Church of Sky
I mused beneath a shady tree
But then I wondered was it great at all?
Does God require roof and wall?
And what cathedral can touch the sky?
What art exceeds the artist's eye?
What bishop comprehends creation's start?
What dogma guides better than a simple heart?
So I have made my church the church of sky
With nothing between my God and I
Come share it with me, if you will
We gather not upon a hill.
What is Religious Minimalism?
Minimalism is a simple religious framework based on the principle that the more complex the set of beliefs the more likely it is to reflect the wrong assumptions of the various and often unknown people who have contributed to it (but this does not mean that another religion is necessarily wrong). It is a framework rather than a religion because it sees religion as being about our personal relationship with the Divine, so the minimalist framework aims to provide some uncluttered space for that personal relationship to develop. Religion does not come in a book.
1. At its heart is reverence for a divinity. This is a single being for, as the medieval philosopher William Occam said, why multiply entities (or assumptions) unnecessarily?
- We may pray to this divinity for guidance or assistance in serious matters (why shouldn't we?).
- We should avoid giving attributes (either limbs or supposed qualities) to the divinity because the more we attribute, whether by imagination or inference, the more likely we are to make mistakes. As we don't really need a portrait to revere God, mystery seems preferable to misconception.
2. Secondly, it notes that ethics, whether about personal virtues or behaviour towards others, should reflect what we are as human beings. And because we are social animals, this means treating others the way we like to be treated (hence avoiding lying, stealing, killing etc, not being cruel to animals, looking after our earthly home etc).
- When the mind knows what is right for itself it knows what is right for others. So there is no need for complex or inflexible and comprehensive moral rules.
3. Minimalism notes that life will have more meaning if we can establish satisfying relationships or develop our talents to pursue an activity that is satisfying and/or worthwhile (in the sense that it serves the future or our community). Again, this is practical and is based on our natures.
That is it: no big book, no priestly class, no ritual, no church, no mythology and no money.
As for explaining the cosmos, minimalism considers that this is not a matter for religion (which is about our relationship with God and ethical living) so we should let science and philosophy serve as best they can for those who are interested.
Similarly, for advice on food, health, personal problems etc, professional experts rather than religious advisers or dogmas are recommended if available. Wouldn't God want us to look after ourselves as well as we could, and isn't that guideline enough?
And, notably, minimalism says nothing about an afterlife, even if there is one. We should simply live the way we should, given what we are. (And if we were created, would a revered Creator really be unhappy with that?)
- Reverence for the divinity should not be based on selfish motives such as the promise of an afterlife.
Minimalism is not associated with an authority or personality. Its words speak for themselves.
It does not aim to drive out existing religions but rather to supplement them.
If you find minimalism helpful, please let others know about it and / or this site. The internet has many communication tools (forums, blogs, homepage links, email, messaging etc). Feel free to cut and paste from this site to that end...
posted by traveller | 5:41 pm
24 Comments:
This Boomer
spiritual but not religious
now has an -ism
Where atheism was not right
where agnosticism did not fit
animism too primitive
minimalism
that's the ticket
Minimalism, a great idea in this era of religious fanatism and killing. actually many people around the world is already practicing this in one or other way. why don't we unite? and act, think together?
Oh where are the additional posts for this blog? This is such a great idea, and one that I wish others would embrace. My opinion has always been that religion is killing religion with too much dogma. This is a pure form of religion. One that I think the world can truly use now.
I've always tried explaining the way I believe to others and my ideas on spirituality, but this summed it up in a way I never could have. I've never understood the reasons for dogma and ritual, even though they've been explained to me a countless number of times. The need for community worship, the need for routine prayer to keep us on our paths of righteousness, but it seems to me that these practices more often lead to a monotonous religious lifestyle where we go to church every sunday and holidy to perform our duties (out of habit really) but completely empty of spirit or will. The spirituality often dies out in the church communities as well, once the novelty of belonging wears off. Which leads to a less than fulfilling experience eventually leading us astray from the very reason we joined in the first place. A lot of us spend our lives searching for a solid belief and really that belief was with us all along, only buried with doubt and confusion. I truly feel that if it weren't for so many religions holding claim to what truth is, that confusion wouldn't be so rampant and the world wouldn't be in so much turmoil. I'm not saying that we should all be living under a theocracy, people are free to choose their own beliefs, but I whole heartedly agree with the sentiment that church is sky.
Simple is better.
Most of what people believe is not about God, just the ego of man.
I study belief systems for the joy of learning and understanding other thoughts or point of view.
Your point of belief is quite refreshing. There is only one God, everythings else is the politics of religion. That is quite a different story indeed.
From a religious point of view, true minimalism whould make "God" redundant to all except those who cannot live without "Him". Agnosticism is minimalism.
In relation to the above interesting anonymous comment, we should note that minimalism is not an argument for the mysterious force some call God, it is a rational framework for those who wish to believe without taking on board additional dogma. It is an alterative path to God.
Minimalism is thus a religious framework and so should be thought of as religious minimalism. Agnosticism is a philosophical position mainly concerning knowledge beyond the material, including knowledge of God. One may even go further than agnosticism philosophically and deny the existence of anything but one’s own mind. But these religious and philosophical minimalist positions belong to different intellectual realms. So there is no rivalry in their use of the term - they may all have a valid claim to it even if their beliefs are inconsistent. Indeed, the term can and is also applied usefully in other fields, such as architecture.
4:59 PM
Minimalism appears to be the easy way out then. Trust your gut (or indoctrination for that matter).
And personal experiences, using the eye of the mind. Yes, these may be unverifiable but we have to go with what we each of us know if there are no contradictions involved.
We mustn't be too arrogant about knowledge, though. For as all perception takes place in the mind, we cannot be sure that even things as tangible as the pyramids of Egypt are not mere chimera of intellect. And even our helpful laws of science defy, like the law of cause and effect itself, real understanding, being founded on observations that might be just be coincidental.
Agnosticism is rational if one has no other reason to believe. But one mustn’t infer from that perspective that believers are without their own grounds.
I alway belived there where other way to beleive insted of going to a regular style church and Iv tryed to exsplane this to others.I feel if your morals are pure and your beleif of god is true and pure you should be able to serve him in this way. Everybody thought I was crazy.
I trust in the perception that takes place in my mind - as I believe that it is a gift to me from my Creator.
In the end that is what counts. What else do we have ,but what we carry in our hearts.
We are vessels
we can choose to hold good or evil- milk or acid .
The contents of our soul will strengthen or distroy us....minacat46
"A pure form of region" "alternate path to God" "unite"
These all sound like words leading up to the formation of another 'church' another organization
I think the Idea behind "Church of Sky " is to keep it simple-'minimal'. Seems to me that 'Church of Sky' would be the church' that each one of us keeps within self. The place we acknowledge and worship God ,give thanks to God, wonder about ,converse with, ask questions of, ponder...etc, etc
Talking like we are here, would be the only outward sign of a 'Church of sky'
I would think that 'Church of Sky' would be the most personal part of each of us- not a public place or a place with a name
Most people need some form of organization,sets of rules -dogma a building to congregate in , and the money to maintain the building---we have all of that. I would think that the Church of sky is- The church of one---the one standing there beneath the sky, conversing,thanking,worshiping acknowledging- -LISTENING- quietly and alone.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. - Colossians 2:8. This world is coming to its end, and soon we will stand before our King in judgement, when this happens what will matter is this: Christ and you, not how good you were and certainly not how great your church in the sky that is in your minds eye was.-- "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" - John 11:25-26.
ian, i can't tell. are you arguing for or against this minimalist viewpoint?
I was an Athiest till the age of 44 bought up my dad having an influence of the big bang theory! I was taken to a church fuction where I was to find myself taken over and fell over by such a warm , relaxing, loving feeling. Since then I am A child of Christ my life turned from drugs , prostitution. I am now a believer, a feeler and much wiser for reading that old book called the bible. All God wants us to do IS LOVE ON ANOTHER !! Why is this so hard ?
Hey guys,
Just dropped into this site. I'm doing a music assignment on minimalism and obviously got slightly side tracked, haha. I'm a follower of Jesus and thought I'd just take my turn to share some things.
The Gospel is offensive to the unbeliever. Those who preach it obediently, lovingly and accurately mean not to offend, but if they do you now know why...
I think many people in this world are trying to figure things out and explain their existence...
Minimalism, being based around the concept of a relationship with God, holds the key aspect of this existence.
However, in building our relationship with God we can read communication from Him in the Bible. Often, at this point people are switched off, believing the Bible to not necessarily be the actualy Word of God. But then again, if you believe in God, then why not the accuracy of the Bible? Both are based on faith in the Living God.
Regardless, His words instruct us (in Hewbrews) to not forsake fellowshipping with other believers. This IS church. The Bible/Jesus says so. The Church IS the assembly of believers in Christ. NOT the building where the gathering takes place.
Rituals have their various significace and context. Some are commanded, some are said to be beneficial. As believers we should be obedient.
God IS love. Not all gatherings align themselves accurately with Christ's teachings. Those that do will be loving and egoless. No dogma, no pretence. Certain denominations have different traditions. Are they breaking the commandments of God, or just symbolic acts? If these do not advance you with your walk with God, perhaps then that gathering is not for you.
There are believers out there that evaluate the church, that don't justact blindly, that are trying to grow in Christ, that are going out to spread the Good News. There are.
We do sin. Thank the Lord for our salvation in Christ. Repent (change your ways) from sin. This is necessary (and offensive to the unbeliever).
Lastly, I'd just like to say to Hannah that's God's 1st commandment is actually to love Him. Then, to love others as He says. It's hard because of our sinful flesh. In Christ we can persevere to bring hope and love and savlation to the world.
Just like in an action movie, we have a mission and this is the real deal. I know the tone of minimalism is trying to simplify things, make them easier. But let's not deviate from the Word of God. Let's give it our best shot with the help of Jesus Christ.
I love all you guys. Keep thinking spiritually! Keep faith. Love God supremely. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.
Email me if you have any qs. Have a good one.
Hey again,
Just like to say that when I referred to there being no dogma in a loving, egoless church, I meant that in a beneficial gathering concepts would try to be explained and givin an element of proof (often from the Bible). However some things do just require faith, like the accuracy of the Bible itself, for instance. After re-rereading what I wrote I thought it might be understood differently - so, there you go.
Okie Doke. So, I'd like to think that this minimalist approach is basically (and yes I understand the irony of simplifying a simplification) a method designed for people who find trouble in understanding the complexities of religion.
But in looking at the outlined approach here I think that in its simpification it has missed some key elements of God's intended path for us. "No big book" seems to be a key element - the Bible is necessary in developing a relationship with God. Also, attending a church assembly is necessary, which I talked about last time.
By neglecting these key aspects in order to make it easier for people to accept God isn't really the go.
We should encourage the true way God wants us to live. Just as the emerging church is watering down the gospel (ie. preaching individualism, not focusing on repentence, preaching a "happy, safe life with Jesus"), we shouldn't water down what God is telling us to do through the Bible.
Let's not make the task different. Even though we might just be doing it, with the good intention of bringing people to God. Let's let God do the work and give us the help we need to live as He wants. Also, let's be positioned by Him to tell others the truth. I understand that it is frustrating that people don't accept God because of a lack of belief in the Bible or annoyance at the church. So instead of changing through simplification, how do people get past there doubts because of particular churches, people and the complex nature of spirituality in such a fast, 'blinkers-on' unforgiving world? He can overcome those things in people if they accept Him. That's what we need to promote - people accepting God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As you can probably tell I'm not going to be easily swayed. But as is the case for most spiritually inclined people - discussing their spirituality helps them understand it more and learn new things. So I'm keen to write further if anyone else is.
I don't think that minimalism is about people preferring simplicity because they can't understand complexity, but rather about providing an alternative for people unwilling to accept complexity.
Hence, as far as the poem goes, I don’t think it is talking literally about churches made of bricks, either. Rather I see the metaphor of a building as describing the architecture(s) of religious institutionalism and dogma which many people feel unable to accept.
On the question of various faiths and the character of God, I like to think about relationships. For example, have you ever wondered how each person you know thinks of you? I reckon they all see a different version. There are a number of reasons for this, and an important one is human subjectivity. So, in a way, everyone puts a different face on you, and on me.
I think it’s like that with our realtionship with the mystery called God. Each culture has its own idea of what God “looks” like and the face they see is really the core of their religion. More simplistically, one sees a loving God, another a vengeful one, and so on. Moreover, even within the same religion, individuals will have their own unique perception of the Great Mystery. Everyone thinks that their understanding is true, but I doubt whether anyone is really right. And yet, we know enough to revere and to attempt to establish a relationship with the Divine...
Like your refreshing outlook, count me 'in' if that is needed!
Ta, James. Welcome, mate...
Hey traveller, cool site. Ian a Beachy type by nature and admire your minimalistic views. Looking forward to some interesting discussions. WWW
Welcome, Wayne. Sounds good...
Minimalism is now also at
myspace_minimalism
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