HISTORICAL CONCEPTS
Cultural Development
Human Endeavor
ETHICAL FOUNDATIONS
PROGRESSIVE IDEAS
Three forces impact on our beliefs: ideology, culture, and religion. The professional class devoted to the understanding of these forces is best referred as the priesthood. History provides countless instances of the way in which various systems of belief have had negative impacts on the world: Nazism, the Atlantic slave trade, and Islamism to name one of each, all of which constitute a failure on the part of the priesthood. Thus the priest must act as a guardian of belief, and once again we see that the principle of "Do no harm" alone can be our yardstick. Ultimately however, we alone are responsible for our actions; the priest cannot coerce, only inform unequivocally. It is up to the individual to develop authentic beliefs; the priest, as a person who understands many perspectives in depth, is an invaluable resource to the individual.
In the US, we enjoy an unparalleled freedom of belief. It is only the commitment of each person to uphold the sanctity of personal opinion which maintains this privilege.
Buddhist priest (right)
Catholic priest