Hong Kong Liberal Religious Forum

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_Culture

Ethical Culture is a nontheistic religion established by Felix Adler in 1876. The Ethical Culture Movement is an ethical, educational, and religious movement. Individual chapter organizations are generically referred to as Ethical Societies, though their names may include "Ethical Society," "Ethical Culture Society," "Society for Ethical Culture," or other variations on the theme of "Ethical."

Ethical Culture is premised on the idea that honoring and living in accordance with ethical principles is central to what it takes to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, and to creating a world that is good for all. It is observed that ethics is at the heart of all religions. Practitioners of Ethical Culture focus on supporting one another in becoming better people, and on doing good in the world.

American Ethical Union
www.aeu.org

Ethical Society Without Walls
www.eswow.org
(a UU said, "the AEU's version of CLF")

Here is the structure of a typical Ethical Culture service as used by the Washington D.C. Ethical Society:



The Ethical Culture Sunday Platform Service


Call to the Service: A typical platform meeting begins with the resonant sound of the singing bowl.

Opening Words: The celebrant will read opening words selected by the Platform Speaker.

Opening Music: The opening music reflects the theme of the day.

Statement of Purpose: The celebrant reads the Statement of Purpose and the assembly is invited to read along.

Welcome/Announcements/Greeting: After the welcome and announcements of upcoming activities, we all take a few minutes to greet those around us.

Candle lighting: Each week a different member of the community is invited to light the community candle whose flame symbolizes for us the warmth of compassion, the light of understanding, and the fire of commitment to builda brighter future for all.

Reflection: To better focus our thoughts on the morning’s theme, we spend a few minutes in silent reflection, followed by more music. This is an opportunity to set aside the stresses and mental clutter of the day and focus on the here and now.

Musical Interlude: A selection of choral or instrumental music, or a community song.

Platform: The Celebrant then introduces the morning’s speaker, who gives a 30-minute talk or “Platform” on the morning’s theme. The speaker will center the platform on a human value, capacity, or principle of Ethical Culture that we can meaningfully apply to our everyday lives. Speakers vary from week to week, and include the WES Leaders, various WES members, and invited guest speakers.

Music/Collection: After the platform presentation, music is played, and the ushers will pass baskets for donations, which are strictly voluntary. We share the plate donating half of all contributed cash and non-pledge
checks to a non-profit organization that is providing assistance to the larger community.

Response Period: After the music, the Celebrant will pass around a microphone to anyone who wishes to share a brief comment about the platform or that was inspired by the platform. It is not our custom to have the speaker respond to the comments during the response period. However, after the platform, during the “community hour,” the
speaker is available to discuss the platform and answer questions.

Music/Closing Words: We close the Platform with a reading or affirmation.

Community Hour: After the closing music, everyone is invited to stay in the meeting hall if they wish to get a cup of coffee, tea, and refreshments and enjoy informal fellowship and conversation.

The American Ethical Union (AEU) FAQ
http://aeu.org/index.php?case=whatis

What is the Ethical Society and the Ethical Movement?

The Ethical Society is a fellowship of people who seek clarification of the values of life and a faith to live by. They cherish freedom of the mind and freedom of conscience. Their affirmation is the worth and dignity and possibilities of every person. The common ground is the concern with the relation of human beings to one another.

Is the Ethical Society a religious society and is the Ethical Movement a religion?

Religion is interpreted as a sense of values to which human beings are committed and in terms of which they find a faith to live by. In terms of this faith they marry and bring their children into the world, raise their families and strive to achieve a better life for themselves, their neighbors and the human community as a whole. For those who hold this point of view Ethical Culture performs the functions and meets the needs of a religious life.

The great religious institutions originated in human history before the age of modern science and before the concept of democracy had taken effect in the world and before the development of the interdependent global relations of a world community. The Ethical Movement is an effort to help people achieve a reconstruction of their viewpoint, their values and faith consistent with the contributions which the knowledge and powers of science make available, which the democratic spirit and method and promise have brought to all people, and which the interdependent world community now makes necessary and possible. (See also Ethical Culture as Religion)

Does the Ethical Society accept the idea of God?

The Ethical Society neither affirms nor denies a belief in God. Members are not committed to any theology or set metaphysics. The Ethical Society is nontheistic, neutral and humanist in emphasis. The affirmation or denial of theistic definition and faith is for each individual to make for himself or herself.

Ethical Culture and Other Naturalistic Alternatives
Dave Salyers
2 Dec 2008
UU Religious Naturalists (UURN) Mailing List

Ethical Culture really does not differ from other freethought alternatives in underlying worldview and is virtually identical to religious humanism in the UUA. This has been the problem that I have been seeing among many in the freethought community. There are so many labels with basically the same underlying worldview but with a different organizational emphasis and goal - and they often compete with each other for a limited pool of members.

For example, in another current discussion that I have been engaged in the naturalistic pantheists in the World Pantheist Movement (WPM) state that their organization is better suited to meet the needs of eco-centered naturalistic folk than other organizations as they claim religious naturalists in the Center for Naturalism (founded by Ursula Goodenough) allows in people of a theistic persuasion (notwithstanding that, even if true, theists would make a very small percentage of folk comfortable calling themselves religious naturalists). I guess they broadbrush UURN with the same brush.

The WPM also claim that humanists are too "anthropocentric" and not eco-centered enough, notwithstanding the statements made in the AHA's Humanist Manifesto III (as well as Humanist Manifesto 2000 by CSH) about our interdependence with nature and need to be concerned our environment.

I should note here that not only am I affiliated with UU, but also with the WPM, the American Humanist Association, and the Universal Pantheist Society (UPS), and I am a past member of American Atheists, Atheists United in Los Angeles as well as a former American Ethical Union (AEU) member-at-large (the precursor to the Ethical Society Without Walls). Note - the "pantheism" of WPM and UPS is virtually the same position as religious naturalism.

I've also seen sniping among atheist and humanist organizations against each other. American Atheists used to use strong language to explain why they are not "humanists", and I have seen statements by members of the AHA in publication that they were not the "village atheist" (a play on village idiot, of course).

So what we have are a cluster of freethought organizations with a very similar, if not identical, underlying naturalistic worldview who snipe at each other over labels. To me the intent is to complete against each other for memberships.

Ethical Culture (AEU) members are religious humanists and are pretty much identical to the religious humanists once finds in the UUA, or in the Society for Humanistic Judaism, or among the Nontheist Friends (Quakers).

To be fair though, I have never seen the religious humanist groups listed above fight and argue against each other over labels or competition for membership (as I said earlier there has been a long history of crossover and colloboration between the AEU and the religious humanists in the UUA - especially as generally many were also members of the AHA as well). Remember the AEU basically chose not to compete with the religious humanists in the UUA for those of a naturalistic mindset outside of the Northeastern United States where Unitarian Universalism was more traditionally theistic. You also do not see this behavior in the Universal Pantheist Society where they advocate inclusiveness and bridge-building. So it depends on who is leading the organization and how much their egos need to be stroked.

I would suspect that one would see many similarities in the "Order of Service" of any religious humanist organization in the United States - well, except for the Nontheist Friends as they are "unprogrammed" and thus do not use an "Order for Service".

Dave

[UURN] Ethical Culture
Dave Salyers
12 Dec 2008
UURN (UU Religious Naturalists) mailing list UURN@lists.uua.org http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uurn

I was a member-at-large of the AEU (this was the precursor to their Ethical Society Without Walls which is similar to the CLF of UU) when I lived at a distance from a UU Fellowship or Ethical Culture Society.

The basic premise of Ethical Culture is that living in accordance with ethical principles assists in giving "meaning and purpose" to our lives. People in Ethical Culture generally share common beliefs about what constitutes ethical behavior and the good, but individuals are encouraged to develop their own personal conceptions of these. Platforms in meetings often focus on discussion of these issues.

They do have an Ethical Axiom which can be considered to be the shared core value - "Always act so as to Elicit the best in others, and thereby yourself". Adler used the term The Ethical Manifold to refer to his conception of the actions of individual human beings having an influence on the actions and circumstances of others. In other words, we are all interrelated, with each person playing a role in the whole and the whole affecting each person. Our interrelatedness is at the heart of ethics.

For those who are interested in parallel philosophical concepts, the concept of the Ethical Manifold in Ethical Culture is uncannily similar to the underlying recognition of interdependence which is at the heart of religious naturalism and naturalistic pantheism (which means that for a significant number there is a commonality in the basic underlying worldview).

While Adler himself was a transcendental idealist, the movement was always nontheistic (did not require a belief in a God). Outside of Adler, transcendental idealism was never a predominant force among Ethical Culture members.

Dave

ESWoW Newsletter, December 13, 2008
by Susan Rose
Ethical Society Without Walls (ESWoW)
http://eswow.org/learn/mod/forum/discus ... =375#p1060

...

Teaching Humanism in Ethical Culture

ESWoW Offline Administrator Bob Bhaerman is primarily an educator and has developed some curricula for children which we will be sharing with you starting next year along with other resources for ethical parenting.

Families, teachers, and directors of religious education met the first weekend in November in Stony Point, NY to explore how we teach humanism in Ethical Culture. ...

The keynote speaker was Amanda Metskas, director of Camp Quest, a summer camp for kids who are Freethinkers, Atheists, Brights, or have a natural view of the world. She similar camps across the country share activities so that each can build on the success of others. To compliment the discussion of Camp Quest, the AEU staff provided information about Summer Schools I and II. Conference participants have gone to the summer school recommended the experience. Summer School II, for families, will be offered in 2009.

Bob Bhaerman of ESWoW shared the first set of six lessons from the Sunday School At-Home Curriculum which is intended to provide lesson plans for families who do not live near an ethical society. The lesson framework is built around 12 Core Values of Ethical Culture. Lessons were provided for different age levels on Ethical Identity, Western Religions, and Religions from the East. Social and Ethical Action lessons focused on hunger, homelessness, poverty, community development and beautification, and promoting healthy habits. The afternoon session focused on the logistics of running a Sunday School: publicity and advertising, outlining curriculum, and creating multi-age learning communities.
...


From the Around the Movement
Organic Religion
Leader Curt Collier provided this multimedia platform to the Ethical Society of Austin when he couldn't make it in person. In it he integrates stories from his life to illustrate his ideas about Organic Religion.

[UURN]The Eight Commitments of Ethical Culture
Dave Salyers
UURN (UU Religious Naturalists) mailing list UURN@lists.uua.org http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uurn



COMMITMENT TO ETHICAL CULTURE

Ethical Culture is a humanistic religious and educational movement
inspired by the ideal that the supreme aim of human life is
working to create a more humane society.

Our faith is in the capacity and responsibility of human beings to
act in their personal relationships and in the larger community to
help create a better world.

Our commitment is to the worth and dignity of the individual, and
to treating each human being so as to bring out the best in him
or her.



The Eight Commitments of Ethical Culture

ETHICS IS CENTRAL. The most central human issue in our lives
involves creating a more humane environment.

ETHICS BEGINS WITH CHOICE. Creating a more humane environment
begins by affirming the need to make significant choices in our lives.

WE CHOOSE TO TREAT EACH OTHER AS ENDS, NOT MERELY MEANS. To enable
us to be whole, in a fragmented world, we choose to treat each other
as unique individuals having intrinsic worth.

WE SEEK TO ACT WITH INTEGRITY. Treating one another as ends
requires that we learn to act with integrity. This includes keeping
commitments, and being more open, honest, caring and responsive.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO EDUCATE OURSELVES. Personal progress is
possible, both in wisdom and in social life. Learning how to build
ethical relationships and cultivate a humane community is a life
long endeavor.

SELF-REFLECTION AND OUR SOCIAL NATURE REQUIRES US TO SHAPE A
MORE HUMANE WORLD. Spiritual life is rooted in self-reflection,
but can only come to full flower in community. This is because
people are social, needing both primary relationships and larger,
supportive groups to become fully human. Our social nature
requires that we reach beyond ourselves to decrease suffering and
increase creativity in the world.

DEMOCRATIC PROCESS IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR TASK. The democratic
process is essential to a humane social order because it respects
the worth of persons and elicits and allows a greater expression
of human capacities. Democratic process also implies a commitment
to shared responsibility and authority.

LIFE ITSELF INSPIRES RELIGIOUS RESPONSE. Although awareness
of impending death intensifies the human quest for meaning, and
lends perspective to all our achievements, the mystery of life
itself, the need to belong, to feel connected to the universe,
and the desire for celebration and joy, are primary factors
motivating human 'religious' experience.

[UURN]
Dave Salyers
UURN (UU Religious Naturalists) mailing list UURN@lists.uua.org http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uurn

I still wonder why many of these humanists, who report feeling disenfranchised or marginalized within modern Unitarian Universalism, have not connected with Ethical Culture and especially through the Ethical Society Without Walls which allows isolated folk to participate in Ethical Culture. As someone involved with both UU and Ethical Culture, I find that the Eight Commitments of Ethical Culture connect quite well with the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism as a religious humanist philosophy. In my area, I get a sense of community through the local UU Fellowship (which is 40 minutes away so I was also considering the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship) and I get additional support and resources for my humanist and religious naturalist views through the ESWOW. Since I have kids, I appreciate some of the RE resources on teaching ethics I can get through ESWOW (and also CLF if I chose to go that route).

In fact, the Washington Ethical Society (in D.C.) is now affiliated with both Ethical Culture (aka American Ethical Union) as well as the Unitarian Universalist Association. I hope to see this as continuing trend as it could help revitalize religious humanism within both the UUA and AEU especially with religious naturalism serving as a catalyst for evolution.

Dave

www.aeu.org
www.eswow.org

[UURN]
Dave Salyers
UURN (UU Religious Naturalists) mailing list UURN@lists.uua.org http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uurn




An Ethical Society

is a community of individuals

dedicated to making our lives and our world

more humane, more ethical;



Dedicated to the ideal

that every human being has worth and dignity,

and committed to a reverence for this world and all life.



Searching for a better understanding

of how the world actually is, what potentials exist,

and what yet must be done to build a better life:

through analysis and critique

of social and personal conditions,

through creative inquiry for realistic solutions

to heal pain, reduce suffering, and add to hope,

and through actively testing our conclusions in the world

by our own experience and the experience of others.



Committed in these tasks

to the fullest use of our reason and compassion,

and willing to accept responsibility

to act on our best thoughts and feelings,

recognizing that our actions and failures to act

affect our lives and those around us;



Knowing that building the good and the true

is far more important, interesting and useful

than to focus on whether we believe or disbelieve in

certain philosophical or metaphysical or religious ideas,

instead welcoming our diversity of thought as a strength

to further individual and community maturity.



For this community, this is our common vision,

the faith by which we strive to live.



(Jone Johnson Lewis: 1995, 2002)


www.aeu.org
www.eswow.org

The American Ethical Union Mission

The American Ethical Union, a religious organization, is a federation of Ethical Societies, which promotes the growth of the Ethical Culture movement by supporting existing Ethical Societies and fostering new ones. We recognize the unique worth of each individual, we act to elicit the best in others and in ourselves; our faith is in the human capacity to create a better world. The American Ethical Union is a religious, educational, cultural and social justice organization.

Adopted by the Board of Directors
American Ethical Union
November, 2008



You can find more information in "What is the Ethical Society? Some common questions about Ethical Culture" by Algernon Black. This is an excellent article you can find at this link:
http://aeu.org/index.php?case=whatis



Top Ten Reasons Ethical Culture Might Be Right for You:

10. We believe that human life is most meaningful when lived ethically.
9. Our religion involves personal growth, not dogma.
8. Our relationships with fellow humans are more important than whether or not we agree about the existence of a supreme being.
7. We help our children develop and internalize their own code of ethics to draw upon when faced with difficult choices.
6. Deed is more important than creed.
5. We celebrate life's joys and support each other through life's crises.
4. We work together to improve our world and the world of our children.
3. Reason, compassion, and responsibility are central to our communities.
2. We strive to protect the earth upon which we are dependents.
1. We affirm the worth, the dignity, and the uniqueness of every human being.
If you're not practicing your religion, maybe you're practicing ours.



www.aeu.org
www.eswow.org

Ethical Culture As Religion
Susan Rose, Mar 21, 2009
http://eswow.org/display_mdl_blog.php?postid=163

Ethical Culture is my religion...