are invoked when we do something major to the earth such as digging a quarry or rerouting a waterway. In ancient legend we performed human sacrifice at these occasions, but today we understand that each of us go back the earth when we die and we have found gentler measures for reminding ourselves of reciprocity.
We have a legend about fire calling humans out of the darkness of prehistory, and we believe that the fires in space still call us to break free of our planetary chains.
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The Virtue Continuum by Teri G.
1 Balance is paramount. Anything can be taken to an extreme. (see chart)
2. Life is a tapestry. When creating, be mindful of what may be destroyed in the process.
3. Be kind. This does not mean being a doormat. (See Principle #1.)
4. Always give your best effort, whatever that may be at that moment.
5. Speak truth. Do not confuse your opinions with Truth.
6. Do what you say you will do.
7. Your beliefs do not excuse your behavior.
Customs:
Gather once a week to share food. Hold this event in a place where those who have more can bring food and those in need may share it. This can be just a potluck, or involve bringing groceries to give to others.
Sing, alone or in groups. This can also be part of the weekly gathering.
Respect other people, regardless of status, appearance, or other external considerations. Listen to others without judging them. Make time to do this. This can be a part of the weekly gathering, where attendees pair off to speak and listen to each other. Make an effort to interact with those you perceive to be unlike you.
Respect the Earth on every level that you can. This can mean lifestyle changes like reducing your non-renewable energy use, recycling, planting a garden, or foregoing meat; cleaning up public spaces; or becoming aware of and acting upon larger issues that cannot be addressed by one person.
Respect yourself.
Participate in the life of your community.
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Infinite Intelligence by Michele T.
From the beginning, human beings have imagined “something greater than themselves.” In the absence of scientific knowledge, the roots of religion were mythic. Acts of nature and unusual events were attributed to magical gods in the sky. As the stories evolved, faith was required to believe these stories, and it is time, finally, to grow up and let the mythic stories go as we redefine what this “something” is.
Sir John Templeton said wisely, “If you think you know what IT is, it is not that.” In relation to others, our “Thou shalts” should flow from the concepts inherent in the Golden Rule and Namaste.
Searching beyond ourselves to define what IT is, Wright said, “I believe in God, I just spell it NATURE.” Nature itself contains enough mystery, magic and richness to meet the needs of our souls. We have tortured Nature for her secrets for too long. Embracing our genetic connections to every species and living thing can only enrich us.
We are not just part of the world, we are part of the cosmos. With the new understanding of the quantum perspective, science and religion no longer have to be at odds. We are all interconnected. We are energy, light and “star stuff.” We can now understand why, hundreds of years ago, the mystic, Bruno, told the church fathers that their God was “too small.” Our sense of interconnectedness to the stars and beyond can lead us, in a far more profound way to authentic divinity.
The new religion must be so comprehensive that it can accommodate the positive aspects and beliefs that exist in every culture as determined by men, women and children who are moral exemplars.
The word, God, so laden with possible divisiveness should be replaced with “Love” or “Infinite Intelligence.”
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Light and Darkness by David M.
How is this achieved? There are as many paths as there are religions, as any new religion draws on those before it. Our love must be not only a humble acceptance of what is, but an eagerness to appreciate it as well, whether it be light or darkness. We must recognize God, the primary object of our love in many religions, as the ineffability of all that exists, having within itself the myriad of conflicts and contradictions on which we cast our moral judgments. Having made this peace with both the good and evil within ourselves and God, we will be free to choose good. A religion must never deny evil where evil is present, for all that exists is both.
The cultural trappings of one’s prior religion, such as holidays, identity, and matters of personal conscience, would be permitted and not discouraged. A religion of the 21st century will assume some moral competency on the part of its practitioner, as matters of right and wrong require only the most cursory grasp of social responsibility, and it is not the place of a religion to regulate the behavior of its constituents. It is the place of religion to empower them spiritually, and a mature spirituality must accept both the good and evil which flow from the same hand.