I found this list on a website for a communal living place in Eugene, OR. I feel that this statement of religious beliefs gets to the heart of what religion and community is and should be about. If you ever feel like dropping out of the rat race, check out a place like this. I know I may someday...
It's called the
Heliotrope Community1.There is one God, the eternal, the only being; God is one with the universe; nothing else exists but God.
2.There is only one family and one race and each person is entitled to share equitably in the gifts of the creation.
3.There is one holy book, the sacred manuscript of nature/creation, the only scripture which can enlighten the reader, and it is written in our hearts and minds.
4.There is one religion, that which fulfills the life purpose of all souls while they live and serve in harmony with every other soul.
5.There is one law, the law of love, which is manifested through service to all other living beings.
6.There is one moral principle, the love which springs forth from self-discipline for the sake of others, and blooms in deeds of kindness.
7.There is one object of praise, the one creation which uplifts the heart of its worshippers.
8.There is one truth, the true knowledge of our oneness, within and without, which is the essence of all wisdom, and which always seeks to edify.
Because we are one with God, we are also one with each other. Whatever harms any of us, harms us all. Whatever lowers one of us, lowers us all. Therefore we endeavor:
•To eliminate hierarchy in relationships between people.
•To practice non-violence in our personal and interpersonal lives.
•To respect and preserve the natural environment for the use of our own and other species, now and in the future.
•To confront and defeat classism, racism, ageism, sexism, and other forms of oppression both in ourselves and in other people.
•To hold all things common, sharing all that we are, and have, and can produce with, and for each other.
