SixThe Stories Principle

Stories are the most powerful way we humans learn. Every community, like every person, is full of stories. Sharing certain stories deepens a community’s connections. If people don’t know (or can’t learn) your stories, they don’t know or understand your community. They can’t know who you are, what you do, or how what you do matters. Stories are how members, future members, and outsiders learn the values and the value of the community. The stories must be shared so that members can understand the community’s authentic values and identity.

Anyone familiar with a religious tradition knows at least a few iconic stories that are core to the tradition’s identity. Canonical and sacred texts including the Muslim Qur’an, Christian ...

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