Introduction
It’s a popular notion that all religions are actually the same, and that they only differ in their details. But is it true?
Most devout followers of traditional religions would disagree. When it comes to ideas about the afterlife, the dictates of their scriptures, and their rules of conduct, religions are really all quite different.
However, when one looks at the big picture and tries to make sense of what their ultimate goals are, all religions seem quite similar. All religions are methods of “learning how to operate in the world” by simplifying and structuring its elements. This is generally done by providing a community and a knowledge base which offers support and answers. And while each of those systems contain different content, they tend to provide the same ultimate answers and benefits. Among them are:
- You are small and fragile, but through our group you will become part of something larger and stronger.
- You worry too much about unimportant things. Material benefits are not as rewarding as psychological ones.
- In order to have a prosperous life, you must learn to overcome your animal behaviors and impulses.
- The world is a mystery. You’re not going to figure it all out. But let’s enjoy trying to make sense of it.
ISM operates under the idea that a universal religion would be one which provides these sorts of answers, only without the supernatural parts. As much as people are drawn to the supernatural, we can’t have a universal religion with supernatural stuff because no one can ever agree on what the supernatural actually is. Thus, a universal religion must be merely a means to help make sense of the world, to get us along with each other, and to increase the psychological quality of our lives. The rest is all just window dressing.
That isn’t to say that ISM is against all window dressing, however. At ISM, we propose offering a wide array of new curtains to decorate our temples! You may have noticed that ISM isn’t just one universal religion: it’s several. Each ISM has its own mythology and iconography. Each has their own “window dressing,” so to speak. Whereas the curtains of most religions are generally thousands of years old, we have launched brand new religions (ISMs) like Loveism, Informationism and Artism. And we have also resurrected old philosophies like Stoicism, Epicureanism and Daoism and refashioned them as new ISMs. We’ve even put forth religions based on modern words of art to form Dudeism, Pythonism and Bokononism.
Although nothing is truly sacred at ISM, everything can be revered.
Certainly, ISM is not for everyone. But we try to be accommodating and respectful as possible: People can join ISM and still hold on to their traditional religions. We eschew displays of aggression or superiority as they contradict our core principles of non-aggression and non-coercion. Ours is a movement designed to encourage efficiency of interaction. As we take much of our inspiration from Philosophical Taoism (what we call Daoism), ISM always seeks a harmonious path, one which confronts and provides the least resistance.
Newsing My Religion
What are the challenges associated with starting new religions? Well of course, no one said this was going to be easy.
Most of the popular world religions began two to three thousand years ago, and are still impressively popular. An estimated 84 percent of the world still follow these ancient belief systems. Evidently, it’s not easy starting new religions.
Or rather, it’s easy to start one (especially in the US), but quite another to get people to join. As comedian George Carlin said, “I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don’t have as many people who believe it.”
Proponents of established religions might claim that their continued popularity is due to their unrivaled truths, and that there’s nothing new that needs to be revealed. Of course, if they all believe this to be true, why are there so many with conflicting views? As we mentioned above, this is probably due to their universal commonalities rather than their individual differences.
We posit several reasons why established religions continue to remain popular. One reason is network effects: As with Windows OS and QWERTY keyboards, the more people that use them, the more that everyone else is obliged to use them. Small religions have a hard time getting a foothold in a world where most of the territory has long since been spoken for.
Another reason is the grandfather effect (appeal to tradition, or argument from age): Because they are old and have come to us down through the hazy mists (and myths) of time, they seem somehow more valid: If they existed so long and have so many adherents, they must deserve to continue. Smaller, newer religions have no such implicit, inherited cachet.
Finally, people are generally content with their religions: they don’t shop around for them the way they do houses, cars or clothing. And those who aren’t happy with religion (the remaining 16 percent or so) aren’t generally in the market to pick up a new one.
Nevertheless, here at ISM, we propose that one of the main problems with getting new religions off the ground has to do with the vague, undefined nature of the word. If people came to see that religion can mean much more than is commonly assumed, perhaps they might consider adopting a new one, if only provisionally. Or even fashioning a new one themselves!
Defining the Word
What is a religion exactly? Here is a short list of definitions:
- An explanation of how the universe (and humans) came to be. Being.
- An ethical code of good conduct. Doing.
- A method for developing a good relationship with a higher power. Respecting.
- A way to improve the quality of our lives and reduce suffering. Flourishing.
- A way of grouping people together in a community. Cooperating.
- A framework for understanding the world. Understanding.
ISM’s relationship to each of these elements is different than other religions in some ways, and the similar in others:
Being
In ancient times, there was no science, so religions took their best shot at coming up with an explanation for life, the universe, and everything. Science hasn’t explained everything, but it’s gradually usurped all of religion’s territory in this regard. Though devout followers disregard a lot of the scientific consensus, ISM doesn’t. We tend to choose empirical arguments over received wisdom. Consequently, there isn’t much that ISM has to say about the nature or origin of being.
However, ISM does have a lot to say about the value of being. It could be argued that it is a conservationist worldview and could even be parsed as IS-M. Which underscores our belief in the continued existence of things. In other words, anything that helped the continued existence of life or possibility or freedom should be promoted, and anything that words oppositely, to destroy these things, should be avoided. Our followers can be called Xists, which sounds like “exists.”
Doing
Taking on board the notion that existence should be protected and nourished, our primary objective is the same as the ancient Hippocratic oath: Do no harm.
