The Church of The Modern Era P.O.Box 348 Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel. 617-924-1244 * Fax 617-924-0280 * aspidle@aol.com February 6, 1998 Dear Friend, "Before you throw out the old ways, you must have something of value with which to replace them." The wisdom of this ancient Kikuyu saying is being borne out all over the world today. Have you noticed the evil operating in this world (Algeria, the Middle East, Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Central Africa, Columbia, etc.), but are amazed that our popular culture is blind to it and helpless before it? Have you noticed how much of this evil is perpetrated in the name of religion? Are you someone whose scientific education and/or knowledge of the bloody histories of the major religions prevents you from enjoying the moral certitude that believers have always lived in? I invite you to join in the most important adventure of the new millenium. Help us create a church that is integral with scientific thought, not embarassed by it, yet provides a solid moral grounding, a ground of being that will truly save, nourish and heal our species. Have you noticed the moral poverty and confusion of our society? Do you believe Evil exists, yet no one is talking about it, much less fighting it? Are you proud of how our leaders are conducting the peoples' business? Isn't it time to replace the allegiance to your political party, nationality, race or religion with allegiance to our whole species? Our species is at risk, what are you doing about it? Isn't it time our leaders dealt with each other and us maturely without the lying, snickering, childlike insults and intolerence of each others' ideas and points of view? Do any of these thoughts resonate with you? Then please help us. Now is the time for you to be a CoFounder of the The Church Of The Modern Era. Thinkers of the World unite! You have nothing to lose but your confusion, you have a Universe to gain. Sincerely, The universe is a womb for the genesis of gods. The Way of the Cosmic Chain of Being of The Church of the Modern Era Beliefs: There is a Cosmic Chain of Being that runs from the beginning of time in our Universe through the stars, the planets, blue green algae, the early hominids, Mitochondrial Eve, Agamemnon, the Buddha, Confucius, Zoroaster, Moses, Aristotle, Socrates, Plato, Jesus Christ, Mohammad, Galileo, Newton, Darwin, Einstein, our ancestors, us, our descendents and successors to God. At some point in the next one hundred billion years or so, our successors will develop understanding and control of biology; matter and energy; time and space. These omniscient descendents of ours will be/are and were God. There is Good and Evil in this Universe and we must see that Good triumphs in the God Time and not Evil. Using then available technology (billions of years from now) and data in the light cone and other sources, God can bring us back to life and reunite us with our loved ones in Virtual Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. We must see that this happens. As ancestors and children of God, it is our First Sacred Duty to defeat Evil and perfect ourselves, our families and our species to be worthy of this gift and to wisely guide the Cosmic Chain of Being (Targeted Selection ). We are all equal before God, but we are each unique. The Way to satisfy the First Sacred Duty is to diligently follow the Moral Laws and Sacred Duties of our Church. Moral Laws: 1- You must protect Good and defeat Evil. 2- You must not kill intelligent beings unless in defense of the Good. If possible, non lethal means must be used in this defense. 3- You must avoid and reject causing harm to yourself or others unless in defense of the Good. 4- Since envy and greed are the most powerful tools of Evil, you must avoid and reject envy and temper greed. 5- Since you can only see what you're looking at, you must respect others' points of view. Sacred Duties: 2- You must love, honor and respect your parents, spouse(s), children, ancestors and descendents. 3- You must love, respect, and maturely help all Human Beings as the cousins they are. 4- You must strive to understand the structure and properties of this Universe and all in it. 5- You must especially honor all the Saints of our Church, including: those who served or died in the defense of Good and defeat of Evil, those who devote their lives to the advancement of knowledge and morality, those who govern according to the Moral Laws and Sacred Duties, those who are good spouses and good parents and, those who create the *Sacred Writings. *Sacred Writings are all books and other media that follow the Moral Laws and promote Sacred Duties. Confession, Restitution and Forgiveness: You can confess your violations of Moral Law and through prescribed acts of restitution attain forgiveness. Other Religions: We recognize and honor most other religions as vital steps integral to the Cosmic Chain of Being.