An Ethical Society

    is a community of individuals
    dedicated to making our lives and our world
        more humane, more ethical;

Dedicated to the ideal
that every human being has worth and dignity,
    and committed to a reverence for this world and all life.

Searching for a better understanding
of how the world actually is, what potentials exist,
and what yet must be done to build a better life:
    through analysis and critique
        of social and personal conditions,
    through creative inquiry for realistic solutions
        to heal pain, reduce suffering, and add to hope,
    and through actively testing our conclusions in the world
by our own experience and the experience of others.

Committed in these tasks
to the fullest use of our reason and compassion,
    and willing to accept responsibility
to act on our best thoughts and feelings,
    recognizing that our actions and failures to act
    affect our lives and those around us;

Knowing that building the good and the true
    is far more important, interesting and useful
    than to focus on whether we believe or disbelieve in
        certain philosophical or metaphysical or religious ideas,
    instead welcoming our diversity of thought as a strength
        to further individual and community maturity.

For this community, this is our common vision,
     the faith by which we strive to live.

(Jone Johnson Lewis: 1995, 2002)