Classically the virtues were considered to be separate from Love. The old-fashioned concept of virtue as being the result of self-discipline and the struggling effort of the individual's free will is still upheld by many. In such a delineation it is not clear how to set limits on virtue to save it from excess or dearth. Excessive prudence, for example, can become cowardly or calculated. Perhaps for these reasons the virtues as classically rendered are rarely put into practice. It should be added that focusing on the classical virtues can be a detriment to the exercise of human love.

Virtue in Neo-Christian Humanism flows from Love for man and God. As such it is tempered and molded by this Love. Love sets the proper limits on virtue and gives it motivation and meaning. The classical vision yields to the vision of virtue as a natural concomitant to the loving interaction of human beings. As we have said before, this interaction is a natural fulfillment and a form of worship.

In the Neo-Christian Humanist view human beings help each other to lead virtuous lives. This is much more humane than the lonely travail envisioned by the ancients.

That ours is a more realistic view of virtue and free will is made evident by the findings of modern psychology and the behavioral sciences in general. It develops that many human beings exhibit reduced free will owing to various psychological and psychiatric disorders. In spite of this they manage to lead virtuous and dedicated lives with the help of psychotropic drugs, professional counseling and a loving attitude. The modern approach to virtue, therefore, is to use all the help available in society to become harmoniously integrated into its fabric. This, as we have said, produces the Social Man envisioned as the complete (or virtuous) man in Eastern philosophy.

In our preliminary look at Neo-Christian Humanism we failed to include societal and civic love in action as avenues of fulfillment and forms of worship. We would now like to deal with civilizational love which, as we said before, is in its incipient form in the civilization. Since our outlook is evolutionary, we should do all we can to foster this love and act upon it in order to make the civilization flourish and develop to its best state for all men.

Thus we should have respect and consideration for all nations and their cultures. We should come to their aid in dire peril. We should make sure that the Mission serves all men. Furthermore we should foster and develop the World Government and its Laws. We should at all times uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. We should leave no stone unturned to maintain Peace in the civilization, using even such stratagems as the Hellenic Peace during the Olympic games.

We should be aware of the estate and institutions of the civilization. We should take care of the civilization's environment, and be wise stewards of its global product such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and Food Troves. We should nurture the idea of the Brotherhood of Nations and gain from this a sense of pride and belonging everywhere on Earth as citizens of our Planet under a Wise and Benevolent God.

We will now present a tentative plan for making the Neo-Christian Humanist ideal work in the advanced countries, where of necessity the Mission will develop first. This plan is offered as a suggestion only. Obviously not everything about the Neo-Christian Humanist style of living can be predicted, and much will depend on trial and error before the whole enterprise gets under way. We wish to make mission life as happy and liberating as possible. Our guideline throughout is the tenet of Love.

A. Children

The children of a House are its great blessing and treasure. Apart from the Mission itself and the marriage bond nothing in life is as fulfilling as having children. The suggested number of children in a Neo-Christian Humanist family is two.

The lay Mission should campaign for a year's maternity leave from work for all mothers so that they might nurse and nurture their babies throughout the most vulnerable first year.

During the second year after the birth of their child both parents should work half-time and spend the rest of the time nurturing the child and working for the Mission. They should be supported financially during these important two years by Mission loans, if necessary. This is the time for surrounding the child with an outpouring of love. It is so marvelously fulfilling to have the joy of a tiny human life to keep, watching every winsome detail and wondrous nuance of its development! No parent should have to miss it. No House member should have to be without it.

All House members should participate in bringing up the House children. That means taking turns watching them, taking them out on excursions and field trips, etc. In addition, every House should have at least three Nurturing Volunteers to help in loving and training each child while the parents are at work. The Nurturing Volunteers would be a very important part of the House membership. They could be older persons of either sex or they could be people who do not wish to work full-time. They should have experience with children and be devoted to them. When children are away from their parents, two adults should be with them at all times.

House members with children should pool resources on children's clothing, large toys and physical training equipment such as Jungle Gyms, sleds, etc.

Each House should have a Children's Library equipped with worthwhile children's books and teaching aids such as letter blocks, simple calculators, art supplies, etc.

Children at a tender age should be taught the rudiments of Neo-Christian Humanism in story, picture, song and participation in House Mission projects if possible. They should be introduced to the Teacher's Love for children and all men in ways they can understand. They should be given simple tasks starting at age four, and offered lots of love and encouragement for doing them.

The preschool children of the House should spend time together at play under the supervision of adults and learn from each other. All toys connected with war and belligerence should be forbidden in the House. On the other hand each child should have at least one favorite "soft" toy to nurture and to love. Boys should have doll-like toys such as pixies, clowns, snowmen, benevolent trolls or friendly Martians to learn tenderness in nurturing. Children should not be exposed to predatory animals until they are old enough to go to the zoo and understand what is explained to them about evolution and the natural cycle--that is, until they are ready for school. An excess of toys should be avoided, but children should have enough to keep them busy and happy. Toys should not constitute a confusing clutter to a child.

The interaction of children and the oldest generation in the House is to be encouraged at all costs. In general, each child should have its own senior "sponsor" with whom it should have close emotional ties.

Children should be taught respect for their belongings and all House property.

They should learn to show obedience and affection to the adults in the community, particularly the elders.

Each House should have access to competent child psychologists. The best situation is one in which a child psychologist belongs to a House, and devotes part of his or her time to its children.

School-age children should be well dressed for school and should have a special place at home to study. If necessary, they should be tutored by a qualified House member. Specially trained adults should teach them about Neo-Christian Humanism. They should make money doing simple tasks, donating part of it to the Mission. The choice of amount should be theirs. They should be given example by the adults showing them the happiness and triumph of saving others. They should take part in House festivities, where their achievement would be recognized.

Adolescents should have summer courses in Neo-Christian Humanism. They should read the Gospels and become acquainted with their Neo-Christian Humanist interpretation. They should be taught to love and emulate the Teacher. They should be exposed to human evolution and made to understand the significance of the Mission in its light. They should learn the geography of the globe and become conversant with areas where the Mission is particularly active.

They should also work as junior scouts at doing odd jobs in their environment and devoting part of what they earn to the Mission. They should get special accolades from the adults for this effort. They should have an active social life and if possible be introduced to Mission culture.

Adolescents have very special psychological needs. They also should have sponsors among the House elders. Their Houses should have access to expertise in adolescent psychology.

Teenagers should read materials relevant to the distilled Gospels. They should study the various projects of the Mission and absorb information on their progress. They should develop a globalist posture, learning how to campaign for an effective World Government and International Law.

They should work as scouts doing public service jobs or work on their own and contribute to the Mission from the proceeds. Since their work would not be easy, and the pay low, they should get special status and recognition from House members with their own rituals and rites of passage.

In addition, teenagers should have access to the Social Counselors of their House. They should be brought up to mature as human beings and Neo-Christian Humanists by interaction with the House milieu and their own search for fulfillment. By the time they are eighteen they should be full-fledged Neo-Christian Humanists, ready to make their contribution in the lay or formal Missions.

B. Young Adults

Young adulthood should be a challenging and happy time for Neo-Christian Humanists. It is recommended that Neo-Christian Humanist youth have at least two years of college education. If they have to work to support themselves and their studies, during that time they should refrain from contribution to the Mission. Those who study to take part in the formal missions should have special regard and support from their House.

In general, marriage is recommended only after studies are completed. This whole period of preparation should be a time of affirmation of the Neo-Christian Humanist ideals and of full awareness of the adult selfhood of the student. After that comes the decision whether to stay at one's original House or to go on to another one, or perhaps to start a new one, or go it alone. Those who elect to work in the formal missions may choose to live apart on their own.

C. Adulthood

Neo-Christian Humanist lay adulthood is a time of mature fulfillment, most especially for those living in Houses. There is much work to be done in the world, creatively and in stewardship, and many challenges. It is a time for deepening the marriage bond, using help from the Social Counselors if needed, a time for enjoying children and, above all, the achievements of the Mission. Those adults in the House who do not have full-time employment, most particularly the elders, should create a welcoming and culturally enriching milieu for the whole Community, developing House ritual and custom. If possible, there should be a Cultural Referent in the House. As suggested before, there should be a Pastor to lead the House spiritually, creating a simple, uplifting system of worship and giving inspiring guidance to his flock. Nevertheless there should be room in every House for non-theist members living by the second Commandment.

It can be seen that a great deal of the substance of sustaining and enriching the House enterprise depends on the seniors of the community. Most likely one of their roles would be teaching Neo-Christian Humanism to the young. Their opinions should be highly valued and respect and devotion should surround them. It is considered that their activity would do much to keep them functioning mentally and physically to a ripe old age.
We now come to the question of contributions from the House to the Mission.

It is suggested that in affluent societies the amounts of contribution from each family be kept private. Families or lone members should donate anonymously through the Pastor and the Manager of the House. The donations should be totaled meticulously and announced, then sent out to the Mission. House contributions should be times of festivity, rejoicing and giving thanks. Each triumph of saving human life or curtailing human pain should be celebrated spiritually and socially. Houses should have the renown of being upbeat and stimulating. That is their task and bequest born of the human spirit in its search for the happiness that endures and grows.

Living alone is recommended for Neo-Christian Humanists only if they have sufficient financial resources. In that event they should take special care to develop a lasting manner of worship and take ample advantage of psychological or counseling services when needed. They should train their children in Neo-Christian Humanism by themselves or by using paid tutors. They should maintain social contacts with other Neo-Christian Humanists, perhaps as corresponding House members. Lastly, they should develop their own customs, rituals and modes of celebration connected to Mission achievement.

The Formal Mission

Members of the formal missions do work which involves a great deal of responsibility for human life. They are the crux of the Mission. Generally, they are paid for their services. In addition they should have special support and recognition from the lay mission and the society for their work. This recognition should be in the form of medals, citations and other awards. The existing cultural elements which give them support should be singled out and given special treatment. If possible, new cultural elements edifying their role and achievements should be created. All this is intended to give them a maximal feeling of fulfillment in their work.

Formal mission members should have a special status in the social fabric. Their influence and judgment should be taken very seriously. They should have a special code of ethics and a special oath along the lines of the Hippocratic Oath.

They should, if possible, contribute financially to the Mission in addition to their work for it. They should feel free to belong to a House if they wish.

Lastly, they should, by their posture and achievement, inspire young people to follow in their footsteps, the footsteps of the Teacher on the road to salvation for all.

Because the Neo-Christian Humanist enterprise is demanding, yet centered on fulfillment, Neo-Christian Humanists have a duty to help themselves in any way they can to make it work.

For this reason, as mentioned, Neo-Christian Humanism can take to itself anything of the Old Rite which it finds helpful and inspiring. This is true of the Saints who throughout history were propagating the Mission as we have defined it. Thus Saints such as St. Nicholas and St. Francis or St. Theresa of Avila, who actively helped people should be welcome role-models to Neo-Christian Humanists.

Biblical figures should be reviewed in the light of present-day knowledge about man and those relevant to Neo-Christian Humanism should be included as part of the Neo-Christian Humanist tradition. Even the life of Judas should be viewed from a present-day perspective and treated with mercy and forgiveness.

Above all the figure of Mary, the Teacher's mother should be to us an embodiment of all that is maximally nurturing, loving, and courageous. In this wise her example should be most edifying to members of both sexes, particularly as regards peace and motherhood. Short prayers to her can be calming, consoling, liberating, and inspiring with bravery. For some people it is easier to turn to her in prayer than to the Teacher or to God.

Her life-history and its meaning should be distilled from the New Testament in the light of human evolution and made part of the Neo-Christian Humanist foundation. There is also a whole beautiful tradition which has grown over the ages about Mary in art, music, paean, and legend. This should become part of Neo-Christian Humanist custom, and, if possible, be developed further.

In deference to other world religions Neo-Christian Humanists should also take example from their Prophets and Saints and Gods if they in some part correspond to the Love ethic and its embodiment in the Mission. In general, the precepts of other faiths which support the Neo-Christian Humanist ideals should be included in the basing and literature of Neo-Christian Humanism. We have already named one such precept, the idea of the Social Man in the beliefs of the Far East. Another is the ideal of Buddha, turning away from Nirvana to tend to the wants of humanity.

In suggesting the possible formation of Neo-Christian Humanist living in affluent countries, we have made frequent mention of the effectiveness of using psychological counseling. Psychological counseling is a relatively new development. It is only very recently that the behavioral sciences have got past early failures and misconceptions and have become pragmatic and properly respectful of empirical facts about the human psyche and its sensitivities. At the present time, they represent a powerful tool in establishing good, normalized relations between individuals who otherwise, in a changing and confusing world, have little or no guidance in the conduct of relationships. We are saying that counseling is useful for anyone and everyone.

Unfortunately, a great many people take "pride" in doing without it, rejecting the studied and generous help of other human beings in the name of self-dependence. They do not accept the fact that we are all interdependent. In so doing they lose their chance at having the happiness of properly loving relationships with their family members and their peers. Often this dearth makes for frustrated, lonely lives of personal struggle and an existential suffering which preempts the individual's capacity to take part in living in the broader sense of being creative or active in the Mission. It is therefore very important not to take a disdainful attitude toward this wonderful modern resource. For most of us who are fortunate enough to live in developed countries, it will prove to be a liberation and a lasting enrichment, enabling us to follow the Teacher's dictum: "Love one another." As we said before, we look forward to the time when counseling will be directly based on the Second Commandment of Love. The propagation of counseling in the rest of the world depends on social and economic development. This will be a problem to resolve when the Mission is established in underdeveloped countries. As we mentioned, one possibility is for individuals with extensive life-experience to play the role of counselors before trained experts are available.

The Intellectual Content of Neo-Christian Humanism

A Synopsis

We have already introduced the idea that the Gospels should be studied in the light of the two Commandments of Love, anthropology and human development to find the adaptable content of the Teacher's legacy. By this we mean that every part of the Gospels should be most carefully and judiciously examined to find how much of it is true to the Two Commandments, having forward-looking moral and anthropological implications for us all, and how much stems from archaic, regressive beliefs of the day. An example of a regressive belief is the belief in hell, and an example of a forward-looking theme is the Teacher's attitude toward women, as noted before. This study should be a monumental and epochal effort. The resulting distilled document should be the cornerstone of Neo-Christian Humanist teaching. We have stated that it should be the source of pronouncements, sermons and invocations to God.

We have also said that if Neo-Christian Humanist culture is developed, it should contain Neo-Christian Humanist philosophy based on all prior Christian experience which is in agreement with the distilled teaching. Such a culture would in general involve a concerted intellectual effort.

Again, Neo-Christian Humanism should feature the lives of relevant Saints and Prophets. Likewise, as mentioned, themes from other systems of belief which are compatible should be included in its basing.

Furthermore, there should be a development of Neo-Christian Humanist societal studies which would include, as stated before, the psychology and sociology of human love in all the varieties which we have listed. This should also be an exacting, broad-based intellectual undertaking of appropriate scope.

Finally the research efforts of the Mission would be made and documented in their entire complexity, adding to the general knowledge about man.

All this taken together would constitute an evolution of humanism to match the technological revolution now in progress. We can see that in spite of its apparent initial simplicity, Neo-Christian Humanism is a great challenge to man's best intellectual capacities. It is a calling for the most venturing and scintillating minds our race possesses. It also requires a great deal of documentation effort for the industrious and enterprising.
However, the most important is the work of the Mission in redeeming the lives of men.

Festivities are an integral part of the Mission. The Teacher in his wisdom gathered his disciples together to celebrate with bread, wine and whatever food prevailed.

We see the necessity of celebrating the Mission in our day. Such celebrations might contain a very brief invocation of thanks to God or group singing of lively hymns, or a performance of guest or home artists. The presence of bread and wine would be meaningful. Apart from that, the nature and length of the celebration should be left completely free to those participating. We wish to make Neo-Christian Humanism as freedom-giving and exhilarating as possible. Then we will return to our tasks renewed and full of the spirit of the Mission.

Culture Beginnings

If Neo-Christian Humanist culture becomes a necessity or a desired possibility, there will be an initial phase in its development when it will probably come mostly from amateurs and neophytes. There should, however, be some effort made to conscript known artists and scholars to make contributions to the Mission with their creations. Such input would greatly help to publicize Neo-Christian Humanism. These artists and scholars need not be Neo-Christian Humanists, but they would have to be people fascinated with the idea of saving people's lives and relieving their pain. There is plenty of precedent for such "charity" work already.

When Neo-Christian Humanism becomes an established movement, it will more than likely produce its own cultural creativity whose role will be two-fold: to make money for Mission projects and to inspire, encourage and uphold the work of the Mission.

We anticipate the day when Neo-Christian Humanism may be made to flourish thereby.