Big questions. Good company.
Open Sourcery is a free community exploring religion, philosophy, science, and how to live well together. Compare perspectives, question assumptions, and build a worldview you can call your own.
Believers, skeptics, and everyone in between. You don’t need to agree to belong.
Free to join on Skool. No tests, no grades, no required beliefs.
You don’t have to explore life’s big questions alone.
Whether you belong to a faith, are rethinking one, or approach life as a skeptic, your perspective is welcome. We look at ideas together, make room for evidence and disagreement, and stay open to changing our minds.
Gather
A live online salon every Sunday on religion, philosophy, and the questions we carry. Bring a question, share an idea, or just listen.
Find your local timeExplore
World religions, consciousness, science, and our shared future, including AI and care for the living planet. Free presentations and materials, and members help choose what we explore next.
Browse the community ↗Reflect
Worldview Builder is a guided 85-day journey through your beliefs, values, and influences, ending in a personal Soul Map you keep revising.
Meet Worldview BuilderThe Sunday salon
A relaxed live conversation on video. Cameras are optional, and listening is a perfectly good way to start. The time is chosen so friends in Asia, Europe, South Asia, and the Americas can all join.
The meeting link is posted in the Skool community, so join first and it will be waiting for you.
- ThailandSunday 10:00 PM
- Central EuropeSunday afternoon
- IndiaSunday evening
- US CentralSunday morning
Times update automatically for daylight saving.
What’s one belief you’re reconsidering?
A few written lines or a short video is enough to start a conversation. Not sure where to begin? Borrow one of these.
- Can you be spiritual without believing in God?
- What did the Buddha actually mean by “no self”?
- Is morality discovered or invented?
- Could an AI ever have a worldview?
- What do we owe the living planet?
- Which idea from your upbringing still holds up?
Meet your worldview in the mirror.
We all begin with ideas inherited from family, culture, and experience. Worldview Builder gives you space to examine those influences and decide what you want to carry forward.
Traditions you’ll meet along the way
- Indigenous & Earth traditions
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Daoism
- Confucianism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Islam
- Greek & Stoic thought
- Secular humanism & atheism
Each day has three parts
- Soul Map check-inNotice where you are today: what you believe, doubt, and value.
- Today’s wisdom lessonMeet an idea from one of the world’s traditions, on its own terms.
- Soul Map activityDecide what, if anything, belongs in your own living worldview.
Who is Mira?
Mira is the AI guide inside Worldview Builder. She asks questions, offers perspectives from different traditions, and helps you put your reflections into words. She won’t tell you what to believe.
Worldview Builder is a free download that runs in the AI you already use: ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. No subscription, no new app.
Your Soul Map is yours. It carries your journey from one session to the next, and you decide what, if anything, to share with the group.
Dr. James Powell
Teacher of world religions and philosophy, and a fellow traveler in the big questions.
James holds a PhD in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has taught university courses online since 2010. His teaching brings religious traditions, philosophy, and contemporary life into conversation.
Open Sourcery is his invitation to keep learning together, outside the classroom, without tests, grades, or a required set of beliefs.
The materials are free. The conversation is the gift.
Everything to read and explore costs nothing. If you’d like to go deeper with James himself, you can book live teaching: your questions, your challenges, your detours.
Free, always
- The Open Sourcerors community on Skool
- The weekly Sunday salon
- Presentations on world religions and philosophy
- Worldview Builder and its course materials
Live with James
From $50 per session (about ฿1,650)
- One-to-one tutorials on any topic in religion or philosophy
- Small groups of two to five friends or classmates
- Personal walkthroughs of the materials or your Soul Map
Booking opens Cal.com in a new tab.
Your first visit
Join on Skool
Create or sign into a free Skool account and join Open Sourcerors. It takes about a minute.
Say hello
Introduce yourself with one question you’re thinking about. A written note is as welcome as a video.
Come to a salon
Grab the link for Sunday’s conversation, or download Worldview Builder and begin at your own pace.
Questions people ask
Is this a religious group?
No. Open Sourcery doesn’t promote any religion or ask you to give one up. Members include people of faith, former believers, atheists, and seekers. We study traditions fairly and let you draw your own conclusions.
What does it cost?
The community, salons, presentations, and Worldview Builder are free. Only live tutorials and small-group sessions with James are paid, and you book those separately.
What is Skool, and do I need an account?
Skool is the online platform where our community lives: posts, materials, and the salon link. You’ll need a free Skool account to join.
Can I just listen?
Absolutely. Many people start by listening. Cameras are optional, and nobody will put you on the spot.
Do I need a background in religion or philosophy?
Not at all. Curiosity is the only prerequisite. Scholars and complete beginners sit at the same table.
What language are the salons in?
English, with a warm welcome for people using it as a second language.
Pull up a chair. Bring your curiosity.
Believers, skeptics, and lifelong learners. We call ourselves Open Sourcerors, and you’re welcome to join us.