Founding Charter

We exist to strengthen everyday decency, civic responsibility, and honest discourse.

One-line rule: don't be a dick.

Preamble

We, the voluntarily sentient, seeking shelter from fanaticism, foolishness, and excessive seriousness, do hereby establish The Church of Common Sense. We recognize no deity but decency, no scripture but observation, and no commandment save one: Don't be a dick.

Article I -- Purpose

The Church exists to promote empathy, reason, humor, and accountability through fellowship, satire, and civic good sense. Its mission is not to save souls but to prevent nonsense before it breeds.

Article II -- Core Beliefs

  1. Reality is sacred. If evidence contradicts belief, belief must yield.
  2. Humor is prayer. Laughter keeps arrogance from metastasizing.
  3. Science is confession. We admit what we don't know and test the rest.
  4. Freedom of inquiry is divine. Question everything, including this charter.
  5. Kindness is mandatory; obedience is optional.

Article III -- The One Commandment

Don't be a dick.

Interpretations are endless; enforcement is internal.

Article IV -- Organization

  • Keepers of the Obvious -- rotating moderators who guide discussion, maintain levity, and extinguish dogma.
  • Heralds of Reason -- recorders of teachings, memes, and minutes in plain language.
  • Custodians of Context -- fact-checkers ensuring truth outruns rumor.

All offices are temporary; robes are optional; irony is mandatory.

Article V -- Scripture

The official canon is The Book of Mostly Obvious Things, a living anthology of wit and wisdom. Additions require consensus, laughter, or at least a good pun.

Article VI -- Rituals

  1. The Weekly Re-Evaluation -- share a moment you were, in fact, a dick, and what you learned.
  2. The Communion of Coffee & Donuts -- breaking bread without breaking patience.
  3. The Festival of Mild Annoyance -- an annual holiday celebrating humanity's glorious stupidity.
  4. The Moment of Reasonable Silence -- pause, breathe, and think before replying.

Article VII -- Membership

Anyone with a pulse and a sense of humor may join. Excommunication is impossible; embarrassment is self-administered.

Article VIII -- Ethics

Act with integrity, skepticism, and mercy; engage in charitable deeds; correct misinformation with patience and memes.

Article IX -- Funds

Should funds exist, they support education, critical thinking, and public acts of kindness. No gold thrones. Maybe nice chairs.

Article X -- Amendments

Any member may propose an amendment with evidence, satire, or snacks. Majority laughter constitutes ratification.

Seal: an open eye with a light bulb. Motto: Faith in Thought.