Going to a Physical Church
Finding a Realist Community
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The Church of Reality doesn't have its own physical churches. We started out as an Internet-based religion and we are primarily web-based. There is, however, another religion called the Unitarian Universalist that does have churches and have a set of values that are very compatible with our values. The Unitarians have been around for hundreds of years and the cornerstone of their religion is community. Unitarians are so committed to community that they have chosen not to have their own doctrine so that they can be as welcoming as possible to people of other beliefs,and to bring all people together into a single community.
Unitarians and Realists differ in that Realists put reality first and are interested in community. Unitarians put community first and are interested in reality. A physical church is a place where people meet to form a community. The Church of Reality has the Principle of Inclusiveness and one of our missions is to spread our message of reality to the real world. Since Unitarians put community first, it is logical to assume that they will probably be better at community than we are.
Realists and Unitarian Universalists share a lot of the same important values. We have the same moral code and our passions about society are almost identical.
The Unitarians have a guide 100 Questions that Non-Members Ask About, and we can find nothing in their religion that would in any way compromise our values as Realists. Universalists include members of a lot of religions. Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Atheists are all welcome, and they agree to respect each other and to work together and exchange ideas. This allows Realists not only to share our views of reality with other people who are interested in reality, but also to learn about people who come from different backgrounds and have opinions that differ from ours. If we had our own churches, we probably wouldn't be as accepting of other people as Unitarians are, and would end up with a far less diverse community. Realists thrive best in a community of intellectual diversity, and if Unitarians can provide better diversity than we can ourselves, then it is reasonable to join with them in their community.
The Unitarian Universalist religion has been around for over 400 years. The Church of Reality is brand new. We have a lot to learn about community and it is an opportunity to learn what they have spent centuries perfecting. We also have the Principle of Humility that helps keep us in our place and keeps us from developing a false sense of self-importance. We believe that sharing a community with people of other religions who share our values will help keep us in line, and if we get off track, they will help keep us real. Someone to call us on our Bullshit.
The name Church of Reality is made up of two words. The word "Church" represents the human element and the word "Reality" is the scientific element. The Church of Reality is the union of humanity with science. It is far too easy to indulge in the science and forget the humanity. Left on our own, we might forget who we are as people and focus on the technology. It is good for us to form community with people who put community first and can help us stay focused on the fact that our religion is not just about reality, but also about people. So we are just going to have to put up with being around where some people worship deities in order to maintain our human perspective. Unitarian Atheists seem quite happy there, so there's no reason we can't thrive there as well.
Unitarian Universalist Principles include:
- The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth
in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process
within our congregations and in society at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice
for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which
we are a part.
We, as Realists, share these values. Unitarians aren't exactly like us. But they are close enough. And keep in mind that this is just for those Realists who want to go to a church. Going to church is not in any way required of Realists. |
When attending a Unitarian Church it is important to be respectful of the members of the Unitarian community, remembering that we are individuals forming a community, just like everyone else. Unitarians like to exchange ideas about their widely variant philosophies, and we are there not just to talk about reality but also to learn about reality. We're not there to try to convert anyone to Realism.
Unitarians are activists and care deeply about equality and social justice. They protest together and sometimes their bonds are based on being arrested together as a community. Nothing like spending the night in jail with someone to really get to know them. I think I would be proud to be arrested with a Unitarian.
We in the Church of Reality are new at this. Unitarians have centuries of experience and have made great contributions to the Tree of Knowledge. Much of what we know today and value in the Church of Reality came from our Unitarian ancestors. So it is totally acceptable to have both the Unitarian and the Realist identities at the same time.
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Some people are confused about the relationship between the Church of Reality and Unitarian Universalists. People ask, "The Unitarians don't believe in anything, including reality. If a Realist joined a Unitarian church doesn't that lower our standards?"
Actually not because to be a Unitarian is to be a member of a dual religion. They have no creed so that everyone in the Church can believe whatever they want. Individuals can have strongly held beliefs, like being a Realist in addition to being a member of a Unitarian community. What Unitarians are into is community. They are especially into creating community across religious boundaries. So a person can be fully Realist and be in community with people who are not Realists. It doesn't weaken your position on reality, in fact it strengthens it because you are in an environment that will keep you thinking when people discuss their beliefs.
Part of the mission of the Church of Reality is to reach out to other people and be part of not only our own evolution but the evolution of other religions. We can't do that if we become isolated. It is good for us and it is good for them if Realists form community bonds with other people. Unitarians do allow for subcultures to form within their churches so that Atheists can get together by themselves and Christians can get together, etc. But Unitarianism creates a more expansive view of the concept of what the word "us" means. They are a living example that reflects our Sacred Principle of Inclusiveness and they are more inclusive than we would probably be. So since church is about community and inclusiveness then we should do it the best we can. Why reinvent the wheel when the Unitarians have already accomplished what we dream to be.
The Church of Reality might some day have its own churches. But for now let us learn from the Unitarians and see how that works out. This is good for us in this stage of our evolution.
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Physical Churches 
