Life will be paradise.

1. 1LoveLove comes above every other principle.

   Nothing in Paradin outranks love. Every other principle stands on it, and every judgement starts from it.

2. 2BelieveChoose one way, and hold it without confusion.

   Belief grows stronger with faith, and faith is strongest when one path is in focus: one way, without confusion. Jesus said, “You believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).

   Each person can follow one way with their whole heart, and we all agree on the Paradin foundation beneath it. For people of no religion, believing is committing to the way you have chosen to live.

3. 3SacrificeThe common ground of every path. Sacrifice builds faith.

   Sacrifice is part of every spiritual connection to God, or the universe, no matter which path you follow: Abraham on the mountain, the fast of Ramadan, Yom Kippur and Lent, offerings in African and Hindu worship, letting go in Buddhism, and for people of no religion, giving something up for someone else.

   Sacrifice builds faith, and faith leads to healing.

4. 4HonestyHonesty leads to fair judgement.

   We have to be honest to show love, and to be loved. Love built on a lie is not love.

   Judgement can only see both sides when it sees them truly, so honesty is what makes judgement fair.

5. 5JudgementJudgement is fair only when it comes from love.

   When two people disagree:

   1. Love first. Each answers: what do you love about the other person?
   2. See from both sides.
   3. Then judgement settles it, fairly, because it started from love.

   Judge the act, and forgive the person. Understanding why someone causes harm is never an excuse for the harm. And we do not judge the dead, because they cannot answer for themselves.

   Judgement Day. Judgement happens every day. Once a year, in the last week of the year, we judge the whole year, with love: first in the family, then in our units, then all Paradins together. Each person is judged in turn, the good and the bad; everyone can reply; and the day ends in celebration, before the New Year.

6. 6The MiddleSelfish is not Paradin. See both sides, and take the good from each.

   Paradin stands in the middle, where both sides can be seen. In politics, that means neither extreme, taking the good from both. The same holds for every viewpoint.

   The Middle stands between positions, never between a person and their harm. When one side's position is harm to people, Paradin stands with the people being harmed.

7. 7ForgivenessForgive, but don't forget.

   Forgive the living and the dead: let go of the anger, and judge the act, not the person.

   But remember what happened. Forgiving frees you; remembering protects you. Forgiving someone does not mean going back to be harmed.

8. 8AvoidAvoid, don't cancel.

   You are free to avoid anyone who will not bring you healing or peace, until it is good to go back.

   Avoid instead of cancel: you cannot be sure which side you are on, or what God's purpose is for that person and their mission. Avoiding respectfully is also honour. You do not curse anyone, and you do not harm them back.

What you gain

Live the eight principles, and these come back to you.

• ✦PeaceKnow that everything is for a reason. That brings inner peace.

  Whether you are losing or winning, in pain or happy, as long as you are alive, know it is for a purpose. Even when you die, there is a blessing to others, one way or another.

  Peace never means accepting harm: judgement decides where peace ends and action begins. And peace is for your own life. When someone is suffering, honor their pain as real. You can tell them that even now a blessing is reaching someone else through their life, and that blessing will come to them too.

• ✦HappinessDo what makes you happy, and take accountability for what comes from your actions.

  Simply being alive touches other people: one person loses a job and another gets one; a doctor has work because people fall ill. So the rule is not to affect no one, only to harm no one.

  When what makes you happy would harm someone else, it is no longer yours alone to decide. It goes back to love, then judgement.

  And happiness comes with accountability. Whatever follows from what you choose to do, good or bad, own it: be grateful for what it gives, and make right what it costs.

• ✦HealingThe result of everything.

  Healing is what comes when the principles are lived: between people, within families, between faiths, and from the harms of history. It is what Paradin is for.

• ✦FaithBuilt by sacrifice. It makes belief stronger.

  Sacrifice builds faith, and faith deepens every path's connection to God, or the universe.