Church of Reality
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The Church of Reality is a religion based on the practice of philosophical realism, "belief in everything that is real".[1] The church's motto is, "If it's real, we believe in it."
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[edit] History
The Church of Reality was founded by Marc Perkel, a resident of San Bruno, California and a former employee of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.[2] A secular humanist who was "barely raised Jewish,"[2] Perkel came up with the idea for a religion that was "doubt based" rather than "faith based"[2] on November 7, 1998. He immediately registered a domain name for the church, and set to work building its web site;[3][4] by March 2008, there were 1,200 people on the Church of Reality's e-mail list.[citation needed]
The Church of Reality is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt not for profit organization recognized by the IRS. The application was first submitted on November 6, 2003 and finally approved on October 20, 2005.[5] The term "Church of Reality" is also a trademark of the church. The trademark was filed on October 31, 2003 and granted on January 18, 2005.[6]
[edit] Doctrine and practices
Generally speaking, philosophical realists believe that whatever they believe now is only an approximation of reality and that every new observation brings them closer to understanding reality.[7]
According to the church's website, "Since no one knows all of reality, the Church of Reality is about the pursuit of reality the way it really is. Members commit to being intellectually honest with themselves and with others so they can cut through the mythology and focus on reality.[8]
Due to the founder's background in computer science and electronics, the Church of Reality consistently promotes scientific theories such as evolution and environmentalism. In addition, unlike conventional brick-and-mortar churches, the organization uses a website as its primary front to the outside world, and almost all contact between the public, church members, adherents to the church's belief-set, and the church's clergy take place through electronic forms of communication.
"Just as a whale is a mammal that looks like a fish, we are a religion that looks like science," is one of the defining slogans of the church.[9]
The Sacred Principles of the Church of Reality are:[10]
- The Principle of Positive Evolution
- 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
[edit] Distinguishing characteristics
To distinguish the Church from other religions, its website lists a number of things the Church is not. Among these are:[11]
- No salvation
- Nothing supernatural
- No rituals
- No Dogma
- Not morally superior
- Not out to destroy religion
- Not a cult
- Not a scam
- Not a political organization
- Not a science foundation
[edit] See also
- Atheism
- Empiricism
- Freethought
- Irreligion
- Nontheism
- Philosophical realism
- Rationalism
- Religious skepticism
- Secularism
- Transtheistic
[edit] References
- ^ "The Church of Reality". AtheismOnline. http://www.atheismonline.com/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,18/Itemid,28/. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ a b c Morente, Christine (March 6, 2008). "San Bruno man founds Church of Reality". Oakland Tribune. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20080306/ai_n24911813. Retrieved on 2008-09-17.
- ^ "The Structure of The Church". The Church of Reality. http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/church_structure/. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ "Area Man Founds Church of Reality". InsideBayArea.com. http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_8473532.
- ^ Perkel, Marc (October 19, 2005). "Church of Reality gets IRS Tax Status". marc.perkel.com. Marc Perkel Rantz. http://marc.perkel.com/2005/10/19/church-of-reality-gets-irs-tax-status/. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ "The Church of Reality is a Registered Trademark". The Church of Reality. http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/trademark/. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
- ^ Blackburn, Simon (2005). Truth: A Guide. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516824-0.
- ^ Church of Reality website
- ^ "What makes the Church of Reality Different?". The Church of Reality. http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/different/. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
- ^ "The Sacred Principles". The Church of Reality. http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/the_sacred_principles/. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
- ^ "What the Church of Reality is not". The Church of Reality. http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/introduction/home/what_the_church_of_reality_is_not.html. Retrieved on 2008-09-16.
