This page is part of “Creating a New Positive Religion or Spiritual Tradition”.
This is still a DRAFT.
Many religions suffer from dogma. How does our tradition avoid this?
Unlike traditions that treat all of their teachings as fixed and final, this new spiritual tradition draws a distinction between what is open to free inquiry and what is essential and non-negotiable. Metaphysical questions — what happens to our consciousness after death, the ultimate nature of reality, how to interpret a given practice or teaching — are open for discussion, revision, and even disagreement. No belief about these matters is imposed as absolute truth; each person is invited to explore, question, and adapt them in light of reason, evidence, inspiration, and their own experience.
What is not open to revision is the core commitment to caring for the wellbeing and personal sovereignty of every person. Anyone who denies the value of others’ wellbeing, who would sacrifice it for their own benefit, or who seeks to coerce others against their will — has placed themselves outside this tradition. This is not a minor matter of style: there is no toleration of unjustified intolerance. Just as a healthy democracy must actively oppose those who aim to exploit its freedoms in order to install a dictatorship, this tradition actively opposes any effort to use it, or any other institution, to erode people’s freedom and self-sovereignty.
In practice: differing beliefs about God, the afterlife, or the nature of consciousness are all welcome. A fruitful debate about how to implement our core beliefs is encouraged. Coercion of any kind — physical, social, or institutional — is unacceptable (except when used in defense of the innocent from harm).