Why it "just doesn't matter"

Some think it's odd that an atheist would start a religion. Religion is usually associated with the supernatural, the acceptance that some things are unknowable, that there is a power higher than yourself.

I view religion as a netorking infrastructure for individuals of like mind. By like-mind I mean those who come to the same conclusions on issues such as "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Will there be life after this life?" The common answer: "It just doesn't matter!"

It doesn't matter because however you came to be, you were not involved in the decision. You were not party to any negotiation. Therefore you have no obligation to whoever, whatever put you here. Your life, your self, belongs to you, in this life or any other.

The atheist does not have to forego pondering an "afterlife". An afterlife does not have to be supernatural. In fact anything that exists must be natural. The fact that we don't know all the mechanics of it yet doesn't make it magic. What is, is. The one thing I know for sure is no matter where I go, there I am. I'm still me and I still own my self. This is non-negotiable in any universe.

The rest Doesn't Matter. Same game, different playground.

The First Church of Umanity

OK, we've got a religion, complete with commandments, a bit of preaching, even an official holiday. Now we need a name. I decided to use my screen name and call it Umanity. That makes me a Umanitarian, not to be confused with humanitarian.

A great humanitarian might not be a great Umanitarian. Someone who truly puts others before him or her self is in violation of the First Commandment. Helping others because you enjoy it and you believe it makes your universe better is not a violation. It may seem a trivial distinction, but it goes to the core of the First Commandment. Motivation and recognizing it is key.

The Three Commandments

If you read my previous post you know I've attempted to come up with some guidelines, suitable for atheists, in the event that there is some kind of life after this one, although not one governed by an almighty supreme being. They're actually quite useful even in the event that there isn't.

These guidelines are meant to be very basic "software instructions" for the self that give you a solid base for decision making. They are meant to be "omniversal" in that they may be applied in any environment in which you can still process thought. I came up with three, and upon further reflection, I think that's all we need.

Your self, it is all yours. You exist for your benefit, enjoyment, entertainment, not for anyone else's. Why, because we said so. Human rights were not endowed within us by a creator. We bestow them on each other by mutual consensus. You can declare your "rights" to the universe, but if nobody else recognizes, protects or enforces them, you have nothing. We will have this right when we agree that we have this right. The right extends to everyone who recognizes, protects and upholds it, human or otherwise.

A right is not a right until someone else recognizes and agrees to uphold it. Doing so must be mutually beneficial. An even trade. "Treat your neighbor as you would have them treat you.". This is the most basic form of negotiation between individuals. It doesn't require language or sound or anything but engaging in no behavior that does me harm, so long as I engage in no behavior that does you harm. We test each other during interaction. If I engage in behavior that makes you uncomfortable you respond, I respond, at some point we reach an equalibrium or part ways.

Okay, we've established that we are the center of our own universe and that we will allow others to be the same. Why? What's the agenda? A three word command: "Make it Better". You build your own agenda starting with those three words. In any situation or moment think: "How can I make this better?". A very subjective question. One that each individual answers for themselves. The starting point for the solution is adherence to the previous two principals.

How to boil those already concise fundamentals into three one line "commands"?

1. My Self Belongs To Me.
2. Your Self Belongs To You.
3. I Will Make This Better.

These are not proclaimations to the congregation. These are commands to be written by, sent by, directed to and received by your self.

Atheist "Religious" Principals

By Uman

In thinking about what it is that people really fear about death, it occurred to me that the biggest fear may be of being judged. Not only, being judged, but being judged by someone you can't BS that has your future in his/her/its hands. This would be especially disturbing to someone who has lived their life in a deceitful or dishonest manner. All of their secrets are about to be exposed and sentance is to be passed.

Being an atheist to me, does not rule out the possibility of my continued existence once this body is through. From a purely scientific standpoint, until we identify and completely understand the nature of the individual consciousness, we can't rule the possibility in or out.

Religion is a means of establishing the terms of an afterlife before the fact. Atheists need to get in on this, but in a more logical manner. Let's start with the premise that you will continue to exist in some form after your human body dies. What can we safely assume other than that? Well, you probably wont carry much memory forward, since memory is physically stored in the brain, and you wont have access to that anymore. You may carry forward a unique method of processing input or something akin to a "motherboard" , but not much else. We don't know what the environment will look like, or even if the physics will be the same. We don't know what type of vehicle or body you'll be housed in. Logically, to be best prepared for such an unknown situation it's best to focus on those ideas and ideals that will be of good use in any circumstance where individuals interact in some form or another.

The primary principal to carry forward should be the right to "self" . That is, that you exist primarily for your own benefit/entertainment/pleasure and not for someone or something else's. Freedom of association, freedom of thought, freedom from coercion and aggression should all apply regardless of the environment. You promote this principal by practicing it. You recognize these rights and freedoms among others and do nothing to violate or inhibit them, while demanding the same for yourself. The golden rule "Treat your neighbor as you would have them treat you" is OmniVersal. It's applicable to those who practice it. Others are exempt. In other words, you have the right to defend yourself against violations of your right to self.

What action should you take? You've just been thrown into a totally new and foreign environment. You don't speak the language, you don't have any knowledge of the place or mastery of anything in it. You don't know anyone here yet. A good rule of thumb is to always think: "How can I make this better?" In any given moment, is there an action you can take that will make the next moment more enjoyable, interesting, comfortable, etc, without violating the primary principal?

These are a couple of good ones to start with. I don't want to list a bunch of guidelines, just for the sake of having more guidelines.

What's the point? Well, as I said, if there's an afterlife, you probably don't get to keep your memory. Therefore any useful ideals or methods of operating must be ingrained in your self to be carried forward. The best way to accomplish that is to live by those parameters now. Everyday. All the time, until you don't have to think about it anymore. It's just who you are. OmniVersal principals are meant to be advantageous in any universe, including this one, even if this turns out to be the only one and there is no life after your human body expires.

Also, if there is an afterlife, you'll be dealing with individuals for whom different afterlife ground rules may have been established. Any delay in getting your self oriented and prepared to make decisions could leave one vulnerable to deception and manipulation. Best to be somewhat ready in advance. After all, if there is an afterlife, there's no reason think I wont be in the minority again. I'm going to need allies in the next phase, if only to keep from being burned at the proverbial stake.