Is This the Religious Community for You?

The Northern Virginia Ethical Society is a religious and educational fellowship uniting people whose central spiritual concerns are with how to improve the quality of life. To this end, we believe that ethical principles are the foundation for quality relationships and humane cultures. While we respect the right and responsibility of each individual to determine his or her own ethical values, we share a belief in the intrinsic worth and dignity of every human being. Indeed, we believe that, by working to bring out the best in others, we bring out the best in ourselves.

We view education as a lifelong challenge, and we offer educational programs for both adults and children which provide a framework for making ethical choices. Human beings are capable of and responsible for creating a better and more humane world for all. To this end, and because of our ethical commitments, we strive to be agents of change in the personal, community and global environment. We respect the right of each member to decide how to make these efforts.

We are theologically neutral. Each member is free to make up his or her own mind about the existence of a deity. We are humanistic in the sense that we focus on human well-being. However, we also believe that human beings are embedded in a web of life, and we believe that our ethical responsibility extends to all living things. We support an open search for truth using all human faculties, including reason, emotion, and aesthetics.

Our ethical growth is enhanced by having a community in which we go through life together, sharing each other’s joys and supporting each other in times of crises. We celebrate life’s milestones through personal and seasonal ceremonies. We do all this in an environment in which people can explore the meaning of spirituality in a humanistic context, and which seeks the positive contributions of diverse peoples and cultures. Finally, because shared decision-making embodies respect for each person’s worth and dignity, we support democratic processes in our own organization and in the world.

Would you like to know more about us? Please visit our website at: http://www.noves.org