The One Absolute Foundation
Our Beliefs
For the most part, our beliefs are simple: Tolerance, Diversity, and Unity. However, what those terms mean is far from simple and they are extensions of the name we have chosen for ourselves: The One Absolute Foundation. For an explanation of what “The Absolute” means, and for some other basic distinctions, please see The Absolute Basics section of our site.
Tolerance—there are many out there who claim the ideal of tolerance, yet practice something quite different. We invite you, for instance, to check out this website: http://www.carm.org/more-stuff/features/religious-tolerance-america. This is a website that promotes religious tolerance, claiming that intolerance is a pervasive problem in society. However, it promotes tolerance from a Christian Apologetics point-of-view, claiming that Jesus is the only true God, and the only true vehicle to salvation. Though there is nothing wrong with a Christian Apologetic, the view expressed by this site is like inviting a stranger into your own home, calling him friend, and then not listening to anything he has to say—as if his words were nothing more than a harmless, ignorant wind better left ignored. It is like a man who agrees to hear your story, only so he can tell you his own. This site represents everything we stand against.
Tolerance does not involve accepting the idea that others have beliefs, tolerating their presence, and claiming your own righteousness. It does not involve working with others so that you can “help them to see the light.” Tolerance, instead, involves a deeper, self-acknowledging, reflective, respectful notion of acceptance. It is a notion which recognizes similarities over differences; that recognizes each person’s truth as valid and equal. It is non-judgmental and inviting. It is, as we say here at The One Absolute Foundation, pluralistic. A tolerant person does not just accept another’s presence and keep them at arm’s length, they, instead, see them as a reflection of themselves and invites them into their heart. The spirit of this ideal is the foundation of communion.
For more information on Tolerance, please visit out Links section.
Diversity—fortunately, this is a much simpler concept than tolerance, though closely tied to it. What diversity means, to us, is that we wish to promote a community that features equal involvement and insight sharing from as many different cultures, creeds, walks-of-life, and perspectives as humanly possible. Though there are many who claim that nobody is “special,” we believe that every individual has their own unique revelation of The Absolute. Each member of each religion has a personal understanding of their faith; each member of a culture has their own path through life and spirituality. It is these unique personal perspectives that we wish to be the body of our shared dialogue.
Similarly, each system of faith has their own unique perspectives. The Catholic Trinity, Taoist Wu Wei, the Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism… each faith has their own beliefs, their own practices, and their own ways of orienting a meaningful life. We welcome all of these ideas, no matter how obscure, seemingly different, or contrary to any other ideas and practices. And so, to us, promoting diversity means promoting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and wisdom within a thoughtful, concerned, and engaged community dedicated to fostering every perspective as a living faith. Diversity involves an attitude towards honest, open, and willing dialogue. And here, it involves a dedication to inter-faith and multi-faith communion.
Unity—this is another concept closely tied to tolerance. But, here, it is even more ideological and vital to our goal. Unity involves seeing, believing, and acting in a holistic fashion that promotes synergy rather than divisiveness. With unity our diverse and unique perspectives can find a home among each other and lead to mutual action that is beneficial to all.
If you have read this far, you may have noticed the frequent usage of the term “communion.” This can have several religious meanings, but they all involve the notion of community, and this is how we mean “communion.” Our goal is to create, promote, and sustain community building. And the community of The One Absolute Foundation should be one of a diverse and tolerant unity. This is to say that with our many differences we shall act as one community. But, beyond that, we shall act towards a common acknowledgment of The Absolute in our lives. It is our common faith experiences that bring us together, and it is by sharing these experiences that we can strengthen ourselves, as individuals and as a whole. Just as an individual depends on a community for strength and support, so does a community depend on an individual for solidarity. Our solidarity comes from our shared knowledge and experience, and so our strength comes from our diversity and our spirit of tolerance.
So why the name? We are one community, united by our belief in The Absolute as it expresses itself in our lives and our faiths. With an understanding of our diversity, we begin to see a shared faith in one Absolute, common to all. With that foundation, we act towards becoming a unified whole, a oneness comprised of individuals, and we take this vision to the world.
Tolerance—there are many out there who claim the ideal of tolerance, yet practice something quite different. We invite you, for instance, to check out this website: http://www.carm.org/more-stuff/features/religious-tolerance-america. This is a website that promotes religious tolerance, claiming that intolerance is a pervasive problem in society. However, it promotes tolerance from a Christian Apologetics point-of-view, claiming that Jesus is the only true God, and the only true vehicle to salvation. Though there is nothing wrong with a Christian Apologetic, the view expressed by this site is like inviting a stranger into your own home, calling him friend, and then not listening to anything he has to say—as if his words were nothing more than a harmless, ignorant wind better left ignored. It is like a man who agrees to hear your story, only so he can tell you his own. This site represents everything we stand against.
Tolerance does not involve accepting the idea that others have beliefs, tolerating their presence, and claiming your own righteousness. It does not involve working with others so that you can “help them to see the light.” Tolerance, instead, involves a deeper, self-acknowledging, reflective, respectful notion of acceptance. It is a notion which recognizes similarities over differences; that recognizes each person’s truth as valid and equal. It is non-judgmental and inviting. It is, as we say here at The One Absolute Foundation, pluralistic. A tolerant person does not just accept another’s presence and keep them at arm’s length, they, instead, see them as a reflection of themselves and invites them into their heart. The spirit of this ideal is the foundation of communion.
For more information on Tolerance, please visit out Links section.
Diversity—fortunately, this is a much simpler concept than tolerance, though closely tied to it. What diversity means, to us, is that we wish to promote a community that features equal involvement and insight sharing from as many different cultures, creeds, walks-of-life, and perspectives as humanly possible. Though there are many who claim that nobody is “special,” we believe that every individual has their own unique revelation of The Absolute. Each member of each religion has a personal understanding of their faith; each member of a culture has their own path through life and spirituality. It is these unique personal perspectives that we wish to be the body of our shared dialogue.
Similarly, each system of faith has their own unique perspectives. The Catholic Trinity, Taoist Wu Wei, the Eight-Fold Path of Buddhism… each faith has their own beliefs, their own practices, and their own ways of orienting a meaningful life. We welcome all of these ideas, no matter how obscure, seemingly different, or contrary to any other ideas and practices. And so, to us, promoting diversity means promoting the sharing of knowledge, experience, and wisdom within a thoughtful, concerned, and engaged community dedicated to fostering every perspective as a living faith. Diversity involves an attitude towards honest, open, and willing dialogue. And here, it involves a dedication to inter-faith and multi-faith communion.
Unity—this is another concept closely tied to tolerance. But, here, it is even more ideological and vital to our goal. Unity involves seeing, believing, and acting in a holistic fashion that promotes synergy rather than divisiveness. With unity our diverse and unique perspectives can find a home among each other and lead to mutual action that is beneficial to all.
If you have read this far, you may have noticed the frequent usage of the term “communion.” This can have several religious meanings, but they all involve the notion of community, and this is how we mean “communion.” Our goal is to create, promote, and sustain community building. And the community of The One Absolute Foundation should be one of a diverse and tolerant unity. This is to say that with our many differences we shall act as one community. But, beyond that, we shall act towards a common acknowledgment of The Absolute in our lives. It is our common faith experiences that bring us together, and it is by sharing these experiences that we can strengthen ourselves, as individuals and as a whole. Just as an individual depends on a community for strength and support, so does a community depend on an individual for solidarity. Our solidarity comes from our shared knowledge and experience, and so our strength comes from our diversity and our spirit of tolerance.
So why the name? We are one community, united by our belief in The Absolute as it expresses itself in our lives and our faiths. With an understanding of our diversity, we begin to see a shared faith in one Absolute, common to all. With that foundation, we act towards becoming a unified whole, a oneness comprised of individuals, and we take this vision to the world.
