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An Overview of Realism as a Religion |
What is the Church of Reality? What makes it a religion? What do Realists believe in? Why should I become a Realist?
The name Church of Reality is the short definition of what we are and a statement of our mission. The Church of Reality is a religion based on the axiom that the pursuit of the understanding of reality by humans has value. Realism is a world view and a philosophy of life. Our beliefs are based on what actually is real. Since no person knows all of reality our religion is based on the pursuit of reality as it really is. Realism is a religious identity and a culture of people who put reality first above all other beliefs and philosophies. Realism is the pursuit of the understanding of real reality as it really is.
If you think this concept is simple and that our entire religious philosophy can fit on a bumper sticker, you are in for a pleasant surprise. This religion is far deeper and more interesting than you can imagine. Although it has roots in a simple concept -- the pursuit of the understanding of reality as it really is -- you will find new concepts here that you've not yet seen anywhere else. As you embrace the concepts presented here, you will find them both interesting and fascinating, and well worth your time. These reality-based concepts are a lot to comprehend and we hope that no matter what your background, you will take the time to read the vast amount of material presented here. Realism is both deep and rich and is as full a religion as any other religion on the planet.
Our gift is to give you something to think about.
If you are a member of some other religion and are trying to assess what we are, we welcome you to read on. We believe that all religions better themselves the more they embrace reality. We are a church of reality evangelists and we want everyone to spend time thinking about reality, talking about reality, and exploring reality along with us. And, if you believe in something and what you believe in is real, we are interested. Our religion incorporates concepts from many other religious disciplines, philosophies, and world views. We are always looking for new ideas that we can add to our Kernel. We are a culture of listeners and thinkers especially when we are talking about what is real. We can be "converted" and accept a new truth as long as you can demonstrate this truth using the Sacred Method, which means that you can prove your point using science and reason.
We believe that thinking about reality is good for you no matter what your religious beliefs.
However, it is our hope that we can inspire you to think about reality and to more fully make reality part of your life. After all, if what you believe in is real, and you believe that it is important for you to believe in something that's real, then thinking about reality and talking about reality should be no threat to your belief system. In our religion the word Reality is our Sacred Message. Our world view is that every time the word Reality is spoken, the world becomes a little smarter. Whenever people discuss reality that is for us Communion. So your reading of our Kernel is taking communion with us and we appreciate you taking the time to read this and making the Church of Reality part of your Life story.
The first step in learning about Realism is to learn the Vocabulary of Reality. Like other religions we have our own vocabulary to express new concepts in our religion. As you learn these new words and the concepts behind them you will more fully understand who we are as a culture and the foundation we are creating upon which to build this religion.
We were created by reality and we are trying to understand our creator just like every other religion.
What is a religion? A religion is a community of people who share a common world view and a set of moral values and have a set of common goals that attempt to give humanity an understanding of our place in the universe. Like other religions we ask who we are, how did we get here, and what is our role in existence. We are the creation of reality and we are trying to understand our creator, just like every other religion. Since we are part of reality and we are aware of reality and trying to understand reality, it can be said that reality understands itself through us. Each of us is a portal through which reality itself becomes aware of its own existence and reality understands itself through us. We seek to understand the understanding of understanding, and to know real reality as it really is. We come together as a community to share our individual knowledge so that we might all understand ourselves as a people and as a planet.
Many religions believe in the supernatural. We do not. We are a Reality Based Religion. It's a concept that takes some time to get used to. When you were young at some point you learned that a whale was not a fish, that it was in fact a mammal. That was hard to understand because we all knew that mammals had fur and lived on the land, and things that lived in the sea and had fins were fish. Similarly not all religions believe in deities or things that defy logic and science. This is one of the many new concepts to ponder in our religion. But this concept shouldn't be that foreign because, if you are of some other religion and if what you believe in is real, then you have the same problem we do. So if your religion is a real religion, then our religion must also be a real religion.
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Newsflash |
Marc Perkel, the founder of the Church of Reality is now listed on the American TSA list as a terrorist suspect. The TSA (US Transportation Security Administration) maintains a "selectee list" which lists people who are flagged for heightened security screening. This list, which has not caught a single real terrorist, is used mostly as a political enemies list against activists who are speaking out against government abuses of power.
"In some ways this is a badge of honor", states Marc Perkel, First One of the Church of Reality. In this environment of repression of non-Christian religions in America, if you aren't on the TSA list you aren't getting your message out. I consider it to be an acknowledgement that I'm doing my job."
This selectee list is not the worst list that the TSA has. Marc is not on the no fly list which would have prevented him from flying at all. This is just a harassment list that the US government keeps to intimidate activists.
As a result, the United States of America is now on the Church of Reality list of nations who are hostile to Realism and Realists and the US is a nation that is moving in a dangerous direction towards oppressing religious freedom.
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Please link to us, discuss us in online forums, and blog about us. Every time anyone thinks about reality the world becomes a little smarter.
Spelling and Grammar errors? spelling@churchofreality.org - please identify page and location in the page of the error.
The Church of Reality is a non-prophet organization.
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