Church of Belief Science - Membership/Join Here

Becoming a member of the Church of Belief Science is easy. Simply use the link below to e-mail your pledge to "believe in, live by, and uphold the Canons of the Church of Belief Science," and you are officially a member. We will contact you by e-mail and provide additional information about forming or joining an Assembly in your area of interest.

E-mail us now: administrator@churchofbeliefscience.org

Thanks for joining. You are now a very special part of a movement to establish a positive psychology of religion.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP FOR YOU:
1. You will be a part of a caring community--a place where you will find other people to share ideas and friendship, either in person or through electronic means of communication.
2. You will be in communion with a group of believers committed to the study of many truths under the umbrella of one uniting Church with a distinct (postmodern) philosophy.
3. You will be committed to a set of guiding principles (the Canons of the Church) that will help you make important decisions throughout your life.
4. You will be part of a new religious movement to establish a positive psychology of religion.

BELIEF SCIENTISTS PRACTICE IN ONE OF THREE WAYS:
1. Individual Practice with Electronical Linkage to the Belief Science Community. A member commits to the Canons of the Church and formally joins the Church. He or she would then practice Belief Science by following the Canons, with regular contact with other members through electronic or personal interactions. The member would not be actively participating in activities of an Assembly except electronically. The member would regularly recite the Creed of Belief Science and would practice the Centering (meditative) activity, designed to help members focus on relationships of significance in a positive way. A mentor would be assigned to help the individual develop personally and spiritually, consistent with the interest of the member. Some individuals equate this form of practice with Eastern traditions.

2. Full Assembly Involvement in an Assembly (Electronic or Physical) Aligned with Religious Interests. A member commits to the Canons of the Church and formally joins the Church. He or she then joins or forms an Assembly consistent with his or her religious interests, such as in the study of Christ, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Hinduism, Atheism/Agnosticism, Scientism, Naturalism, or Comparative Religions, as examples. Each assembly has a focus. Members would meet in a physical space (or by electronic means) at least monthly. A priest would oversee Assembly activities and would be elected from members of a new Assembly (to start the educational process for the priesthood).

3. Assembly Involvement with Participation in the Activities and Practices of Other Religions. A member commits to the Canons of the Church and formally joins the Church. He or she then joins or forms an Assembly consistent with his or her interests; the member is involved in Belief Science functions at least monthly. The member also attends services of another religion or church, without formal commitment to the rules and beliefs of the other Church. For example, a Belief Scientist in the Study of Christ's teachings may actively attend a Christian Church's services, become involved in that Church's activities, but still maintains allegiance to the Canons of Belief Science. When questioned, however, the Belief Scientist responds that he or she is a Belief Scientist. Belief Scientists do not recite creeds of other religions. This practice option is chosen by those who have strong connection to a specific religious tradition (by family tradition, for example), but who have doctrinal or personal concerns with some or many of the religion's beliefs or practices. Belief Scientists act as good citizens when involved with other churches and do not break the rules of the other church (for example, taking communion at a Catholic Church would be unacceptable). Belief Scientists may contribute to another church, but they are asked also to contribute time, money, or effort to the Church of Belief Science.

BENEFITS OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR THE CHURCH:
By establishing a membership base, the Church will be able to build networks of believers--teaching and helping communities--designed to communicate the message of Belief Science and to facilitate activities consistent with Church Canons. As a new Church, the Church of Belief Science must be able to establish its viability by demonstrating that its message is attractive and engaging. Your membership is a vote in favor of a positive psychology of religion. If you believe the Church's values are important to the future of humanity, please join.

A COMPLETE APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE FOLLOWS. YOU MAY JOIN BY SIMPLY E-MAILING US THROUGH THE "JOIN HERE" LINK, OR YOU MAY COMPLETE THE APPLICATION BELOW AND MAIL IT TO THE CHURCH OFFICE. THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE WILL NOT BE SHARED WITH OTHERS WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION. PRINT THIS PAGE, COMPLETE THE APPLICATION, AND MAIL YOUR APPLICATION TO THE CHURCH ADDRESS. THANK YOU FOR JOINING.

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CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE, INC.

P.O. BOX 282

COTTLEVILLE, MISSOURI (MO) 63338-0282

If you have questions about completing this application, please e-mail questions to: administrator@churchofbeliefscience.org

If you are under 18 years old, please complete this application with the help of your parent(s) or guardian; complete all the questions that apply to you. If this application is for a child's membership, a parent should complete the application (all relevant questions) and sign for the child. In either case, a parent's or guardian's signature is necessary.

NAME: DATE OF BIRTH: TODAY'S DATE:

CURRENT STREET ADRESS:

CURRENT CITY AND STATE: ZIP CODE:

HOME PHONE NUMBER: WORK PHONE NUMBER:

WIRELESS PHONE NUMBER: FAX NUMBER:

DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER WITH CONNECTION TO THE WORLD WIDE WEB? YES ( ); NO ( ).

DO YOU HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER AND HAVE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS: NO ( ); YES ( ). IF YES, PLEASE PROVIDE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS:

ALTERNATIVE CONTACT INFORMATION, IF YOU CANNOT BE REACHED AT THE ABOVE CONTACTS (List name, address, phone and/or e-mail contacts):

PRIOR TO THIS APPLICATON, WERE YOU A MEMBER OF ANOTHER CHURCH, CHURCHES, OR RELIGION(S)? NO ( ); YES ( ). If yes, please identify the formal name of the Church or Religion and dates of affiliation:

GENDER: FEMALE ( ); MALE ( ). PLACE OF BIRTH:

SPOKEN LANGUAGES:

IDENTIFY YOUR INTERESTS BY CHECKING ONE OR MORE OF THE INTEREST AREAS BELOW, OR IDENTIFY ANOTHER AREA OF STUDY AROUND WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN OR TO FORM AN ASSEMBLY.

I AM INTERESTED IN AN ASSEMBLY IN THE STUDY OF:

CHRIST OR CHRISTIANITY ( ); ISLAM ( ); HINDUISM ( ); BUDDHISM ( );

JUDAISM ( ); SHINTO ( ); TAOISM ( ); NATURALISM OR WICCAN ( );

COMPARITIVE RELIGIONS ( ); AGNOSTICISM ( ); ATHEISM ( );

OTHER RELIGIOUS INTEREST AREA FOR ASSEMBLY ASSIGNMENT OR DEVELOPMENT (Give a clear definition of your interests):

DO YOU KNOW OF AN ASSEMBLY YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN? NO ( ); YES ( ). If yes, please identify the Assembly Coordinator, Priest, or Priestess by name, address, and phone numbers:

DO YOU HAVE THE INTENTION TO OR INTEREST IN ACTIVELY DEVELOPING AN ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH? NO ( ); YES ( ). If yes, please identify your interest area for Assembly development:

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ORDAINED OR AFFIRMED AS A LEADER OF ANOTHER RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION? NO ( ); YES ( ). If yes, please identify the religion and describe briefly your religious education or credentials:

LEVEL OF FORMAL EDUCATION IN ACCREDITED SCHOOLS: LESS THAN 8 YEARS ( ); COMPLETED GRADE SCHOOL, EIGHT YEARS OF EDUCATION ( ); SOME HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION ( ); COMPLETED HIGH SCHOOL, 12 YEARS OF EDUCATION ( ); SOME COLLEGE ( ); COMPLETED A COLLEGE BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN ____________________ ( ); SOME POST BACHELOR’S EDUCATION ( ); COMPLETED A MASTER’S DEGREE IN _____________________ ( ); SOME POST-MASTER’S EDUCATION ( ); COMPLETED A DOCTORATE IN______________________ ( ).

HAVE YOU BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH AND GENERALLY UNDERSTAND THE CANONS OF THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE?
NO ( ); YES ( ).

HOW DID YOU LEARN OF THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE? (Specifically list contacts or sources):

ARE YOU ABLE TO TRAVEL UP TO 100 MILES IN ORDER TO ATTEND A CEREMONY ACKNOWLEDGING COMMITMENT TO CHURCH CANONS?
YES ( ); NO ( ). If no, describe any limitations:

THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE HOLDS THAT LIFE IS PRECIOUS, AND IT ENCOURAGES MEMBERS TO DEVELOP A SHARED WISH DOCUMENT RELATED TO CARE WHILE INFIRMED. YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO COMPLETE A HEALTH CARE DIRECTIONS FORM AND A DURABLE POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR HEALTH CARE FORM. IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THESE FORMS FOR MEMBERSHIP, BUT IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

YOUR SIGNATURE BELOW CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO FOLLOW THE CANONS OF THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE. ONCE THE CHURCH HAS PROCESSED YOUR APPLICATION, RECEIPT WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED BY MAIL OR E-MAIL. A PRIEST OR ADMINISTRATOR OF THE CHURCH WILL CONTACT YOU AND ARRANGE FOR A FORMAL CEREMONIAL PLEDGE OF MEMBERSHIP, AT WHICH TIME, ALL MATTERS BEING IN ORDER, YOU WILL BE OFFICIALLY WELCOMED TO THE CHURCH.

I HEREBY APPLY TO BE A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF BELIEF SCIENCE. THE INFORMATION I HAVE PROVIDED IS TRUE TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE. I PLEDGE TO BELIEVE, LIVE BY, AND UPHOLD THE CANONS OF THE CHURCH.

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Signature of Applicant Date

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Parent or Guardian Signature (for minors)

Mail your completed application to:

Church of Belief Science, Inc.

P. O. Box 282

Cottleville, Missouri (MO) 63338