• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Seeking personal development and worldwide community service fellowship without belief boundaries

Jim

Nets of Wonder
NOTE: This thread is in the Seekers Circle forum, which has special rules.

I’ve already found what I’m looking for, but I want more! It’s people working together side by side, learning together and learning from each other, encouraging and supporting each other, no matter how far apart they are in beliefs and practices, no matter how much they disagree with each other about religious and social issues, continually trying to improve their own character and the way they live their lives, and practicing some kind of community service together, with the aim and purpose of helping to improve the lives of all people everywhere. That fellowship and collaboration across all belief divides is more important to them than promoting and defending their ideas about religious and social issues.
 
Last edited:

Vouthon

Dominus Deus tuus ignis consumens est
Staff member
Premium Member
Sounds to me rather like the "Focolare Movement". Though in origin a Catholic ecclesial community, its membership has always been open to persons of all faiths and none, whilst it's ideals of universal brotherhood/sisterhood and community service are also of a piece with what you describe above:

Home | Focolare Movement

Focolare Movement - Wikipedia

The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in Trent, northern Italy, in 1943 by Chiara Lubich as a Catholic movement, it remains largely Roman Catholic but has strong links to the major Christian denominations and other religions, or in some cases with the non-religious.

In 1962 Chiara's visit to the Benedictine Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland made her dream of permanent towns of brother/sisterhood, "simple houses, work places, schools – just like an ordinary town." In 1964 Loppiano, the first permanent Mariapolis, was built on land donated by Vincenzo Folonari, near Florence.

Twentyfour other such towns have sprung up worldwide.[5] Some have specific emphases: ecumenism (Ottmaring, Germany;[6] Welwyn Garden City, Great Britain); ecology (Rotselaar, Belgium); interreligious dialogue (Tagaytay, Philippines); multi-ethnic harmony (Luminosa, New York; Križevci, Croatia); or inculturation (Fontem, Cameroon; Kenya; Ivory Coast[7]). In these towns religious and cultural differences are respected, to exemplify Jesus' dream: "Father, may they all be one, as you and I are one."[8]

The president of the Focolare movement, who is always a lay woman,[4] is Maria Voce, first elected in 2008.[9][10][11] The chief goals of the movement are: to cooperate in the consolidation of unity in the Christian world, with individuals and groups, movements, and associations; to contribute to full communion with Christians of different churches; and to work towards universal brother/sisterhood of all peoples, regardless of religious beliefs.

Focolare has 140,440 members in more than 180 countries. People more broadly involved in the movement are estimated by the Vatican at 4.5 million.[4]


Chi siamo | Movimento dei Focolari


Organization and Governance

According to the General Statutes of the Focolare Movement, a woman will always be at the helm of her, accompanied by a Co-President . The current President is the Italian Maria Voce and the Co-President is the Spanish Jesús Morán . The presidency is assisted by a General Council where all those who are part of the Movement are represented: young people, families, consecrated persons, people of different religions, etc. in their diversity of vocation, culture, geographical origin.


One of their initiatives is the so-called "United World Project"

Home | United World Project

I must admit that I don't know a whole lot else about them but your description does align with their goals so far as I can tell.
 
Last edited:

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
How about religions trading up - that is, in dropping certain claims in response to others doing the same? We could perhaps start with the easy ones - like treating all the same, without regard to their beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, etc., and then progressing through the more difficult areas.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I don’t have any beliefs that can’t change from one minute to thé next. My religion is not a belief system. I have some views and ways of thinking, but any of those could change any time, and they often do. I’m trying to learn to follow a spiritual teacher, but what he’s helping me learn is not a belief system. It’s ideas to try, as much as possible in collaboration with others, for my personal development and practicing community service, in ways that might help improve the world for all people everywhere and help improve the world for future generations. My religion is something for me to practice everywhere all the time, in every part of my life including when I’m leaning back against the headboard of my bed reading and posting in Internet discussions, like I’m doing now.

Part of my religion is working together with other people on some common goals and plans that we’ve discussed and agreed on together, I haven’t found any way to discuss and agree on any goals and plans with anyone in these forums, but I have found a way to collaborate with people sometimes. Sometimes when I see something happening that looks like personal development and service to the forum community, I try to find friendly and helpful ways to respond. Sometimes I try to encourage and support some other things I see people doing, even if it isn’t about personal development and community service.

:) Now I’m remembering the Scout Law: “A scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, reverent.”
 
Last edited:

Jim

Nets of Wonder
What’s missing for me here is people to talk to about some interests that we have in common. Talking about my beliefs is not one of my interests.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Anyone trying to discuss beliefs with me will only lead to grief for both of us. Vilifying me, making up incriminating stories about my motives and intentions, and blaming me for confusion and misunderstandings, won’t do anything to change that.

I might be able to find conversations that interest me in the Kitchen Sink forums. Maybe some people would like to discuss origami, or life in China, or fractional order derivatives, but I have better places for discussions like that. My discussion interests in Internet discussions have only ever been about social issues and what people in the discussions can do about them. If no one here has any interest in that, I have no reason to keep posting here.
 
Last edited:

Jim

Nets of Wonder
One person has told me that many people here like my posts. I haven’t seen any sign of that, but even if it’s true, it would not be a reason for me to keep posting here. If there’s any reason for me to keep posting here, it would only be to have discussions with some people about some social issues including online social issues, and what we ourselves can do about them in our own lives.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
The only reason that I’ve been posting is because I’ve had a few confirmations that it was doing some people some good sometimes, but that isn’t enough reason any more for me to keep posting.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
People might wonder why I’m posting in a religious forum if it is not to discuss beliefs. It’s because my religion is not about beliefs. I didn’t even know when I came to these forums how much It would be about beliefs.
 

Mock Turtle

Oh my, did I say that!
Premium Member
People might wonder why I’m posting in a religious forum if it is not to discuss beliefs. It’s because my religion is not about beliefs. I didn’t even know when I came to these forums how much It would be about beliefs.

Well, Jim, I'm not that interested in beliefs either (not over many other things), but unfortunately behaviour (which I am interested in) is often produced by having certain beliefs, and the religious sort of belief can be some of the most troublesome.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Well, Jim, I'm not that interested in beliefs either (not over many other things), but unfortunately behaviour (which I am interested in) is often produced by having certain beliefs, and the religious sort of belief can be some of the most troublesome.
Thank you. That’s helpful. Thank you.

Action-orientation discussion about relationships between beliefs and behavior could interest me, but debating about specific beliefs does not.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Now I’m thinking of what I was looking for here as fellowship revolving around spiritual growth and community service, without any beliefs attached to it.
 

Sirona

Hindu Wannabe
Jim, you already got people discussing with you. What's wrong with the people you have? Some people might be dreaming about having 100% of accordance and total harmony with others, but there is never a 100% accordance and harmony, even with close friends. IMHO, that's what relationships are all about. In my opinion, if you are waiting for someone whose interests match 100% with yours, you can as well wait and keep posting the same question forever and ever.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I’ll be looking for people doing things that I want to encourage and support, and trying to find helpful and friendly ways to respond to that. I might post some more about what people can do to help reduce and counteract the harmful effects of some online behavior, and to help bring out the best possibilities in Internet discussions. Instead of searching for people to have discussions with about all that, if there are any here, I’ll leave it to them to find me.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Jim, you already got people discussing with you. What's wrong with the people you have? Some people might be dreaming about having 100% of accordance and total harmony with others, but there is never a 100% accordance and harmony, even with close friends. IMHO, that's what relationships are all about. In my opinion, if you are waiting for someone whose interests match 100% with yours, you can as well wait and keep posting the same question forever and ever.
I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned, but I might be finished with that now.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
It might look like I don’t ever see anything good happening in these forums, or any discussions that interest me. I do.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
I’m thinking now that I don’t want want to post in any Internet discussions any more without having anyone to collaborate with on some goals and plans for helping to improve community life in an online neighborhood.
 

Regiomontanus

Ματαιοδοξία ματαιοδοξιών! Όλα είναι ματαιοδοξία.
Anyone trying to discuss beliefs with me will only lead to grief for both of us. Vilifying me, making up incriminating stories about my motives and intentions, and blaming me for confusion and misunderstandings, won’t do anything to change that.

I might be able to find conversations that interest me in the Kitchen Sink forums. Maybe some people would like to discuss origami, or life in China, or fractional order derivatives, but I have better places for discussions like that. My discussion interests in Internet discussions have only ever been about social issues and what people in the discussions can do about them. If no one here has any interest in that, I have no reason to keep posting here.


Fractional calculus - you have my attention!

Fractional Calculus -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Many fascinating applications of it:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b9f3/cebf62c66c7bc06eab009aa1d60d70a19312.pdf


The world would be a better place if everyone studied calculus and differential equations. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jim

Jim

Nets of Wonder
Fractional calculus - you have my attention!

Fractional Calculus -- from Wolfram MathWorld

Many fascinating applications of it:

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b9f3/cebf62c66c7bc06eab009aa1d60d70a19312.pdf


The world would be a better place if everyone studied calculus and differential equations. :)
I was really into it for a while. I tried to find some way on my own to define a half derivative well enough to be able to write a formula for the half derivative of x^n, but that project never got off the ground.
 

Jim

Nets of Wonder
The world would be a better place if everyone studied calculus and differential equations. :)
- and the wave/particle controversy, and Thevenin and Norton equivalents, and rectangular and polar coordinates, and map projections, and coplex numbers, and the direction of conventional current flow, and orthogonal projections.
 
Top