0.3.8 Key Learnings for a Reasonable Way

Version1.0 March 2013                                                Previous Version

We suggest our global beliefs, together with the values we choose based on them, provide better explanations of life, and guidelines for our behaviour, than other approaches, and we describe this as a reasonable global way.

We accept that some mysteries cannot be resolved and we can only embrace them.

·       No science, religion or philosophy resolves the mystery of existence itself.

·       Science, religion and philosophy don't adequately resolve the dilemma of chaos or causality, versus our choices on the other hand to value truth, responsibility and beauty.

·       No religion or philosophy can prove we must choose to value diversity, life, love and equality.  Science can explain how evolution led us to this choice, and history shows that it can be in our enlightened self-interest, but neither shows we must or should choose this path.

Other religions and philosophies don’t face up to this reality or acknowledge that, at the most fundamental level, our core values are based on the choices we make on these issues. 

The only core value philosophy, science, history and religion all justify is uncertainty, which implies diversity.  Fanatical fundamentalists deny even that. 

We acknowledge that a degree of faith is required to choose the values we espouse.  But ours is a minimalist faith, consistent with, not in spite of, reason and the evidence.  We know where our core values come from, and we are confident in that knowledge.

Just as theistic religions such as Christianity and Islam expect adherents to choose to follow God, and religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism expect followers to choose to seek enlightenment, and to behave accordingly, so we continually make choices that reflect the values of this way.

We acknowledge that these beliefs and values are all open to debate. 

Alternative conclusions will often be valid.  We need to continually adjust our beliefs and values in the light of reason and the evidence available to us, and we discuss whether all reasonable quests for the truth might converge onto similar conclusions and values. 

In these pages we discuss whether it is appropriate to call this way a ‘natural rational religion’, or whether it is preferable to call it a world view or a philosophy of life; and how we address what some call the sacred and spiritual.  We consider how this way addresses global, national and personal issues, enabling us to hope for the future and to join in service to others.  We look at potential ways to confirm, validate, normalise, project and promote this reasonable global way.

We end up coming to this summary of our conclusions.  You may be able to phrase this better.  In subsequent pages we expand out and justify each one of these points.