Mission:
To spread freedom and joy to as many people as possible, and in doing so make the world a better place for all of humanity, which we believe was Jesus’ greatest command. We do this by trying to live our Tenets in every aspect of our lives and sharing our path to joy with whoever asks.
Doctrine:
Was Jesus divine, or just a man as the Jewish religion teaches? If he was divine, was he both God and man as most Christians teach? And if divine, is he the same as the Father and Holy Spirit, different persons of the same God, or one of three Gods? (Ask a Christian and you might get any one of those answers depending on their sect.)
Which answer did Jesus say was right? Read Jesus’ teachings and you’ll find that he didn’t spend much time talking about doctrine. He was focused on orthopraxy, or how we should live. He rarely taught orthodoxy, or what to believe. We believe that we find Jesus by following Jesus. It is an amazing miracle and gift – by living a life where you try to emulate Jesus your heart is softened and your mind is opened. We do that by putting our focus in the same place that Jesus did, which we describe in our Tenets.
We believe you cannot abdicate your personal responsibility to seek the truth. While religious doctrine might guide your study and seeking of the truth, you must never simply accept it. Jesus worked to free people from the control of religious groups that used their position for power and enriching themselves. Blindly following a leader makes you their slave. And it is not just others we need worry about. As Bob Marley wrote, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds.” Willful ignorance and self-deception only make you a slave to your lies. Jesus was clear that seeking truth is required, and once you “know the truth…the truth will set you free.”
Read, study, learn – always seeking the truth, and always using reason and critical thinking. Live like Jesus.
Leadership:
We are guided by the Eclectic Monks. They are not prophets, merely enlightened individuals committed to our mission. Eclectic Monk is not a full-time nor compensated position. Indeed, the opposite – as members are encouraged to give to those in need instead of the church the Eclectic Monks must donate both time and money to further the church’s mission. The Eclectic Monks are expected to maintain an outside job and not rely on the church for any material need.
What it means to be enlightened:
Jesus taught that we should be critical thinkers that seek the truth. We call this “enlightened”, i.e. one that seeks the truth and adjusts their perspective based on the facts that they find. Our Tenets summarize how individuals, couples, and governments should conduct themselves. They are essentially an applied guide of Jesus’ teachings. Members seek to know Jesus by following Jesus, usually using our Tenets along with study and meditation as their guide.
Followers vs Christians:
The term “Christian” has been co-opted by organizations that don’t focus on following Jesus, and instead have become havens for some of the most depraved of society. Instead of protecting the vulnerable as Jesus taught, they protect predators and abusers. And instead of contributing to God’s kingdom they enrich themselves and ignore Jesus’ many warnings about wealth. Jesus’ apostles, especially Paul and Luke, noted multiple times that they worked to earn money so they contributed to God’s kingdom instead of living off of it. Today “Christian” has become equivalent to “Mammonite” and no longer makes people think of being an active disciple of Jesus.
This is why we call ourselves “Followers” and why our leadership do not profit from their roles.