The Church of Belief Science: A Complete Guide to Philosophy and Practice

By Robert Rocco Cottone

This book provides a summary of the philosophy and practice of Belief Science, the religion of the future. The Church of Belief Science is established on postmodern philosophy--where faith is housed in relationship systems. Readers will learn postmodern tenets as applied to religion. Church Canons, doctrine, and specific practices are outlined and defined. Church ceremonies are also described.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Rocco Cottone
• Release date: May 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476143477

Robert Rocco Cottone

Robert Rocco Cottone was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1952. He was raised in the post World War II Italian-American culture in the suburbs of St. Louis and had a story-book boyhood right from the pages of Mark Twain. He would ride his bike for hours to watch the barges at the Alton lock and dam, and he was enthralled with the power of the mighty Mississippi. He attended Catholic grade school and later switched to public schools in the St. Louis suburbs. During the Viet Nam War he remained stateside and was a medic in the Air Force. He later attended the University of Missouri-Columbia and earned a degree in psychology. He continued his studies earning a master's degree in counseling at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He earned a Ph.D. degree at St. Louis University in 1980. He is currently a licensed psychologist and a Professor of Counseling and Family Therapy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has authored over 90 professional and scientific articles and several books, including: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Individual and Relational Approaches (2017, Springer Publishing Company); Ethics and Decision Making in Counseling and Psychotherapy, with Vilia Tarvydas (2016, Springer Publishing Company); High Romance: A Book of Romantic Self-expression (2012, Smashwords); Paradigms of Counseling and Psychotherapy (2012; Smashwords); The Church of Belief Science: A Complete Guide to Philosophy and Practice (2012, Smashwords) and Toward a Positive Psychology of Religion: Belief Science in the Postmodern Era (2011, John Hunt Publishing). In 2007 he founded the Church of Belief Science, a church completely established on postmodern philosophy, where relationships are crucial to all understanding and experience. His most recent publication is: The Church of Belief Science's Reform Christianity Bible (2019, Smashwords) which is a positive, fully affirming, and inspiring revision of the Gospels of the New Testament.

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The Church of Belief Science:

A Complete Guide to Philosophy and Practice

Second Edition

By

Robert Rocco Cottone

Church Website: http://www.churchofbeliefscience.org

The Church of Belief Science: A Complete Guide to Philosophy and Practice

Second Edition

By Robert Rocco Cottone

Published by Robert Rocco Cottone at Smashwords. Robert Rocco Cottone, Publisher, c/o Church of Belief Science, P. O. Box 282, Cottleville, Missouri (MO) 63338-0282. Website: http://www.churchofbeliefscience.org

Copyright © 2012 Robert Rocco Cottone. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review or through Smashwords and its contracted distribution affiliates.

ISBN: 9781476143477. Smashwords Edition, License Notes. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

DEDICATION: This book is dedicated to Salvatore Cottone, my father, who taught me to have confidence in my ideas and to carry through with my beliefs, and to Francesca Cottone, my mother, who taught me the importance of religion and deep faith.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Part I: Introduction and Overview

Part II: Canons

The Thirteen Canons of the Church

The Foundational Canon

The Twelve Ethical Canons (Core Principles of the Human Spirit)

Administrative Canons

Canonic Reflections

Part III: The Practice of Belief Science

The Creed of Belief Science

How Do Belief Scientists Practice Their Faith?

The Symbol of the Church

Part IV: Defining the Principles of the Church

The Human Spirit (The Spirit of Relationships)

The Collective Conscience versus Individual Conscience

What About Free Will?

Science and Religion

Is There an Eternity?

But Isn’t There a God-force or Universal Organizing Principle Out There?

The Power of Relationships

Love

Life and the Importance of Children

Fairness

Respect for Nature

Defining and Avoiding Evil, Doing Good, and Being Non-offensive

Freedom of Expression and Religious Practice

Social Values and Self-examination in Context

Part V: Church Activities and Administration

Communion

Annual Celebrations of the Church

Contextual Centering Process

Guiding Principles for Church Operation and Administration

Part VI: Questions and Answers About the Church

Part VII: Example Church Ceremonies

Part VIII: Conclusion

The Religion of the Future

Membership Appeal

Donations Needed

Church Contact Information

Other Books by Robert Rocco Cottone

The Church of Belief Science:

A Complete Guide to Philosophy and Practice

Second Edition

PREFACE

I am an unlikely revolutionary. I am a family man, a suburban dweller, and I take pride in my career as a psychologist, counselor, and educator. But I am trying to start a revolution—a revolution in religion—toward a positive psychology of religion. I believe the Church of Belief Science is a Church of the future.

I am reaching out to those who are discouraged by the negativity of other religions. I am reaching out to those who have been disenfranchised by life or by another religion. To the scientifically minded, here is a religion that fully embraces science. For those who seek tolerance across religions or who believe that the search for religious truths is an important element to faith, then please view what the Church has to offer. And for those who are on a personal or spiritual journey, welcome. The Church of Belief Science is founded on a philosophy that defines a truth about truths—that faith derives from sharing our most profound understanding of our experiences together. There is no mystery of faith—faith comes from people believing together.

In a world of intolerance (religious or otherwise), war, deadly disease and devastating disability, aggressive and offensive harm to others, abuse of others (e.g., children, women and minorities), ethnic cleansing, and restricted personal and religious freedom, people of reason must speak against and stand for fairness, justice, and peace. Unfortunately, religions of ancient times have failed to prevent atrocities, and religious exclusion and provincialism have fanned the flames of intolerance. A high order framework is needed that guides people to accept the diversity of all people and ideas, while not compromising ethical principles that have succeeded in guiding people to live fruitful, loving, tolerant, and meaningful lives.

The Church of Belief Science is founded on the process of consensualizing, a process of acting with others as if some socially defined concept represents truth. In fact, that definition of consensualizing constitutes the definition of believing. Consensualizing as a process leads to an outcome—a consensuality. A consensuality is a bracketed absolute truth; consensualities are not relative truths, and they are not universal truths, but they are bracketed absolutes. Bracketed absolute truths are truths held as fact by people in a community: they are embraced as objective. However, to people outside the community (to any number of other faith believers) the truth of the community appears relative. To people inside a community, the truth is viewed as indisputable, whereas outsiders view it as disputable. Consensualizing is at the foundation of the Church of Belief Science. It is a postmodern concept, meaning that it stems from a fully relational world view. Relationships are everything, and everything is relationship. That is the postmodern view, and that is the basis of Belief Science (also formally called the Science of Belief). All belief is housed within communities of believers.

This Church is optimistic of the human condition. It is founded on the power of relationships, as people come together to know and to act as an ethical collective. It is the human spirit that is a guiding force, as Belief Scientists together explore the meanings of the experiences that they share.

If you are a skeptic, please suspend judgment while you read these pages. Please also consider reading the companion popular press book, Toward a Positive Psychology of Religion: Belief Science in the Postmodern Era (2010, John Hunt Publishing, available at most on-line book retailers, at local book stores, or through the Church website). That book provides a useful additional explanation of the basic concepts and Canons at the foundation of the Church of Belief Science.

Imagine a tolerant and ethical world. Belief Science stands for some very basic ethical principles (the Ethical Canons of the Church): love, optimism, fairness, non-offensiveness, respect for learning, respect for life, free religious expression and practice, respect for nature, loving parenthood and guardianship, doing good, and avoiding evil.

PART I: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

Much has been learned over the centuries. Human intelligence has taken humanity to a level of incredible accomplishment. Knowledge of human nature, itself, has advanced. Ancient religious, that often hold fast to ancient doctrine at the expense of advancement, no longer serve humanity in a way that can facilitate enhancement of the human condition.

Religions from ancient times, or religions based on exclusivity (prejudicial in some way), have demonstrated their weakness in preventing aggressive and destructive actions of those that follow the doctrines. At the time of this writing, wars are being fought presumably over