I used to have a blog dedicated to the subject of religion, and alas, I made the mistake of starting a free WordPress blog that was eventually deleted from cyberspace. So lately I’ve thought about how to slowly reconstruct some of the material I had created. I have new thoughts on the subject as my original blog was written years ago.
I like the 12-step model, initially developed for alcoholism, which has since expanded into a tool for combatting many forms of addiction including overeating, gambling, and compulsive sexual behavior among others. I think that models like the 12 steps could be adapted to more positive outcomes and/or used universally in communities of people who want to become their best and highest selves.
I can’t even begin to do justice to the idea in a single article. It would take multiple books to describe the thoughts and ideas I’ve had thus far. Religion is a different type of science that needs to continually advance with the times, just like any other science. One might think of religion is the science of becoming closer to our highest potential. In times past, we were not willing to make evolutionary leaps voluntarily. Driven by the base instincts, we would not try to do better unless coerced. I think we have reached a point in our evolution where we are ready to move on from manipulative religion.
In recent years, there’s been a trend toward “deconstruction.” People are leaving formal religion and not coming back. In many cases, this is a good thing. A huge number of religious practices are fundamentally evil at the core. That said, when we abandon all forms of religion, we risk sliding backward into our animalistic selves and reverting to savage behavior. We need to create something new to replace the old.
My starting point is the triad, or the 3-person cell. The triad, I believe, will be the foundational building block of what will eventually become the new church. The idea was originally inspired by Robert Heinlein’s The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. Sometimes, the best ideas come from fiction.
For the disillusioned and spiritually hungry who left a church or other house of worship in disgust, but yet still craves meaningful fellowship, I believe the starting point is to form one or more triads.
If I could say only one thing about the future of religion, I would say that the next evolution of church will have three members and no more.
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