Tenets of the Cinerean Church

## Preface

The Cinerean Church is founded on the reverence of freedom, justice, humanity, nature, art, empiricism, individualism, and secularism. From these eight tenets are derived absolutely all elements of the Cinerean Church, e.g. the Mandate, the Uelidia, the Sacrament, the Hymnal, etc., and are designed and structured as to admire and promote those ideas.

## Freedom

The Cinerean Church defines freedom as the power to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. At its core, it is the direct, singular ownership of one's self, representing the human right to life, choice, and fulfillment. It is embodied in individual thought and action, reflecting the direction of the human spirit in its needs and ambitions. Violations of one's freedom by another human through theft of life, choice, and fulfillment is an act of supreme abhorrence and sin.

All people have an equal right to freedom, and to protect their freedom from the hostility of others. No person ever has the right to take someone else's life, choice, or fulfillment; to deny someone's life through murder, someone's choice through coercion, and someone's fulfillment through cruelty, is to deny the very being of that person. It matters not whether this theft was done by an individual acting by themselves, by the will of a group, on another's behalf, or even by the rule of law, for it is still the same sin.

Ergo, all acts done by or to a human must be done by their own informed judgement and consent to such action. This rule is applied to all human interactions. No human has to acquiesce their rights for any reason, and no human may claim more rights than another.

Furthermore, humans have a right to judge if someone is properly beholding their rights. In the course of the rule of law, authority must be received with sufficient information for the subjects of said authority to enact judgement, and consent to the authority should they be worthy. In the course of economy and labor, no person should be found exploiting others by seizing or making exchanges for their rights.

## Justice

The Cinerean Church defines justice as the practice of fair and moral behavior. It is equally treated as retribution applied to those who do evil, and seeing that those evils are rectified. It is one of the foremost moral principle in our lives, born from our intrinsic desire for righteousness and sincerity.

Justice in theory is elusive. Societal interpretation and administration of it has likewise been mercurial. The first interpretation is retribution through suffering applied to the wrongdoer in proportion to the evils that they have done, which is exemplified in Hammurabi's code of laws, and the "eye for an eye" principle. Sometimes it is treated as a message to society as a whole, so all may know what happens to criminals, thus creating a deterrent. It is an archaic, violent interpretation of justice, which is oft fraught with emotionally charged judgement. It also brings into question the state's right to administer death in even the most grievous transgressions, and to what extent it infringes on everyone's right to life. Should one innocent person be put to death as a contrived means of retribution, it is the moral failure of the whole system. If it doesn't contribute to protecting our rights and upholding our virtues, and if there is no measurable *good* that comes from it, with no wrongs made right, there is no justice truly done. One revision to this is to substitute "suffering" with incarceration and fines. Regardless, there are still better ways to achieve justice.

Granted that there is no inherent good in the vengeful affliction of pain to wrongdoers, the second interpretation is retribution through rehabilitation and redemption. While some level of punishment may be afflicted, it still holds that some criminals may need functional education and mental therapy, so they can learn how to healthily interact with other people. Additionally, the criminal can individually take measures to right their wrongs, amending their mistakes, and resolve any injustice done, thus providing a remedy for both themselves and those to which they did crime.

All of these interpretations and methods lay on a scale of how severe a crime was, and whether that criminal is redeemable. This is why the court of justice is so important - that an impartial, intelligent judge and jury may interpret each case as to determine guilt, and to lawfully administer a sentence, where the accused's rights to defense and fairness are not infringed, and where they are not subjected to excessively harsh punishment.

Justice is the basis for consensual rule of law, which is established on the premises of A) subjects agreeing to that rule of law, B) law dictating and enforcing informed, just decisions, and C) subjects being informed about why the decision is being made, and how the decision is agreeably just. If a person is part of the system to the point where they're being convicted of something, then they would have had to agree to be part of the system in the first place, and likewise agree in some way to the decisions that system makes. Since ideal justice bars punishment in preference of rehabilitation, the risk inflicting any violation of the human right to freedom is minimized.

## Humanity

The Cinerean Church defines humanity as our species, and our collective being. It is equally defined as benevolence and the general output of good. One must understand that it is the reverence of humanity itself that would ultimately strengthen it.

Humanity is admired for its *acts* of good, *capacity* for good, and *potential* for good, with "good" meaning the act of doing things that help one's self, other people, and the world as a whole, especially if it's at the sole expense of the doer. Acts of good are self-explanatory: gratuitous compassion, selflessness, initiative, protection, generosity, and many other deeds. Such actions lift the spirit, and can prove to be contagious. People helping each other, rather than selfishly caring only for themselves, makes all of the world better. This is the objective truth to our goodness.

Capacity for good defines the extent and intensity of a good deed. Good comes in any size and can have little or profound impacts as a result. Even if a good deed is unnoticeable, even if it goes unrecognized by anyone else, it is still recognized by the doer, and they can know that they did the right thing, which is the greatest reward.

Potential for good is the essence of redemption: that even amidst our shortcomings, we always have the chance to right our wrongs and become better people. We are not inherently damned, and we have no preordained destiny in our natural state. We must teach ourselves and others that righteousness in all its forms is the key to a rich life, but we must always remember that straying from righteousness and descending into sin ruins ourselves and the world around us. Wrongdoers may escape their conscience, hoping to evade justice and die happy, but their crimes must be exposed and rectified.

Some ancient religions are right when they make claims of an "original sin", or flaws that were endowed to our species by the transgressions and disobedience of primitive ancestral figures. Empirically, these are actually the inherent flaws that are found within the architecture of our brains.

The three most profound faults in our psychology are: **group mentalities**, **wishful thinking**, and **present-mindedness**. Nearly all institutions throughout history, e.g. education, government, law, science, and philosophy, were established as to endure and debilitate those flaws.

Group mentalities, specifically the "Us vs. Them" mentality, is our fear and hatred of those that we deem foreign to us; that they are different, perhaps via race, nationality, religion, culture, age, or class. These divisions can be exploited in order to perpetuate violence between groups, sometimes only because "they are different, and therefore must be punished". History is full of examples of tribalism and scapegoating, and as society evolved, it developed better tactics to persuade even the most intelligent people to hate a group through falsehoods and fallacies. "Wishful thinking" means abandoning rational thought and scrutiny, preferring selfish fantasies and thoughtless action. We are willing to lie to ourselves, to even rationalize sin, if it means being comfortable with our mistakes. "Present-mindedness" is another selfish approach to handling our affairs, where we prefer short-term rewards instead of foreseeing long-term consequences. Neglecting the consequences of our actions can perpetuate dangerous effects, ultimately harm both ourselves and others in the future. An example of this is the man-made emission of dangerous gases into the open air, which exacerbates the slow (but certain) warming of the atmosphere and the rise of the oceans. Should any of these habits exceed our control, they will destroy us.

Each one of these habitual errs are corrected and prevented through three kinds of benevolence. They are, respectively: **love for strangers**, **love of the truth**, and **love of our descendants**. By loving strangers, we are able to overcome suspicions and instead see the shared humanity which exists between all of us. By loving truth, we gain strength to accept reality, bitter as it may be, and resist delusions and falsehoods. Finally, by loving our descendants, we are able to cherish the world and do no harm to it, because we care for the people that will inherent the Earth after us.

If we are able to overcome these selfish impulses with a fierce determination, our destiny will be bright.

## Nature

The Cinerean Church defines nature as the phenomena of the physical world collectively. It includes biological and psychological characteristics and behavioral traits of humankind, which are instilled in us by birth. All things are the phenomena of the physical natural world.

We as a species can not exist isolated from the world. We depend on nature for comfort, and for its sustenance, nourishing us. We depend on it for shelter, utilizing its resources to protect ourselves from the elements. We depend on it for intrinsic spiritual fulfillment, for it is in our human disposition to see beauty in the natural world. We depend on the creatures in nature to balance the ecosystem, maintaining its natural cycle. Nature is not simply here for our benefit: it has begotten us, molded us in its evolutionary image to optimally receive its conditions. To this end nature must be cherished, celebrated, and protected for all it does for us.

Nature is a force that transcends human will. Where we have natural instincts and urges, so too does nature have an instinct and urge to sustain constant cycles of life and death, of creation and destruction, to be upseted and changed. Across aeons it rebalances itself. It possesses its own laws that we have deciphered through empiricism, confirming that it is the most tangible power in our existence. Nature is an arbitrary force, and doesn't account for any favoritism, ulterior motive, or bias. Within nature, there is no inherent good or evil, no right or wrong. It simply is.

## Art

The Cinerean Church defines art as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, producing works to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power. It is in our nature to admire and produce art. Furthermore, it enables the expression of deeper emotions that often can't be relayed through other modes of communication. It weaves a narrative of the soul and enables the exchange of ideas across cultures in ways that no other method can match. It can provide relief to the despondent in need of its sentimental healing, empowering the soul with its vigour.

Art goes hand in hand with humanity, and likewise beauty. Beauty is defined as a combination of balance, proportion, rhythm, emphasis, and unity, that pleases the aesthetic senses. Through its intrinsic narrative, beauty entails adoration of characteristic that fulfill us, such as balance, order, strength, love, or companionship. Sometimes, these are characteristics that we may find lacking in ourselves, that art can fulfill. Beauty and the art is therefore not merely cosmetic, but important to our spiritual well-being.

## Empiricism

The Cinerean Church defines empiricism as the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience, demonstrated through the scientific method, and expressed through the scientific attitude. It entails a commitment to truth and a critical observation and examination of all things.

The scientific method entails observing anything and making objective, structured efforts to understand it. It helps us focus on a specific subject, and demands for us to shirk bias, assumptions, or prejudice when studying something. Research is done through our own observation of the world. We ask ourselves, "why?" or "how?", constructing hypotheses to state our tentative assumption of what the answer is. Testable predictions are formed, and experiments are conducted to see whether or not our assumptions are true. From these experiments, data can be gathered and analyzed, which finally allows us to establish sound conclusions and theories that can accurately summarize any and all phenomena in our existence. The scientific method is an ongoing process, because new information is constantly being found, and new observations are always being made.

The scientific attitude is a guideline that frames our perspective and demeanor when approaching the unknown. Curiosity, the strong desire to know something, means being interested in and attentive to particular objects or events, guiding us to ask questions and find answers to them. Creativity, the use of imagination and original ideas, means attempting to find new approaches to anything when it comes to overcoming a hurdle in the methodological process. Skepticism, the possession of doubt and reservation, means not drawing conclusions without evidence, questioning the truthfulness of any given argument. Open-mindedness, being considerate and unprejudiced, means listening and respecting ideas, accepting criticism, and being ready to be humble and change an opinion if proven wrong. Honesty, the avoidance of falsehood and deceit, means being truthful when it comes to sharing the information about what has been studied.

The scientific attitude is a reminder that we as humans are not only prone to fallacy, but to emotion, which while occasionally blinding, is also restorative. Thus goes the Tenet of Art. We do not have to be forever sentimentally barren when pursuing truth through empiricism, because we are still human, and deserve to indulge in the color of our souls. Our spirits don't deserve to be disregarded.

Ultimately though, rationality and reasoning must come before assumptive opinion and fantasy. This pursuit of truth demands effort and rigor, and to not succumb to falsehoods. The truth may be difficult, but without truth there is no justice.

## Individualism

The Cinerean Church defines individualism as the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant. It is also defined as favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective control.

All societal and worldly good rests on the initiative of the person who is willing to do good. No institution can perfectly safeguard against the perils of moral failure that pervade us, no authority can perfectly protect one person's interests and rights, and no enterprise can be as attentive to each of its member's affairs as well as the individual can. Each person must be accountable to themselves, to pursue betterment, and to acknowledge the humanity that we all share, which makes us equal.

Respect of individualism and equality leads the church to espouse and adopt democracy, where every individual is given an equal voice in the conduct of societal affairs. There is no substitution for the direct voice of the people, and no proxy that can accurately embody the interest of the country as a whole.

## Secularism

The Cinerean Church defines secularism as rejection of the influence of religion and its institutions from the civil process (with religion being defined as a belief system of questionable veracity). It divorces unfounded beliefs from the formulation and application of justice.

It is understandable to see some irony the Cinerean Church's adoption of this tenet. But rather than putting faith in supernatural myths, the Church instead aims to place faith into tangible, practical virtues. In this essence each tenet must be beheld and practiced in a consistent and conscientious regularity akin to religious processes. Beyond the forces of nature, there is no superhuman authority.

At the same time, however, humans have an intrinsic sense of spirituality that can't be neglected. Through the Tenet of Art, people can find fulfillment without having to be perfectly adherent to reason. The restorative power of emotion is invaluable, even if it means not being perfectly reasonable.

Finally, secularism necessitates the truth that our lives our impermanent, that when we leave existence through death, there is likely no afterlife guaranteed for us. We must instead devote our will to protecting and cherishing our temporary Earthly lives. Rather than dreading ultimate meaninglessness and nothingness, we can instead become passionate for the intrinsic value of mortal life. Through hope and determination, heaven can be found on Earth.