O R I G I N
The Meeting Place of Religions

INTRODUCTION
CONTENTS
All projects and materials originate at this site.
"In this new ecological age of developing global community and interfaith
dialogue, the world's religions face what is perhaps the greatest
challenge that they have ever encountered. Each is inspired by a unique
vision of the divine and has a distinct cultural identity. At the same
time, each perceives the divine as the source of unity and peace. The
challenge is to preserve their religious and cultural uniqueness without
letting it operate as a cause of narrow and divisive sectarianism that
contradicts the vision of divine unity and peace. It is a question of
whether the healing light of religious vision will overcome the social and
ideological issues that underlie much of the conflict between religions."
Steven C. Rockefeller, Spirit and Nature, p.169
In our present context of global diversity and pluralism, where hundreds
or thousands of religious traditions compete and interact with one
another, and religion can be understood as entirely unique to the
individual, there is no one way to understand the relationships between
traditions.
We can describe these possibilities in terms of an ascending array of
levels:
- Unique individuality -- religion is entirely private, and no two
people, even within the same tradition, understand it the same way
- Independent pluralism -- religious traditions are entirely independent,
have little in common, and are in direct competition
- Interreligious community -- religions are independent with a few
factors in common, and can loosely relate to one another in a spirit of
mutual respect
- Harmony of religions -- though diverse, religions have much in
common, can identify this common ground, and can work together to pursue
mutual objectives
- Unity of Religions -- the various traditions, though different in many
respects, are at core pointing to the same truth, and presenting the same
message. This unity can be experienced through spirituality and devotion;
differences are fundamentally semantic, or involve political or "outer"
issues
- Scientific unity of religions -- experimental view based on
psychological theory, mathematics, and anthropology, developing the
thesis that all "true religions" arise as alternative interpretations of
the same underlying ontology, which can be understood in scientific and
mathematical terms
The ORIGIN project considers all of the above possibilities, and sees them
all as valid and defensible positions within the larger global context.
But at the same time, we conceive the possibility of a transcendent
universal theology, potentially grounded through scientific methods, and
linked to every major tradition as an interpretation of its central
teachings.
Cyberspace and the Web provide an ideal medium for the unfolding of this
potential. We can create a multi-level integrated network, that relates
to all traditions, that embraces their truth, on their terms, as they
present it, linking these traditions together into one global network
system.
In the context of this array of possibilities, the ORIGIN project works to
build the relationship between traditions. We conceive what we are doing
as a precursor to a sophisticated 21st century network, which will
coordinate the relationship between religions, precisely defining what
they hold in common and empowering their common objectives, while
preserving their authenticity and unique individuality.
Religions can be understood to "meet" in various ways. Representatives of
the various traditions can simply come together, discuss similarities and
differences, and work to empower whatever they may have in common. And,
in a transcendental sense, we can imagine a scheme through which all
traditions might be said to "meet" at some common highest point, a common
center, a common ontological ground.
The development of such a scheme, if it is possible at all, is a
sophisticated undertaking, involving not only advanced theology and
cultural anthropology and the psychology of religion, but very likely
scientific theories of mind and cognition and language as well.
The development of this site, and the network projects to which it is
linked, are driven by the sense that the world's religious communities
must learn to work together, in order to achieve their own highest
objectives. We work to define these objectives, clarify them, and empower
their realization.
The ORIGIN network combines science, humanistic
philosophy, and the spiritual insights of every
culture, in a multi-faceted dialogue that is intended to conduct the
"search for truth" in the context of the entire Internet. The objective
of the network is to build relationships --
between people, ideas, cultural groups, philosophical and religious traditions -- and, indeed, between "levels of consciousness".
The project works to create informed consensus on critical issues, and anchors its positions through seminal documents that combine the insights of many cultures.
The long-range objective is the gradual transformation of global society,
as the composite wisdom of global culture is cooperatively organized by network participants, and radiated
across the world.
Our spectrum of projects includes
- The development of a multi-media global
interreligious network community
- The development of a philosophy of dialogue and community that accommodates every
sort of diversity and point of view, bringing
them together into a single context
- The development of a universal system of ethics that is consistent with all the great
traditions of the world, both sacred and secular
- The development of a universal philosophy
of religion and spirituality that is consistent with all the major
traditions of the world, and defined in scientific terms
- The development of new scientific ideas and theories on semantics and the structure of mind
- The development of a system
of e-mail dialogue networks that can transact this process, reaching
any person anywhere on the Internet who wishes to join us
- The construction of database
and search facilities that can organize intercultural and
interpersonal resources on an unprecedented scale, facilitating rapid
and economical connections between diverse people and organizations
To accomplish these objectives, we are putting together a loosely organized team of independent computer networkers, concerned
citizens, scholars, writers, scientists and engineers, and spiritual contemplatives and mystics, who see problems in the
world they hope to address, and who want to work with others in a large-scale
cooperative project.
Online electronic networks are a "blank white page", upon which the human
community can write what it will. Through ORIGIN, we choose to identify
and gather together the most enlightened insights of our age, and work to
build a transformative network of substance, fire, and impact.
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Developed by Bruce Schuman
Santa Barbara, California, USA