The purpose of this book is not to set up a distinct religion; there are already enough religions around. It suggests a way to bring religions together for the benefit of humanity as a whole. It is about broadening minds with an additional way of looking at religion and its role in society. We can all believe in life but religions in the past have not always put much value on human life. Thus, life and humanity go together as far as life-belief is concerned.
Life-belief or
vivodoxia (to give it a fancy name) consists in believing in the value of life itself.
'Vivodoxia' means 'life believing', and it is surely something we may all agree with. We can all be vivodoxians believing in life above all else. It is more about living life than just life in the abstract.
Life-belief is the most basic faith of all. We can believe what we like, but it is not necessary for a vivodoxian to believe in God, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, the Buddha or any of the many entities, prophets or belief systems inflicted on humanity over the ages in religion's name. If we want, we can simplify our view by ignoring other religious beliefs. All our beliefs can be boiled down to a simple belief in life for its own sake and for nothing else. But other religions are not being jettisoned in favour of life-belief as it is entirely compatible with other faiths.
Life-belief is not a fixed body of doctrine; it is a dynamic, dualistic and interactionist belief that is about helping people to make the most of their lives. This dynamic orientation towards people saves it from the extremism, dogmatism and narrowness to which religions are often prone. What works in practice is more important than any adherence to preconceived doctrines.
It is a matter of getting into the right way of thinking about our lives; a way of thinking that takes us forward and makes our lives more meaningful and enjoyable. We can all benefit from an optimistic, forward way of thinking that gives us hope for the future and helps us to appreciate better the joys of living. This is a righteous frame of mind that life-belief teaches rather than preaches, as true righteousness comes from within rather than being imposed from without.
There are therefore two approaches in this elucidation of life-belief (1) the togetherness theme and (2) the right thinking theme. Togetherness sets the stage for bringing religions together, and right thinking or righteousness is about making the most of life and living. These two strands are intertwined in the arguments throughout this book.
