Manifesto
Axioms first.
A method for seeing religious traditions clearly — without flattening them, without fighting them.
Every tradition begins somewhere. Not with proof, but with a posture: what it treats as given; what it trusts; what it refuses to reduce.
MetaTheology.org begins there — at the axioms.
Why axioms
Most disagreements are not disagreements about conclusions. They are disagreements about starting points. When starting points remain implicit, debate becomes endless. When they are made explicit, difference becomes intelligible.
What this project does
Each tradition is presented using the same minimal structure:
- Axioms — non-derived assumptions
- Derived commitments — metaphysics, doctrine, authority
- Ethics — moral logic and orientation
- Practices — embodied and communal expressions
This structure is not a verdict. It is a lens.
What this project does not do
It does not rank traditions. It does not argue for conversion. It does not write to win. Its task is description — careful, charitable, and minimal.
Clarity is respect
To represent a tradition clearly is to resist caricature: not the weakest form, not the loudest critique, not the version filtered through an opponent. Respect begins with accuracy.
Comparability without flattening
Religions do not share the same aims, categories, or standards of truth. Yet they can still be compared — if the comparison remains structural.
Same headings. Different answers.
Minimalism as discipline
Not every belief is foundational. Not every practice is essential. A good summary identifies the few commitments that make the rest intelligible.
Plurality is real
Every tradition contains internal diversity. This is not a flaw to hide, but a pattern to explain. Variation usually appears downstream — after axioms diverge.
The reader
Use this site as a surface map. If something feels obviously right or obviously wrong, pause: that reaction usually reveals your own axioms.
Commitment
This project commits to three principles:
- Precision over persuasion
- Charity over critique
- Structure over narrative
The site will remain clean. The method will remain visible.