Conscientious Objector Status

The Sacred Principle of Peace is a fundamental principle of the Church
of Reality. We are committed to the Principle of Positive Evolution that
society should evolve forward towards a better tomorrow and away from
extinctionism. Our quest to understand reality the way it really is
depends on a peaceful sane civilization. It is therefore contrary to our
religious beliefs to participate in a war that is unjust, immoral, or
illegal. Members of the Church of Reality are required to shun such
wars. We are a religion of Peace. Members of the Church of Reality are
required to do whatever it takes to avoid supporting an unjust cause.

Realists live throughout the world. Sometime we live in countries that
are the "good guys". Sometimes we live in countries that are the "bad
guys". In both cases the home nation will call on it's young men and
women to go to war claiming that it is the duty to the nation to
participate in the battle to defend the homeland. In such a case if your
nation's cause hasn't risen to the standard of moral justification for
war then it is the duty of the Realist not only to refuse to fight for
the unjust cause, but to actively ensure the failure of such cause.

Nations come and go but reality is forever. Nations rise and fall and
many once great kingdoms are at best a means of job security for
Archeologists who's job it is to figure out what they did wrong to
become an extinct culture. Realists do not act in a way to promote
extinction but rather evolution. We are thinkers and we look at the big
picture and we commit to a higher purpose than short term disputes over
land, wealth, religious differences, and other petty issues.

Nations of the world, listen up! The Church of Reality hereby refuses to
further your military cause unless we determine it is in the best
interest of the advancement of humanity.
Many nations allow people to opt out of war based upon their religious
beliefs. If their religion prohibits war, they can get a religious
exemption. The Church of Reality is such a religion and a Realist can
draw upon our policies and beliefs as justification to refuse military
service.

Different nations have different standards regarding the qualifications
of the religious beliefs that are acceptable to be exempt from forced
military service. Some nation states require that you be opposed to all
wars, not just the wars you like. In their view the religion is either
fully against war or it is not. Some religions are against all wars
under all conditions. Other religions take no position on forced
military service. Our position requires that war is only justified if it
passes the highest level of scrutiny of justification. Support for a war
requires a consensus of the Council of Realists. Without such
affirmative statement of consensus, the war is unjustified and against
our religious beliefs.

Our religion requires people to think. We are prohibited from accepting
the justification for war on "faith" in our resident nation state.
Thinking and deciding for ourselves is part of our core belief system.
We are a doubt based religion and we shall not be denied our doubt. Our
Principle of Compassion requires that we feel empathy for our
adversaries. Our Principle of Justice requires that we fight for the
just cause only. Our Principle of Inclusiveness requires that we resist
religious and racial hatred. We believe that nationalism is a mental
disorder that is contrary to the advancement of humanity. The Principle
of Scrutiny and Doubt requires us to question our actions to determine
for ourselves and as a Church what wars are justified and what wars are
not. Our Principle of Wisdom requires that we rise above the herd mind
and think for ourselves. Our Principle of Personal Responsibility
requires that we make sure that we choose what is the right thing to do
and that we do it. Out Principle of Bullshit prohibits us from
participating in a bullshit war. And our Principle of Activism requires
us to actively resist causes that are unjust.

We are one planet, We are all here together. It is our duty to figure
out how to live in peace and to do what it takes to make that happen.
The belief systems in the Church of Reality are different than most
other religions in that we are a reality based religion. Most religions
have limited resolution in their faith relying upon their holy books as
to if war is permitted or not. We are different in that we are reality
based and we think things through and therefore we have infinite
resolution in our moral evaluation process. We are required to think
about each situation individually and apply wisdom to make the correct
determination. One of our Sacred Missions is to ask the Sacred Moral
Question - what is good. So even though the basis for a religious
exemption in some religions might be all or nothing, in the Church of
Reality it would be an infringement of our religious beliefs if we were
forced to treat all war as being equal.

In a further message to the militaries and nation states of the world,
it is the duty of all realists to act for the betterment of humanity and
that the nation state of residence is of no consequence. If a Realist is
forced to serve in a military unit it is the duty of the Realist to
undermine the military from within and to bring down the fighting force
for what they are compelled to serve. We want to make it clear that
Realist are not the kind of people that you want to force to serve in a
war for an unjust cause because we will destroy you from within. To a
realist, being forced to serve in an unjust war is an opportunity to
destroy you from within.

If that cause is just a Realist is the military's best resource. If the
cause is unjust then the Realist is your worst nightmare. Our message to
the world is, if you are contemplating war, you better take reality into
account.
--
"In consciousness dwells the wondrous,
with it man attains the realm beyond the material,
and the Peyote tells us,
where to find it."