Tree of Life Interfaith Sanctuary Membership and Ethics

Standards and Ethics

All members of the TOLIS are expected to adhere to the standard of ethics as set forth below…

We try to maintain generosity of spirit at all times, attempting to default to more positive, encouraging and uplifting spaces before assuming mean-spiritedness is the true intention of the others in discordant situations.

We tell the truth. The sowing of discord will not be tolerated unless this is part of a formally recognized spiritual tradition and it is publicly declared as a personal path (i.e. Clown traditions), so that all may understand the underlying intention of said practice. If a personal Path is invoked in this situation it must be approved and overseen by the Main Sanctuary Servant and/or board of directors.

We try our best to give as full source to all originating material and/or traditions as possible, trying to be respectful to intellectual property rights, ideas and thoughts of others. (We recognize that cultures and traditions have always been built upon the words, ideas, inspiration and direct revelation of Spirit through others, so this intent is not to be policed by the sanctuary unless it is blatantly determined to be an ongoing cycle of disrespect.)

The maintenance of safe space is paramount and sacred to the Tree of Life Interfaith Sanctuary. Any slurs to ethnicity, spiritual tradition, gender or sexual orientation are not to be tolerated and could result in expulsion from membership.

We value self-directed learning in the tradition and practice of each member’s choice. We agree that what we get out is determined by what each of us puts in.

The Sanctuary will take no responsibility for the actions of the members, as each member has sovereignty and acts unto themselves. Each member takes care of their own needs and it is up to them to ask for help if it is needed.

No member shall deem to act on behalf of the Sanctuary unless given explicit permission to do so by the MSS and/or the Board. When acting on behalf of the Sanctuary the member will uphold the highest of ethical standards and will defer to the guidance of the MSS and/or Board if there are any doubts as to what that means in any given situation.

The fine print, which we keep not so "fine" to ensure both accessibility and transparency:

What happens if there is discord and dissention?

The Sanctuary reserves the right to remove anyone from either Membership or Friend status if they are not in compliance with the ethical standards and/or spiritual philosophies contained herein. Upon notice of the infraction the Board and/or the Main Sanctuary Servant will communicate with the person directly involved. The Board with the MSS will then discuss and render a final decision. If the member/friend in question chooses not to address the issue or concern to the satisfaction of the Board and MSS, the Sanctuary has the option to dismiss the concerned party without additional discussion. (Friends are people who haven’t chosen to become a member who participate in events/activities sponsored by the TOLIS.) The Board with the agreement of the MSS is empowered to remove, without warning, any member/friend who is deemed to be harming the membership, or to be in willful contention with the organization, or whose removal is determined to be in the best interests of the individual and/or the Sanctuary, or that the further participation of that individual is a detriment to the Sanctuary and impedes its ability to serve its other members. All final decisions will rest with the Board and the MSS.

How are the members documented and/or declared publicly?

Rolls of Members are maintained and recorded at least annually. It is acknowledged that membership rolls were used historically to violently oppress and discriminate against people and might be again in the future. Therefore, all membership rolls shall be kept in confidence and shall never be posted anywhere where they might be publicly obtained. At no time will these rolls be accessible by anyone who is not a member of the Board of Directors or in direct service to the Sanctuary, having signed a vow of confidentiality. Any member can publicly declare their membership anywhere they choose. Any member can remove themselves from the rolls at any time with written request to the Sanctuary. A member will be removed if they do not contribute annually to the organization or petition and be approved by the board to waive this requirement. All rolls will be reviewed annually with the annual report and non-contributing members will be removed. Before they are deleted, they will be reminded and given opportunity to pay dues.

Limitation of Corporate Membership:

The Tree of Life Interfaith Sanctuary membership is limited and subscribes to a nonvoting membership. Voting in the corporation is limited to those members permitted to vote by the bylaws of the corporation. General qualifications for corporate membership are a firm and consistent adherence to the Vision, Core Beliefs, and Standards of Membership as stated in the bylaws.