The Assemblage of Areté

The Assemblage of Areté is the home of Aretéanism, a humanist religion that values science over faith, and individual interpretation over dogma. We are dedicated to the proposition: "Be Excellent to Each Other, and Party On!"

Don't worry, lots of people ask this question! Areté: ahr-eh-tay Aretéanism: ahr-eh-tay-un-ism

We define the word "religion" to mean a cohesive set of philosophies and rituals, requiring active participation; and Aretéanism is exactly that. Unlike many religions, Aretéanism specifically rejects superstition and considers science to be the best source of information about both the natural world and for how we should live our lives. Despite the important philosophical differences between Aretéanism and traditional religions, there are several similarities in practice: • We have Sunday services where we sing together, listen to uplifting sermons, develop close-knit community, and use symbolism and ritual to reinforce our commitments to our shared philosophy. • Our members do things like meditate multiple times daily, take on religiously motivated challenges to accomplish each week, volunteer for community responsibilities, and even do things like Meatless Monday and use the metric system! We're different from every religion you've ever heard of, but we are still a religion!

That's ultimately a decision for each individual Aretéan to make. Most Aretéans don't believe in any gods, especially a god like the one in the Christian Bible. But some Aretéans do. The same goes for other energy forces, magical powers, or astrological phenomena. You'll find that most Aretéans believe that these are superstitious and therefore not as useful to believe in as scientifically validated facts, theories, and models. In our meetings you'll neither hear people saying that you should believe in a god, nor that you shouldn't. Instead what you'll hear is people saying that you should seek greater understanding using the scientific method, taking advantage of the good research others have done, but engaging your own human capacity for reason to think for yourself.

What you probably really mean to ask is: are we dangerous? Harmful groups tend to have the following traits in common with each other: demands of loyalty to a leader, being preoccupied with getting money, a practice of isolating members of the group from non-members, criticism is forbidden, and a use of fear or even violence to get their way. Aretéanism does none of those things! While we have community leaders, no one is obligated to offer loyalty to them! Donating to The Assemblage of Areté is always welcome, but it is never required for any kind of participation in our community! We actively encourage our members to be connected and involved in the world rather than withdrawing from it! We love having healthy debates about our own practices, it's the only way for us to improve! And perhaps most importantly, we believe in the supreme importance of consent, and we think love is a much better motivator than fear. Aretéanism is safe for you and your loved ones!

That's a great question! The first thing to do is join our Discord server (and update your nickname in our server to your real name). You can find the link above! We only have one in-person community right now, which is in the San Diego, California area. If you live nearby, look for us on either Meetup or Bloom to RSVP to one of our next events- or even better, RSVP with us on Discord! If you're not local to San Diego or otherwise can't meet with us in person, say hi on Discord or send an email to contact@areteanism.org to introduce yourself and someone will reach out to you to have a video call about Aretéanism and tell you more about getting involved in our virtual community. Once we have at least a few Aretéans within driving distance of your location, we'll establish an in-person community for you! Of course, you can always also support our mission by donating to the Assemblage, and living the very best life you can, in accordance with Aretéan principles!

First off, no worries if you have to spell Areté as Arete, or Aretéanism as Areteanism. Not a big deal. But if you'd like to write these words correctly, thanks for being someone who cares about doing it right! On a PC, hold down the Alt key while simultaneously entering in the number 130 into the numpad. On an Apple computer, hold the option key while typing e, then release both and type e again. On most mobile phones if you hold your e key down for a moment, a menu of alternate e's will appear and you can select the é.