Thought this would be a good place to organise some thoughts and feelings a gauge interest in thought wanting to join as well as those willing to help with the official formation and work.
Please feel free to add comments or points of interest or even reference material you think would be useful to the cause below.
@Devilclarke Where can one get more information about your church? Why is the country where I live under âOtherâ thatâs somewhat discriminating. Is it because Alabama is living in the year 1820, or is it something else? We have the best football team in the SEC, we have a female governor(we couldnât keep Robert) and we were one of the last states to free their slaves(well, we were forced to).
However, I personally would like to be a member of the church of the FSM but we donât have this here in the south.
Sorry not my church this is just a meta thread for the idea. In the uk and Europe we have these things called human rights under them any belief system that dosnt actively repress another can be protected under said rights making the discrimination unlawful.
The idea of this thread is to get information together to help out amal in the future.
Taken from a guidance document about the equality act 2010 (uk only sorry)
Which beliefs are protected by the Equality Act 2010?
The Act does not include a definition of belief other than âbelief means any religious or
philosophical beliefâ and includes a lack of a particular belief. The courts have developed
a definition of belief through the cases they have decided.
A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods, but it must affect how a
person lives their life or perceives the world.
For a philosophical belief to be protected under the Act it must:
be genuinely held
be a belief and not just an opinion or viewpoint based on the present state of
information available
be about a weighty and substantial aspect of human life and behaviour
attain a certain level of cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance, and
be worthy of respect in a democratic society, not incompatible with human dignity and
not in conflict with fundamental rights of others.
For example, Holocaust denial, or the
belief in racial superiority are not protected.
Beliefs such as humanism, pacifism, vegetarianism and the belief in man-made climate
change are all protected.
Is it still considered a âbeliefâ in Bristol or Cornwall that the current climate change is man-made?
Well, at least you acknowledge the situation, here in Alabama we think itâs all made up by the Chinese government and besides that, itâs now the second year in a row thatâs get below 32 degree for more than two days.
I am very careful in joining any churchâŚ
So before I consider clicking any of the above points, I definitely need more info - what exactly does this church stand for? What is the background of it? How does it differ from the transhumanist parties that already exist in several countries, or from the church of bodymodification in the US?
And, most important - will the Great Old Gods curse my soul if I join in? Or can I still worship the residents of Râlyeh?
@Coma It looks like youâd be the right candidate for the Church of the FSM. As long as youâre not live in Alabama or any other southern state youâd be able to join without ending up getting burned alive or stoned.
Really wtf I mean I would be astonished but look at the asshole that was voted into the white House 4 years ago ⌠I dont understand how people like that still exist the same as the flat earthers.
I guess the project would need a hefty point of anchor to refer to.
Most of the religions have some sort of script that summarises the blocks the ideology is built upon.
An essay (or more) would be good point to start, or a declaration.
Something that clarifies intentions, and answers all of Stellaâs questionsâŚat least
Oh, I know the Pastafari - itâs actually a nice thing, and relatively present here in Germany.
But, similar to the Cult of the invisible pink Unicorn, it is far more of a critique of âtraditionalâ religions, not so much a religion itself. Though I like them both!
I like the Cthulhu-Cult mainly for its style and influence (I think itâs amazing that it was all born in one manâs mind, but was adapted by so many other writers, game developers, film makers and so on that it became a full-fledged mythology finally). I have a deep dislike for the usual, big religions for various reasons⌠and so, I am very cautious in actually joining a ârealâ church of any kindâŚ
Thing is - most religions have a lot more than that. A set of morals, some sort of genesis, thoughts about what happens after death, some belief on the meaning of life and other relevant stuffâŚ
I think a church of transhumanism, as well as a church of bodmod, can definitely deliver some of that (morals, meaning of life and similar things), but hardly something like the history of creation or thoughts on life after death (or the lack thereof). So I think there is definitely a philosophy of transhumanism (as well as one of bodymods), but not necessarily a religion, because that covers a lot of other things as well. Things I do not like or agree on, but that belong to a âproperâ religion, I think
You need those elements to create something self-sufficient, that will last beyond the founders. I am guessing you dislike the power-related elements of religions / cults. I also dislike turning religious beliefs into institutions for historical reasons.
The lack of these âpower focusingâ or âpoliticalâ elements let the ideology to morph into something different or parish. See the example of dada, that I would put parallel next to pastafarism, or unicornism. They are all âantiâ, phrasing responses against something, intending to âput things back in balanceâ.
Historical fact: whichever religion is able to focus their power the most will succeed on medium and long term.
Having an institution goes beyond a belief system. You need to put faith on a structure (or church, if you like) that inherits or preserves the thoughts.
Letâs poke the bee hive:
And yes⌠we donât like paying for things⌠but and idea might not be necessarily(!) compromised or corrupt because itâs not freeâŚbla-bla, church of scientology⌠yes I know, I studied a few religions. I saw each ends, to say the least. There are morally questionable ones amongst the mayor ones as well.
I donât join any church. I hate religions and religious people with a burning passion.
But that there ainât a church: thatâs a movement, with the ability to apply for 503(c)(3), and that provides a degree of protection against discrimination because⌠religion.