The purpose and objective of the Society is set out at the start of its Ordinances.

Briefly, the Society provides not only a meaning and purpose for all human life, but also the promise of an existence beyond death for every past, present and future member of humanity. While this may be no more nor any less that what is promised by most established religions, the Society is unique in human history in aiming to gain meaning, purpose and salvation for all humanity without relying on the existence or assistance of God, or any other external power or entity. The Society has been well described as humanism with hope.

To acieve its aim the Society seeks to bring all the diverse skills, abilities and potential of the whole of humankind together in a cooperative effort to discover a means to save the whole of humanity from the oblivion of death. Its basic belief is that all we need do to achieve that objective is give ourselves sufficient time (that is, ensure we survive as a species into the infinite future), and then never give up our efforts to develop the necessary skills and knowledge (that is, create social and environmental conditions that will allow and encourage constant growth in human abilities, knowledge and skills over that infinite time-span). The Society exists to create and maintain those conditions.

Though these ideas are simple to describe they are necessarily complex, and their implications are profound, affecting almost every aspects of our lives. All the Society's beliefs, ideas and proposals are fully described, explained, justified and examined in the founding literature of the Society, a complete copy of which is reproduced on this webite. Nothing is concealed or reserved.

Yes, under two conditions.

First, you must not be in any way certain about your belief; that is, you must have unresolved doubts about it.

Second, and more importantly, you must be able to commit yourself fully to the Aim, Duty and Responsibility of the Society.

If you can accept those two conditions you can apply to join in the normal way. And if you subsequenly change your mind, you can leave any time you choose.

Join a group or association within the Society. If there is no appropriate or available group for you to join you will be asked to start one. The Society will help in either case. Then you should set out to do whatever you can in your local area and with the people around you to work toward the Aim of the Society.

What you actually decide to do locally is very much up to you and your fellow members and elders. The Society will give advice and make suggestions, if asked, and will help to coordinate what you do with other groups and members. In the Society everyone is equally valued and everyone can, and should, contribute to all decisions and activities.

No, but you should try to recruit sufficient Elders (at least six) to form a Council as soon as you can.

Where they are available a Regional or National Council can act as your Council if necessary. As a last resort the Founder will take on the job pending the formation of the World Council. Whatever arrangement you make you must keep whoever is acting as your Council informed of the decisions made by your Executive Committee.

'Groups' are based on locality, i.e. on the place where people live. They are sets of neighbours or local people. 'Associations' are people who have something in common other than the fact that they live in a particular locality.

You can form or join either or both a 'group' and one or more 'associations', as you choose. But you can only be involved in the election of a Committee and/or Council for one group and one association. You must register with the Society the group and association for which you wish to be listed as an elector.