Magic Mallard
New Member
One of the major reasons why religions and secret societies (such as the Freemasons) have been so successful is that they provide a social center for their members and, either actively or as a natural byproduct, a support network where their members help each other. This is something realists lack. I have an idea on how to supply that. I would appreciate input.
[FYI: A realist is what I call myself. Someone that holds reality as the only reality. I don't call myself an atheist since I do not like to use a purposely negative label and because it is only partially correct about my position on reality. An atheist means anti-god. I am not anti-god but pro-reality. If anyone can scientifically prove there's a god, I will accept that fact. That and I also don't believe in an afterlife, reincarnation, or any other superstition or myth without supporting scientific proof. Technically, an atheist can believe in an afterlife ... just one without a god. For example, Buddhists are atheists and believe in reincarnation.]
But before I tell the idea, I should make four things clear.
1) What I'm proposing isn't an activist group. It doesn't seek to convert anyone to its position on religion. Its goal is not to confront religious people or organizations. It wouldn't do publicity stunts. Its advertising campaigns would only seek out realists and encourage them to join. Now I assume some here might feel what I'm proposing should be more activist and/or radical, but I believe by it not being so is the best way for it to grow and be successful.
2) I currently have the financial resources to start the first lodge. Very likely, it will be in Las Vegas due to a new company that is interested in hiring me as their chief marketing officer will have its headquarters there. Then again, the new company will operate in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City (as well as possibly London) and my job will require me to be constantly traveling between these cities so I could start it up in one of them instead of Las Vegas. Each are larger than Las Vegas thus there would be more membership potential if I started the first lodge in one of them. And if I picked Los Angeles, there is also the potential to attract Hollywood celebrities as members and the additional media attention that would generate.
3) I will not be seeking employment with this organization that I am trying to found nor any income from it. In fact, as a CMO, I will likely be contributing more to the organization than average members and that's fine with me. That and I hope to be an example for other high-income members to follow. My goal is to found this organization and then be the first fourth-level member (explained below) and select that membership level's first twenty members. I will then be a major advocate of only adding high quality members to that select group. Also, all leadership positions will be unpaid and all employees cannot vote for either their local club's or the international organization's leadership to prevent any public perception that this organization is a Ponzi scheme (a.k.a. pyramid scam).
4) I do not expect this organization to get all realists to join. That is an unrealistic goal. You cannot please all the people all the time. However, this organization can be very successful if a portion of realists see value in joining it. It will also welcome realists that initially don't want to join it if they later change their minds.
Now the idea...
A private social club for realists.
Using the Freemasons as a model, it would have local lodges and be exclusionary. Only realists can join it. Prospective members would need to publicly state before an assembly of the club's membership that they are realists and disavow any belief in any religion, god, myth, or superstition. Due to being fence-sitters, agnostics would not be appropriate for this organization and thus would not be allowed to join.
The initial club itself would be a fitness center. The idea is to provide more than just socializing as a reason for members to join. As a club grows, it would add additional functions to its facility, such as possibly a bowling alley, sand volleyball courts, a free DVD library, espresso cafe, etc. How the individual clubs would grow in these ways would be up to that club's leadership.
There would be four levels of membership. To be a member of a higher level, you must already be a member of all the levels below it.
The first level is free to any realist. This level enables one to enjoy all of the club facilities. Free membership to its fitness center, free bowling, etc. The only thing required for this membership level is the public statement of one's non-religious nature.
The second level of membership is for those willing to give a certain percentage of their income to help financially support the social club and, to a much lesser extent, the international organization. As a reward for doing so, this level would quietly and actively work to help advance each other's business or career. In other works, this is where strong networking is done among members. It would also be this level of membership that elects their local club's leadership.
The third level of membership is for those willing to donate a certain percentage of their income to support certain scientific research. This done through research grants and funding milestone cash prizes. The areas of research being human longevity, human rejuvenation, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and human cryonics. The goal of this level is to extend human lifespans as long as possible while at the same time as healthy as possible. This would be the "good public works" of the organization. Aside from the scientific goals this level would help bring about, another reason for members to join this level is that it would only be from this level that the membership of the next and highest level would be selected.
The fourth level would be the group of members that would vote on organization-wide matters and elect the leadership of the international organization. Membership of this level would be restricted to a maximum of 200 so they have a good chance of actually knowing each other. This group would be made up of the most powerful and influential members of the world-wide organization that are members of the third level of membership and would meet twice a year.
As for growing the membership of local clubs, each local club would advertise locally in their local newspapers and on their local TV and radio stations. Advertising accounts would be set up so if a local newspaper or local TV/radio newscast does a news story on certain topics, they can tap an advertising budget to run ads for the local club at such times. The topics being things like favorable news stories about Charles Darwin and evolution and unfavorable news stories about crimes committed by religious ministers and churches. The ads run during/beside these news stories being simply promotional and not evangelical.
As for setting up clubs in new cities, each club would employ at least four full-time employees. A social director, a networker (whose sole focus is helping the second level of membership network), and an assistant for each. When the international organization can afford to do so, it will open a new lodge in a new city. Which city decided by the fourth level of membership. The before-mentioned assistants at all current clubs will then be allowed to apply to be the new club's social director and networker. The best two will be hired and oversee the founding of the new club.
If a realist is not in a city that has a lodge, they can still join the organization. The nearest lodge to them would be their "home" lodge and, saying they seek the second level of membership, its networker would work on their behalf. These lodge-less members will have a major impact on which city will get the next lodge. The more lodge-less members a city possesses, the more likely that will be the city where the next lodge will be opened.
And that's basically the idea. Constructive input sought and appreciated. Also, if you know of another online forum that would be good to post this idea, that would be appreciated as I'm seeking input from a variety of sources.
[FYI: A realist is what I call myself. Someone that holds reality as the only reality. I don't call myself an atheist since I do not like to use a purposely negative label and because it is only partially correct about my position on reality. An atheist means anti-god. I am not anti-god but pro-reality. If anyone can scientifically prove there's a god, I will accept that fact. That and I also don't believe in an afterlife, reincarnation, or any other superstition or myth without supporting scientific proof. Technically, an atheist can believe in an afterlife ... just one without a god. For example, Buddhists are atheists and believe in reincarnation.]
But before I tell the idea, I should make four things clear.
1) What I'm proposing isn't an activist group. It doesn't seek to convert anyone to its position on religion. Its goal is not to confront religious people or organizations. It wouldn't do publicity stunts. Its advertising campaigns would only seek out realists and encourage them to join. Now I assume some here might feel what I'm proposing should be more activist and/or radical, but I believe by it not being so is the best way for it to grow and be successful.
2) I currently have the financial resources to start the first lodge. Very likely, it will be in Las Vegas due to a new company that is interested in hiring me as their chief marketing officer will have its headquarters there. Then again, the new company will operate in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City (as well as possibly London) and my job will require me to be constantly traveling between these cities so I could start it up in one of them instead of Las Vegas. Each are larger than Las Vegas thus there would be more membership potential if I started the first lodge in one of them. And if I picked Los Angeles, there is also the potential to attract Hollywood celebrities as members and the additional media attention that would generate.
3) I will not be seeking employment with this organization that I am trying to found nor any income from it. In fact, as a CMO, I will likely be contributing more to the organization than average members and that's fine with me. That and I hope to be an example for other high-income members to follow. My goal is to found this organization and then be the first fourth-level member (explained below) and select that membership level's first twenty members. I will then be a major advocate of only adding high quality members to that select group. Also, all leadership positions will be unpaid and all employees cannot vote for either their local club's or the international organization's leadership to prevent any public perception that this organization is a Ponzi scheme (a.k.a. pyramid scam).
4) I do not expect this organization to get all realists to join. That is an unrealistic goal. You cannot please all the people all the time. However, this organization can be very successful if a portion of realists see value in joining it. It will also welcome realists that initially don't want to join it if they later change their minds.
Now the idea...
A private social club for realists.
Using the Freemasons as a model, it would have local lodges and be exclusionary. Only realists can join it. Prospective members would need to publicly state before an assembly of the club's membership that they are realists and disavow any belief in any religion, god, myth, or superstition. Due to being fence-sitters, agnostics would not be appropriate for this organization and thus would not be allowed to join.
The initial club itself would be a fitness center. The idea is to provide more than just socializing as a reason for members to join. As a club grows, it would add additional functions to its facility, such as possibly a bowling alley, sand volleyball courts, a free DVD library, espresso cafe, etc. How the individual clubs would grow in these ways would be up to that club's leadership.
There would be four levels of membership. To be a member of a higher level, you must already be a member of all the levels below it.
The first level is free to any realist. This level enables one to enjoy all of the club facilities. Free membership to its fitness center, free bowling, etc. The only thing required for this membership level is the public statement of one's non-religious nature.
The second level of membership is for those willing to give a certain percentage of their income to help financially support the social club and, to a much lesser extent, the international organization. As a reward for doing so, this level would quietly and actively work to help advance each other's business or career. In other works, this is where strong networking is done among members. It would also be this level of membership that elects their local club's leadership.
The third level of membership is for those willing to donate a certain percentage of their income to support certain scientific research. This done through research grants and funding milestone cash prizes. The areas of research being human longevity, human rejuvenation, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and human cryonics. The goal of this level is to extend human lifespans as long as possible while at the same time as healthy as possible. This would be the "good public works" of the organization. Aside from the scientific goals this level would help bring about, another reason for members to join this level is that it would only be from this level that the membership of the next and highest level would be selected.
The fourth level would be the group of members that would vote on organization-wide matters and elect the leadership of the international organization. Membership of this level would be restricted to a maximum of 200 so they have a good chance of actually knowing each other. This group would be made up of the most powerful and influential members of the world-wide organization that are members of the third level of membership and would meet twice a year.
As for growing the membership of local clubs, each local club would advertise locally in their local newspapers and on their local TV and radio stations. Advertising accounts would be set up so if a local newspaper or local TV/radio newscast does a news story on certain topics, they can tap an advertising budget to run ads for the local club at such times. The topics being things like favorable news stories about Charles Darwin and evolution and unfavorable news stories about crimes committed by religious ministers and churches. The ads run during/beside these news stories being simply promotional and not evangelical.
As for setting up clubs in new cities, each club would employ at least four full-time employees. A social director, a networker (whose sole focus is helping the second level of membership network), and an assistant for each. When the international organization can afford to do so, it will open a new lodge in a new city. Which city decided by the fourth level of membership. The before-mentioned assistants at all current clubs will then be allowed to apply to be the new club's social director and networker. The best two will be hired and oversee the founding of the new club.
If a realist is not in a city that has a lodge, they can still join the organization. The nearest lodge to them would be their "home" lodge and, saying they seek the second level of membership, its networker would work on their behalf. These lodge-less members will have a major impact on which city will get the next lodge. The more lodge-less members a city possesses, the more likely that will be the city where the next lodge will be opened.
And that's basically the idea. Constructive input sought and appreciated. Also, if you know of another online forum that would be good to post this idea, that would be appreciated as I'm seeking input from a variety of sources.