A Spiritual Bill Of Rights

Part One

The Seven Spiritual Rights of Humanity

There is nothing more life-giving for individuals than to discover and then build a direct relationship with their Creator. This fundamental connection has been threatened in these critical times. All of the spiritual rights identified herein are a direct corollary to the Creator’s gift of individual free will — the spiritual birthright of every human. The purpose of this document is to declare unequivocally that our spiritual rights have been endowed by the Creator. These precious rights should not be violated by any person or institution.

1.	The right of individuals to connect directly with the Creator in their own unique way is fundamental to human spirituality and should be protected, honored and nourished.

No religious or spiritual institution, ideological or philosophical group, or individual representing any institution or group, or any individual acting alone should presume to act as an intermediary between persons and their Creator. Each of our relationships with the Creator is unique, primary, and sovereign in all matters relating to the spiritual life. 

The Creator-human relationship is the living source of spiritual growth. Although many experience this relationship in the context of religion, it is completely independent of any faith tradition or belief system. It is our human birthright and can be experienced by anyone whether or not they follow a particular spiritual path. Because of its unique and intimate nature, this connection must never be abrogated by those who would insert themselves between persons and God. Religions do best when they serve people in their search for the Creator by taking a supportive role in the sacred relationship between individuals and their Creator. Religious leaders appropriately serve humanity by leading group worship, teaching spiritual concepts and facilitating the sharing of spiritual insights; their role should be considered ancillary to the Creator-human relationship.

2.	Individuals have a right to affirm their inherent goodness as beloved children of the Creator.

This basic right has been affirmed by all wisdom teachers. Humanity is not inherently sinful and unworthy of the Creator’s love. Such teachings prevent humanity from reaching its full potential. They do not reflect the Creator’s infinite love, parental devotion and spiritual empowerment toward humanity. Rather, each of us are created in goodness and beauty as precious seeds of great promise. Religious, philosophical, and ideological systems cooperate with God’s high purpose for us when they foster self-respect, thereby unleashing full human potential to solve our serious problems. The human spirit, when awakened and enlivened by a direct relationship with the Creator, naturally yields abundant fruits of loving service, unselfish devotion, courageous loyalty, sincere fairness, enlightened honesty, undying hope, confiding trust, merciful ministry, unfailing goodness, forgiving tolerance, and enduring peace.

3.	Individuals have a right to freedom from fear, especially fear of divine punishment.

The primitive concept of eternal torment, or hell, as well as other concepts of divine chastisement and retribution are demonstrably false. These teachings have long been a source of distress and an obstacle to spiritual growth for innumerable people. They stand in stark contrast to the Creator’s all-loving nature, who never uses fear to control us. In God, we have the personification of our ultimate ideals — the perfect parent, teacher, friend; to portray our Creator as a punisher is simply untrue. No one has anything to fear from God. Rather than accepting this long-held belief, enlightened spiritual people uplift us all by holding enlightened concepts of the Creator.

The fact of the Creator’s love coexisting with the Creator’s justice presents a paradox; in our confusion we may feel that divine punishment is a reasonable solution to mortal imperfection. But our limited vision cannot be compared to the far-seeing eye of an infinite Creator who knows the motives of every human soul and who would not lose one child. Love and mercy are the true attitudes of the Creator. The action of any individual, even the most grievous, is always met with infinite divine patience and understanding.

While it is true that free will choice makes it possible to reject a relationship with the Creator, the theory of an eternity of torture is a human fiction born from an immature desire to punish others.

The final decision to live in relationship with the Creator or not rests with each person. If there is repeated and final rejection of this life-giving partnership, the Creator respects that person’s sovereign free-will decision and withdraws. Since the Creator is the source of all spiritual and material life, we may instead conjecture a cessation of existence for those wholly rejecting the Creator.

4.	Individuals have the right to embark on their own search for truth.

Since every human is endowed with a unique identity from the Creator, spiritual insights and experiences will vary from person to person. The most sublime of human adventures is that of discovering the Creator for oneself. The diversity of spiritual viewpoints in the human family is a great strength that points to the beauty of the Creator, but in no way dilutes the truth of humanity’s unity as children of the Creator. Religions and spiritual groups should not interfere with any individual’s sincere efforts to comprehend and experience truth. On the contrary, they can inspire spiritual growth by encouraging people to discover for themselves the truths about the Creator and their great purpose and destiny as children of the Creator.

5.	Individuals have the right to freedom from religious obligations.

Participation in religious activities must be strictly voluntary. Religions become authoritarian when they dictate the beliefs and behaviors of people. Since the Creator’s primary attribute is unconditional love, all people are given the divine gift of free will. The Creator does not then revoke this gift by imposing obligations on individuals.

When religions presume to claim divine penalties for not fulfilling religion-mandated obligations, it violates the spiritual liberty of followers and often results in shame and guilt.

It must be stated that while the many religious traditions and rituals do succeed at demonstrating spiritual truth, they are nevertheless human concepts, symbols and activities that are not replete with eternal truths in and of themselves. At worst, they become empty recitals from primitive eras, not worthy of the hard-won wisdom and spiritual progress of humanity in this dawning era of light. The outdated spiritual concepts found in some religious traditions stand in need of updating with new truths revealed through the personal experience of followers. But even updated forms are not a substitute for the Creator-human relationship.

Notwithstanding new practices, believers must never have their traditions taken away if they find them to be spiritually nourishing. Rather, the process of developing a personal relationship with the Creator can be prioritized for followers who may downplay this important connection because of their attachment to religious practices. When these followers discover a personal relationship with their Creator, it will result in a tremendous collective spiritual illumination that will gather many under the twin unifying concepts of the divine Creator Parent and the family of humanity.

6.	Individuals have the right to access all spiritual leadership roles.

We honor the beauty and diversity of the Creator when we invite all people into spiritual leadership, whether by gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, or other identity, thereby including their precious gifts to uplift humanity. It significantly strengthens humanity whenever we do so. When people from all groups are empowered to answer the call to spiritual leadership, the Creator will be truly represented.

The exclusion of women from spiritual leadership, as entrenched in religions throughout the centuries, has been a great loss for humanity. Their harmonizing influence is needed at all levels of religion to inspire new spiritual perspectives and help prevent tragic abuses.

Human attitudes of superiority and servility cannot reflect the Creator’s love toward all. The gifts of all people, when wholly embraced, will allow humanity’s full potential to emerge and heal our world. A fertile environment of equality is the spiritual salve that beckons us into a new era of light and life.

7.	Individuals have the right to choose their own life partners.

Along with our personal relationship with the Creator, loving and loyal human partnerships are the most beautiful testaments to love. As loving partners commit to each other’s well-being, face life’s challenges, and share physical, emotional, and spiritual intimacy, they create a nurturing foundation for the growth of their souls. Unselfish and spiritually fragrant human partnerships form the basis for strong societies and should be supported by religious and spiritual groups who love the Creator.