For a world that keeps getting better.
Church of the Old Gods
A science-first faith with a central commitment to a bright, prosperous future. We carry enduring duties of care into a united Team Earth that protects life here and explores the stars. Put the ideals into practice wherever you are.
You don’t need to pay money, attend meetings or sign up to belong.
The ideals we share
What is best for life?
That’s the question at the center of the church. We want our ideas and our actions to help people and the living world prosper.
One reality, one life
We believe only the present exists. Earth’s living things share a common ancestry, and what we do now helps shape what happens next.
Keep learning
We are a science-first church. When better evidence shows we’re wrong, we change what we believe.
Story and meaning
The Old Gods are inherited stories and symbols. Choose deities from any past culture to express the creed, or use no deity symbols. Learn their histories and explain our interpretation honestly.
Learning how to human
Understanding our emotions, developing our abilities and learning to live together are part of the work. Use the best science available, and keep improving.
Prosperity for everyone
Everyone should have what they need to live and prosper, regardless of wealth or status. A person’s value goes well beyond what they can earn.
A future for life
A bright, prosperous future is a central tenet. Replace decayed systems through care, knowledge and cooperation; protect Earth and build the means to carry life responsibly beyond it.
The evils we fight without
Survival is a team event.
No one should be left undefended.
Hunger: the Gnawer
Deprivation that eats away at strength and possibility. We answer it with nourishment and reliable access to food.
Sickness: the Unraveler
Illness that disrupts the living patterns we depend on. We answer it with evidence-based medicine, prevention and care.
Exposure: the Breach
The failure of shelter and life-support. We answer it with safe homes, clothing, warmth, cooling and places where life can survive.
These are personified ideas, not supernatural causes. The people who suffer are never the evil. A winter coat, a safe home and a habitat with breathable air on another planet serve the same duty: keeping life alive.
We protect one another through shared work and systems that make the necessities of life available to everyone.
The Horde: the evil within
Hunger, sickness and exposure are the evils we fight without. The Horde is the creep of selfishness, ego and greed within us. It erodes the team and makes the other struggles harder by weakening our care, trust and cooperation.
Its lie is not “you matter.” Its lie is “only you matter.” We answer it with mutual care, reciprocity and accountability. Our needs matter alongside everyone else’s. The Horde names an impulse, never a people or an outside group.
Freedom to worship
Your practice can begin with what you do.
Performing theater, making clothes, educating others, fixing things, preparing food and providing care—including medicine and everyday caregiving—can be worship. People find spiritual connection through many forms of creative and useful work.
You may practice alone or with others, with symbols or without them. Earning a livelihood can coexist with a spiritual commitment. Let care for life guide the work and how people are treated. Belonging never depends on employment, productivity or the ability to provide a service.
Everyone can carry the ideals
An open-source faith.
If you identify with these ideals, you can belong.
No signup, meetings, dues or donations are required. The faith needs to be able to exist without a central leader, institution or building.
Practice, share and adapt the ideals, beliefs and materials freely. Coordinate with the church before using its name or logo or claiming to represent it. That lets people know who they are dealing with and protects against people misusing the church’s name.
This is about what is best for life, not what is best for one organization or anyone’s ego.
Church updates
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Start where you are
Groups and branches, working together.
You don’t need permission to practice the faith.
Bring people together around a good or service that expresses the creed. A theater company, clothing workshop, learning community, repair collective, community kitchen or caregiving group can put the faith into practice. Its shared work can be worship and a duty to the church’s ideals.
You are free to develop your own groups and practices. If you’re interested in establishing an official branch of the Church, contact us.
Communication and cooperation are core principles. Reach out, share what you learn and look for ways to help each other.
Use the best evidence available to govern yourselves. People should be able to question decisions, improve how things work and hold those responsible to account.
Branches are encouraged to understand and exercise the religious freedoms available where they live. Legal recognition, tax status and exemptions depend on local law and their own requirements; calling work worship does not establish them automatically. Read the guidance and sources on religious freedom.
Go further
Explore the ideas behind the church.
Every Feeling Gets a Chair
A practical guide to emotions in everyday life, with child, teenage and adult paths.
Our convictionsThe Creed
Our beliefs about reality, life, the Old Gods and what we do with the time we have.
Our understandingStatement of Faith
More about how those beliefs shape our lives, our communities and the future we want to build.
Join the conversation
Photon Ghosts
A church-sponsored show on Twitch.
Explore ideas, ask questions and take part in the conversation. You are welcome to participate, and you never have to attend a gathering to belong.