frequently asked questions
Arethion is (1) a way of life, (2) a community, and (3) a service organization. First, Arethion synthesizes thousands of years of philosophy, science, and religion into a practical way of living full of meaning and purpose. Second, Arethion is a community where people make friends, have fun, support one another in hard times, help with childcare, share recipes and tools, and much more. Third, Arethion is a community in action. We dedicate time, energy, and money to helping others – including people outside of Arethion – and to improving the environment.
Anyone can join! Arethion is a modern spiritual community, and we welcome everyone – truly everyone. Join us if you’re a young adult, a senior, single, married, LGBTQIA+, spiritual but not religious, a freethinker, Christian, Muslim, a religious trauma survivor…
Simply create an account here. You’ll get access to Arethion’s social network where you can make friends, share content, and learn more about Arethion. You can also join our in-person community by visiting one of our local gatherings or by getting involved in community service and outreach.
- Absolutely not. Cults have the following attributes: (1) A supernatural leader, (2) A claim that the group’s teachings are the only source of “Truth,” (3) Members must commune together or risk being “corrupted” by the external world, (4) Members have an “exalted” status over non-members, (5) There are negative consequences for leaving, including punishment in an afterlife, and (6) A belief that the world is going to end. Arethion does not have any of these attributes. (You may have noticed that Christianity has all of them.) Finally, there are no stakes in joining or leaving Arethion. People can do so freely at any time, without repercussions.
- Arethion was founded on a simple premise: After 200,000 years of lived human experience, 5,000 years of philosophy and history, and 3,000 years of science – across innumerable human cultures and societies – we have gained sufficient wisdom to provide “pretty good” answers to life’s biggest questions. Not “perfect” answers, to be clear, but “pretty good.” Only a few hundred years ago, people believed the sun revolved around the earth. Today, we know the age of the universe itself. Only a ferw hundred years ago, people believed slavery was morally justified. Today, we reject that claim. Thanks to the ingenuity, bravery, and sacrifice of our ancestors over millennia, we’ve learned valuable lessons about how the world works and how to treat one another. Our progress has never been linear, and there have been and will continue be devastating setbacks, but the arc of time is bending toward truth and virtue. That enables us, today, to live a life of purpose, friendship, and love our ancestors could only dream of. Arethion sprang from the wisdom of those ancestors and from the progress of our contemporaries. The Arethion philosophy collates concepts, ethics, and science from diverse human cultures, synthesizes them into a comprehensive system, and operationalizes them so people can live the best life possible today. What’s more, provided that we continue to learn and listen to one another, Arethion will continue to develop, ensuring that tomorrow will be even better than today. Traditions and disciplines from which Arethion drew its inspiration include (in no particular order): ubuntu, Taoism, Socrates, Aristotle, psychology, neuroscience, Buddhism, Hinduism, anthropology, evolutionary biology, Judith Shklar, Charles Sanders Peirce, utilitarianism, Immanuel Kant, feminism, economics, Christianity, archaeology, sociology, Cristina Bicchieri, economics, Erving Goffman, world mythology, and many more.
- The Arethion logo is symbolic and represents several core ideas. (1) Just as the rings of a tree chronicle the passage of time, the circles epitomize personal growth and flourishing. (2) Similar to ripples in a pond, the circles show that the love we give and the choices we make radiate outward, affecting other people and the environment. (3) In this way, the circles likewise represent the people and communities that surround and support us. (4) When Arethions gather, we sit in a circle, symbolizing equality. This is in contrast to a Christian church, which is organized hierarchically.
- Arethion charges a fee of $5/month for its social network. Unlike Tik Tok, Facebook, Twitter, etc., Arethion believes it is unethical to sell user data. Consequently, we keep our data private, and we do not advertise to our members. The $5 fee helps Arethion cover technical and administrative costs for the social network. Any profit Arethion earns is used to grow the organization or gets donated to charity. Local chapters are supported by donations from area members.
- Arethion believes that the legal categories of “for-profit” and “non-profit” are outdated and ineffective for today’s world. Non-profit entities survive by seeking donations from wealthy individuals, which can sometimes lead to ethical sacrifices. In the case of religious non-profits, many organizations have used the separation of church and state to hide money from the public, which is morally repugnant. Arethion is not a non-profit organization, which means it doesn’t rely on wealthy donors and can maintain its principles and independence. Instead, Arethion has established itself as a “for profit” business, but with a twist. We believe that all organizations, and especially for-profit corporations, must do more for people and for the environment. To lead this charge, Arethion seeks to model a new ethical standard and operating model for companies – one rooted in transparency, innovation, and giving. That’s why Arethion (1) has no investors or shareholders to demand financial profits at the expense of ethics, (2) pledges to make its financial statements public when private companies are not required to do so, and (3) donates 100% of its profits to charity. Said another way: a business is really just a group of people who share a common purpose. Arethion’s purpose is helping people, not money.
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