Why do we require verifiable profiles with a clear headshot?
At ReligionAndPublicLife.org, we prioritize building a safe and authentic learning environment filled with real people who genuinely want to be part of our community. By requiring all users to have verifiable profiles and a clear headshot, we foster trust and meaningful connections among members. For more insight into our admissions philosophy, please read the founder’s note below.
Dear Applicant,
Hello and welcome. We appreciate your interest in joining ReligionAndPublicLife.org, a social learning community. Your application is the first step in helping create a counterculture to other social networks. This process begins by identifying the problems our community seeks to address:
- Vulnerable people and groups are targets of discrimination and hate, especially online.
- There is widespread illiteracy about religious, spiritual, and nonreligious people.
- The infestation of bots, catfish, and AI-generated accounts erodes online communities.
- Impulsive joiners and lurkers hide behind nameless accounts and fuel hate and misinformation.
- Ideological and religious echo chambers form online, perpetuating social and political polarization.
These trends lead people to falsely believe they are entitled to enter any online space and say anything without being responsible for their words or deeds. Dark spaces of anonymity can lead people who are otherwise even-tempered and empathetic to become volatile and cruel, further fueling the hate our community seeks to heal.
We invite you to join us in challenging this culture of contempt by embracing the following values that inform our admissions process:
- Intentional Community: At ReligionAndPublicLife.org, we are committed to community building, where we take shared responsibility for the quality of our communication. We co-create this noble path by walking it together. As a community of learners, educators, and leaders, we prioritize social learning—believing that humans learn best together. Please consider us not just as an online platform but as an intentional professional community.
- Stakeholders: Our admissions process invites you to see yourself not as a spectator of technological advancements but as a stakeholder in advancing human relations. Together, we take responsibility for countering a demeaning culture by making meaning together.
- Quality Over Quantity: We prioritize the quality of our membership over the sheer number of accounts that, on other networks, result in a graveyard of empty and inactive profiles. Your genuine profile is the first step in co-creating a counterculture built on the authenticity of its members.
- Hospitality: We define hospitality not as “anyone with an email can join” but as the act of welcoming and getting to know real humans who intend to participate in an authentic community. This relational process takes time, especially for a nonprofit organization dedicated to building this relational-technological ecosystem from scratch.
- Trust: Trust is not a given—we are committed to earning your trust and ask for it in return. Please review our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy to learn about our commitments to maintaining a safe and secure community.
- Self-Determination: There is no pressure to join. Applying is an act of self-determination, an expression of your intent to be known and to know others. Our admissions process is based on reciprocity and intentionality. We value you and your time and look forward to meeting you.
- Relational Communication: If you’re unsure about completing your application, please use the blue button at the bottom of any screen on ReligionAndPublicLife.org to start a Live Chat. Our advisors aim to transform a traditionally transactional tech support role into a relational experience. We’re happy to answer your questions and give you a tour of the community—it’s a great way for us to get to know each other.
By embodying these values, our membership will become what we make it—a community of practice that brings out the best in one another.
On behalf of all of us at ReligionAndPublicLife.org, we wish you health, happiness, and quality time with your loved ones.
Cheers,
Nate
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Walker
President, 1791 Delegates
Founder, ReligionAndPublicLife.org
Come for the Classes. Stay for the Community.
