In 2005, the inspiration for [[SolSeed]], the fictional religion of [[Earthseed]] central to the science-fiction novels ''Parable of the Sower'' and ''Parable of the Talents'' by [[Octavia Butler]], independently gave me ([[user:scifiben|Ben Sibelman]]) the idea to invent another real-world institution to be called '''"the Church of Gaia/Earthseed"''' (CoGE for short). Like [[Earthseed]], this "religion" would not make reference to anything supernatural, instead basing its "theology" around James Lovelock's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_theory Gaia theory]. The reason for keeping the framework of a religion was clear to me at the time: religions are capable of lasting for thousands of years, and long-term thinking is what humanity desperately needs in order to heal our living world and [[TheDestiny|carry life to other worlds]].
When I discovered [[SolSeed]], I originally had the notion of adding CoGE as its "religious branch." But I gradually came to realize that by founding any kind of "religion," even one based on the scientific worldview, I was a) setting myself up to be ridiculed as a crackpot cult leader, and b) setting an absurdly high barrier to entry by asking people to "convert," i.e. give up their most deeply-held beliefs and replace them with my own. This kind of megalomania is completely against the grain of my personality, and I can only justify my blindness to it by saying that all my writings about CoGE were only notes toward a rough draft.
Instead of creating the text for any kind of religion, I'm now merely seeking to contribute to the rough draft of the charter for [[SolSeed]], an organization that could one day be capable of carrying a basic [[SolSeedEthics|ethic]] already shared by almost everyone--that of valuing [[life]]--forward into the distant future, supporting the eventual goal of [[TheDestiny]]. To this end, I am proposing a reorganization of the existing content on the [[SolSeed]] website, to clarify that the idea of [[SolSeed]] is [[SolSeedFacets|multifaceted]] and more than just a [[SolSeedMovement|movement]]. It is still not a religion, but can be viewed through one "facet" as a ''scripture'' that is [[SolSeed and Religion|compatible with any kind of faith]]. It is also a [[SolSeedPhilosophy|philosophy]] and a [[SolSeedCommunity|community]].
--[[User:Scifiben|Scifiben]] 23:40, 8 November 2008 (UTC)