Poll: Would you attend this church?

[Geminel]

So, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head as sort of a fantasy for a couple years now. I want to start a church. In all likelihood it will never happen, I'm poor and have no background or formal education which would ever allow me to be taken seriously enough to be a religious leader, but I have a unique perspective and I've always wished I could share it en-masse.

The foundation of by church would be that, essentially every major religion that exists today has the same message at it's foundation; be 'good', acknowledge the miracle that is our existence, and have faith in a greater 'something'. In Christianity and Catholicism there are the 10 commandments, in Bhuddism there is the 8-fold path, or the 'way'. Islam has sharia law. There are many other examples.

I want to start a religion that takes religion back to the drawing board. That focuses on these most basic ideas. I want to start a church where the questions are more important than the answers. I want to start a church where I can stand before a crowd and tell them the first law of my beliefs is that they are wrong, and that that is ok, Because they are mine, they are my personal path which I walk to faith and God. Then I would encourage all those people to find their paths, to stop believing everything some ancient book or guy in a robe tells them is 'the truth' and find their own truth. Whatever God, or Allah, or whatever you want to call it... Whatever it is, whatever the greater plan of our universe and existance is, there's NO WAY IN HELL for us to know. No way to even start to actually comprehend. We're only humans, each of us only one person and one perspective. Vastly to limited to ever really 'know' anything...

I want to start a church that isn't a church, but a Pantheon. Dedicated to all faiths and all gods, because all of them are wrong, but they're all right. I want people to put aside the idiotic hatred that comes from one person calling their deity by a different name, and just acknowledge that what you call it doesn't matter... It never has. Just love it and walk with it.

 

[Keepitclean]

You ask people to put aside their idiotic hatred but you know that won't happen. Some religions even forbid it. What you propose seems like a waste of time because it sounds like philosophy class, we already have those.

 

[SimuLord]

In all likelihood it will never happen, I'm poor and have no background or formal education which would ever allow me to be taken seriously enough to be a religious leader, but I have a unique perspective and I've always wished I could share it en-masse.

You are aware that lack of any meaningful qualifications didn't deter L. Ron Hubbard, right?

But on-topic, I'm quite happy with my own delicious blend of polytheism, like a great coffee. Roman with a Norse undercurrent.

 

[WolfThomas]

Ah but there is no true god but Allah.

In all seriousness it would be very hard, ever try to convince a fundamentalist christian or muslim that they technically share the same abrahamic god (along with Judaism), it can be next to impossible. Now apply that to all gods, faiths and people. Certainly you'd get people turning up maybe out of curosity but it would be very hard to get it to stick.

Even a universalist (albeit christian inspired) deist like myself probably wouldn't turn up, but hey that's more because I'm lazy.

 

[Blaster395]

I want to start a religion that takes religion back to the drawing board. That focuses on these most basic ideas.

The two most basic principles of a Religion are an ultimate reward (Such as heaven) and an ultimate punishment (Hell). Rewards and punishments so great that people are willing to follow something that there is no evidence for.

 

[2xDouble]

The First Amalgamated Church... I think it's been done. heh.

 

[AssassinJoe]

So, I've had this idea bouncing around in my head as sort of a fantasy for a couple years now. I want to start a church. In all likelihood it will never happen, I'm poor and have no background or formal education which would ever allow me to be taken seriously enough to be a religious leader, but I have a unique perspective and I've always wished I could share it en-masse.

The foundation of by church would be that, essentially every major religion that exists today has the same message at it's foundation; be 'good', acknowledge the miracle that is our existence, and have faith in a greater 'something'. In Christianity and Catholicism there are the 10 commandments, in Bhuddism there is the 8-fold path, or the 'way'. Islam has sharia law. There are many other examples.

I want to start a religion that takes religion back to the drawing board. That focuses on these most basic ideas. I want to start a church where the questions are more important than the answers. I want to start a church where I can stand before a crowd and tell them the first law of my beliefs is that they are wrong, and that that is ok, Because they are mine, they are my personal path which I walk to faith and God. Then I would encourage all those people to find their paths, to stop believing everything some ancient book or guy in a robe tells them is 'the truth' and find their own truth. Whatever God, or Allah, or whatever you want to call it... Whatever it is, whatever the greater plan of our universe and existance is, there's NO WAY IN HELL for us to know. No way to even start to actually comprehend. We're only humans, each of us only one person and one perspective. Vastly to limited to ever really 'know' anything...

I want to start a church that isn't a church, but a Pantheon. Dedicated to all faiths and all gods, because all of them are wrong, but they're all right. I want people to put aside the idiotic hatred that comes from one person calling their deity by a different name, and just acknowledge that what you call it doesn't matter... It never has. Just love it and walk with it.

Have you been reading my idea book?

Seriously, I was thinking of something very similar to what you just proposed.

 

[JokerCrowe]

You have a good idea. Unfortunately good, ideas can be turn into bad practilcal use. And are you sure you'll be able to maintain the original plan once your church is powerful enough and you start making money? Power corrupts. Sorry to rain on you like this, I really like the idea, I really do, but people don't work that way. I hope you prove me wrong though...

 

[Thaius]

Those who don't believe in God but are smart enough to see more than "BLARG, teh churchez killd ppl in hstory!!!" might go for it. But you have to understand, to an individual religion, it's more than "be good." Heck, salvation in Christianity isn't even based on good works, it's based on faith; each religion is very, very different in its base beliefs (with the exception, of course, of the denominations within a given religion, but even those can vary wildly). It's not some sort of hatred, it's just fundamentally different beliefs; they do not coexist nearly as well as you think. So you'll get the non-aggressive atheists, but the more militant ones won't join, nor will those who believe in a given religion.

Though the whole "all are good" thing is something I wouldn't mind having around. Too many people look at instances of institutional corruption in a given church's history and say, "See? That's how their beliefs make them act!" when in reality they're just looking at the worst example and calling it the entire thing. So your idea isn't bad. I'm just not sure it would take off.

 

[Wapox]

I just have one question.
Why make a church.. why not get rid of all churches and religions and make laws instead.
Laws are rules that can not be interpreted to mean something else, religion is basically old words interpreted to give some sort of meaning instead of going with what was the original meaning of a religion, a guideline to how you should live life, by the law. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea as a turning point towards the ultimate end, no religions just laws.

That's what I think. I have no religion, I live my life as I think is right, and so far I'm doing ok.

 

[Gwynnbleidd]

Well, laws have the great problem that they're executed by an exclusive power: the state. It's logical based establishment controlling and punishing a mostly emotional species like men. Religion is made for those who are aware of their emotional nature and who need a way to express it somehow without becoming a good painter, designer, musician or whatever.
We don't need one more than the other. We need both, but they have to be stricly separated. You don't want emotional decisions when it comes to questions like "Do we want to start a war to defend ourselves?" "Do we need another tax?" I always feel a bit awkward if an US president starts a war with the words: "And may God help us all."

Hatred, demonizing other cultures, raping, genocide ... it's gruesome but NORMAL in nature. We achieved a lot when it comes to science, but we never used things like philosophy or art to discover our nature and to reshape the world so that we fit in again ... as animals, not as superior beings.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Well it seems like a good idea. A church that accepts all faiths and creeds without judging. Very accepting, focuses on spirituality over religiousness.

I think though it shouldn't really be a "church". Organized religion is organized because it teaches one doctrine with very little flexibility. Your "church" would essentially consist of you telling everyone "Okay, this is what you should believe: Believe whatever you want." It would work much better as a movement or philosophy. Plus I doubt that a lot of people from different religions would "convert". Most religions now-a-days have someting fundemental about their doctrine that usually doesn't allow for straying from the estabilished path. Not to mention that I think that this may have been done before in some form or another.

But anyway, yeah I think that at its heart its a good idea. Trying to get rid of that tendency for close-mindedness that tends to flourish in organized religions.

 

[ThreeWords]

An interesting idea

Sounds good. Better than that, it sounds roughly like what I believe. If nothing else, lets start a user group!

 

[Ashcrexl]

it's a nice idea, but the whole reason i don't attend church is that it takes a large chunk out my sundays for doing mostly useless things. so, maybe once. or twice.

 

[Naheal]

It already exists. It's called Universalism.

 

[slightly evil]

love the idea, hell, people will believe in scientology, why not this?main problem i see is that you're basically preaching 'you're wrong' to people who think they're right... militantly in some cases. but yeah, if there's a group i'll join

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

No. I'm not in favor of embracing all religions, I'd be more interested in eradicating all religions. Believe what you want, but lose the systems of rules and laws.

 

[joebthegreat]

It doesn't have to be a church, just an ideological point of view.

As an Atheist, I think all religions have very good and necessary parts to them. It brings a sense of community, of charity, of helping your fellow man when he needs it. We wouldn't be where we are now without that.

That said, if you were to make a church out of "be good" you'd end up being just another religion, with a good message, but fighting to convert people to YOUR cause specifically and refusing to convert to the cause of somebody else.

And why are you so set on starting a NEW group anyway? These ideas have been around forever, even within many religions! The reason things are so fractured today is because everybody wants to start their own groups and be the one in charge. Don't be afraid to follow (another crucial point in religion that needs more emphasis).

 

[joebthegreat]

No. I'm not in favor of embracing all religions, I'd be more interested in eradicating all religions. Believe what you want, but lose the systems of rules and laws.

Separation of church and state already exists, and people can hold themselves to a personal code if they want to. Stop being extremist, that's what starts wars.