[Mongol Federation]

A church based on fact and logic? Okay, so it's not Scientology but it's still a seemingly odd religion.

[capitalC]

I really don't see the need for a religion like this.

Freethinkers and believers in logic and reason don't need a religion to gather under. We simply gather.

[Lamuella]

there is no association at all between this church, whatever they are, and scientology. It's a little insulting to this church to make that association.

[Heyman]

The whole site looks like satire. Is it really an organization?

[Sunake]

"Welcome Neo, to the Church of the Real."

[SpacingOutMan]

I feel like that is a joke website, similar to Pastarfarianism(sp?)/FSM.

[mastab]

SpacingOutMan, on May 2 2009, 10:46 AM, said:

I feel like that is a joke website, similar to Pastarfarianism(sp?)/FSM.

Yeah. If it's a joke, it's been done. If it's serious, just call yourself an agnostic atheist.

[NewPoseidon]

One of the problems with atheism is that is it......well......inspirational. Some try to create "churches" of atheism or "religions" of science for PR purposes, I suppose.

Also, the experience of going to church is so ingrained into our culture and psyche that all of us feel a need to go, even if it means going to a non-church church.

I did like this though:

[thedestro]

It might be real. I searched on IRS's site and it actually legitimately has tax exempt status.

But it just is so inflammatory I really want it to be satire, there's crap all over like this:

Quote

If you're tired of Christians forcing their ideas on you and society in general and you want to see an alternative based on reality, then send me some money.

[Dennis Von Bremen]

NewPoseidon, on May 2 2009, 04:19 PM, said:

Also, the experience of going to church is so ingrained into our culture and psyche that all of us feel a need to go, even if it means going to a non-church church.

Really, all of us? I could care less about going to church personally.

thedestro, on May 2 2009, 04:32 PM, said:

But it just is so inflammatory I really want it to be satire, there's crap all over like this:

Meh, no one's forcing you to send him any money.

This post has been edited by Dennis Von Bremen: 02 May 2009 - 03:34 PM

[Tritonia]

Creating a religion as a protest against religion is not clever nor particularly amusing.

[Lord GVChamp]

NewPoseidon, on May 2 2009, 04:19 PM, said:

Also, the experience of going to church is so ingrained into our culture and psyche that all of us feel a need to go, even if it means going to a non-church church.

Except for those of us who never went to church in our lives

Thank the lord, I have a hard enough time sitting during professor lectures/

[Sunake]

The problem is that belief precludes any knowledge of the thing existing. To believe in what we know is real is redundant. To have faith in reality is rather stupid since I don't need faith to know I'm sitting in my lay-z-boy typing on a school laptop to discuss a topic about the church of reality. This website reeks of satire.

[Red Dragon]

I'm still a Pastafarian.

[Great Lord Moth]

http://www.churchofr...inciple_of_bull (BAD WORD WAS ONCE HERE) .html

I like this particular section. ;>.>

This post has been edited by Great Lord Moth: 02 May 2009 - 10:09 PM

[mastab]

NewPoseidon, on May 2 2009, 02:19 PM, said:

One of the problems with atheism is that is it......well......inspirational. Some try to create "churches" of atheism or "religions" of science for PR purposes, I suppose.

Also, the experience of going to church is so ingrained into our culture and psyche that all of us feel a need to go, even if it means going to a non-church church.

I did like this though:

Ingrained in those who go to church, maybe, but not to those who don't. I have no desire to go to church and the times I've been there were unpleasant. Atheism shouldn't use the tools of religion as a way to spread itself.

[-Wolverine-]

Quote

What the Church of Reality is Not
To avoid confusion and misconceptions, here is a list of things that the Church of Reality is not. Sometimes a religion can better clarify what it is by stating what it isn't. We are like other religions in many ways and in many ways we are not like other religions. Here is a list of what we are not.


We don't Worship Anything - If you want to worship something it's up to you. But this church is about reality, not about God. We are not theists. However, if God comes out of hiding and shows itself in objective reality then we will believe in it. This church is based in reality and not for the purpose of worship. However, using some of the dictionary terms for the word "worship" it might be said that we worship truth, reality, and the Tree of Knowledge. Communion in the Church of Reality is ordering a pizza together.

No Salvation - If you want to get saved, go to a church that offers that service. In the Church of Reality "being saved" means having a good backup of your computer data. The only known afterlife in the Church of Reality is the ideas you leave behind that are worth remembering.

Nothing Supernatural - We don't believe in the supernatural. There are things we can't explain because we don't know all the answers. But we do believe that explanations do exist and our purpose is to use science and figure it out. If something is outside of reality, then it's not real.

No Rituals - We don't throw virgins into volcanoes. We don't baptize anyone. We don't speak in tongues. We are suspicious, however, of people who aren't into Star Trek.

No Dogma - We have no "holy book" or "holy web site" that contains any list of things that you are expected to believe in. You are not required to accept anything on "faith." The Church of Reality is a Doubt-Based Religion. We believe in the Principle of !@#$%^&*, that !@#$%^&* is !@#$%^&*, no matter how many people believe it.

Not Morally Superior - We don't look down our noses at the rest of the world. This planet is but a speck of dust in a galaxy of billions of stars in a universe of billions of galaxies. We exist for an instant of time. How important can we be? We are not morally superior to you, and you are not morally superior to us.

We're not out to Destroy Religion - This is an alternative to other religions for some people. It is not an alternative for everyone. If you're happy with your beliefs then we're happy for you. The world would be boring if everyone believed the same thing. This religion fills a gap to serve those who are into reality. Reality isn't for everyone. Religion will stand or fall on it's own merits. We are here to help other religions evolve in a positive direction by bringing reality into the religious discussion.

We are not a Cult - We are strongly individualistic. We encourage people to disagree and to argue their point. Our mission is to inspire people to think. We are not followers. We are Explorers.

We are not a Scam - This is a real religion with a real doctrine. This is not a get rich quick scam. We are not here to trick you out of your money by promising you rewards in the next life. This isn't a front for a clever tax dodge. We are not a religion dreamed up to find suckers. The Church of Reality is not organized around money,

We don't think for you - We are not a religion that is going to tell you what to think. We require that you do your own thinking. We are not followers, we are Explorers. We don't tell you what reality is. We invite you to join us in helping all of us grow our knowledge of reality together.

We don't control your life - We are a highly individualistic church that believes strongly in individuality and personal freedom.

We are not a Political Organization - The Church of Reality is a religion, not a political movement. Individually, however, we are very political and members are encouraged to participate in politics and government in the interest of creating a better world. But as a church, we endorse no candidates or affiliate ourselves with any political parties. Members of the Church of Reality are required to come to their own conclusions as to who to vote for. We do, however, strongly encourage voting.

We are not a Science Foundation - Although our religion is science-based and we have a religious commitment to science, the Church of Reality itself is not a science organization. We don't determine and declare what is real and what is scientific fact. That is the job of science. Our job is promoting a religious commitment to the scientific process and helping to build a world where science can thrive.

We don't pass out Credentials - If you are looking to pay $25 to become a minister in the Church of Reality you are looking in the wrong place. The Universal Life Church sells ministries in a box. If you want to become a mail order preacher, they can fix you up.

The "church" sounds completely reasonable.... doesn't Scientology believe in aliens coming from Alpha Omega or something?

[shoe the fifth]

-Wolverine-, on May 3 2009, 08:33 AM, said:

The "church" sounds completely reasonable.... doesn't Scientology believe in aliens coming from Alpha Omega or something?

actually they believe that the alien overlord xenu met up with a bunch of psychiatrists to trick everybody into income tax inspections. only instead of income tax inspections, he froze their souls with a glycol/alcohol mixture. he then loaded up all the frozen souls into giant spaceships that look like DC8's to take them to earth, which was known as teegeeack to them. he then lowered the frozen souls into volcanoes and blew them up with hydrogen bombs. the soul ghosts (called thetans) were then captured by a giant vacuum cleaner and forced to watch a 3D, super colossal motion picture in the canary islands for 36 days which was filled with tainted information, mainly all current world religions. the now-brainwashed soul ghosts clumped around the few souls that didn't get blown up by the hydrogen bombs, who eventually became the precursors to humanity. the soul ghosts that are clumped around you are responsible for every bad thing and feeling in your life. meanwhile some of xenu's underlings staged a coup and locked him away in a mountain, believed to be somewhere in the pyrenees. the government that xenu once ruled over then abandoned earth.

that's the short version anyway.

This post has been edited by shoe the fifth: 03 May 2009 - 02:28 AM

[-Wolverine-]

Seriously?

Wow.

Its more interesting than I thought.

[shoe the fifth]

-Wolverine-, on May 3 2009, 09:43 AM, said:

Seriously?

seriously.

EDIT: oh right, and it's probably worth mentioning that everything in their religion that takes place before xenu happen far before the earliest estimations of the beginning of the universe. the earliest event in their chronology happens 70 septemvigintillion years ago.

This post has been edited by shoe the fifth: 03 May 2009 - 03:27 AM