|
Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:16 |
| John North
Editor & Publisher |
"Documentary will pay you $5,000 to start your own religion. No exp. necessary ...."
ÇƒÓ Classified ad in the (N.Y.) Village Voice last spring
ï
I chuckled ÇƒÓ and at first questioned whether it was just a joke ÇƒÓ when I read about a documentary that is paying someone $5,000 to start his own religion.
The idea is that "the chosen one" and the process of founding a new religion would be the documentaryës focus, with a film crew following around this celluloid messiah.
As bizarre as it might sound, the aforementioned advertisement in the Village Voice was no joke and more than 300 applications were received from across the nation. Of those, 100 were chosen for phone interviews, with the top 40 finishers invited to appear for on-camera interviews.
Chosen
as the documentaryës messiah was Joshua Boden, a bald-headed bassist in
the Angelic Bombs, an indie-rock band. Boden, who had developed an
eclectic blend of pop religion (including elements of Buddhism, Taoism
and New Age philosophy), claimed his curiosity was piqued by the ad.
The project,
spearheaded by Andy Deemer, is intended to examine a serious set of
questions about how religious movements begin and achieve
sustainability. Deemer, 35, an independent filmmaker, told The New York
Times, "Ultimately, I want the project to be interfaith and supporting
different faiths." The project, he claimed, aims to show a historical
truth ÇƒÓ that every religion, from the ones with millions of believers
worldwide to those with just a handful, "started somewhere, with
someone." Deemer said he wound up choosing a messiah with a religion
that he himself could follow.
The working title for the documentary now is "My God." Details on the filmës projected release date are not available.
Bodenës new religion, The Church of Now, already has a web page at www.myspace.com/thenowistmovement.
The new messiah,
who ¨?ÇƒÓ in contemporary relativist style ÇƒÓ also espouses that "We are
God (if you believe in God)," bills himself as the "founding
facilitator." He listed Timothy Learyës "Start Your Own Religion" among
his favorite books. Written at the height of the psychedelic era, the
book embodies Learyës core philosophy ÇƒÓ unlimited personal freedom.
Leary was known for his mantra, "Tune in. Turn on. Drop out."
Boden told the
Times in an Aug. 28 story that he began the project on a lark, but has
become progressively more passionate about it, noting that "the more I
started thinking about it, the more I realized it was kind of
important, especially in this day and age." Boden said he saw this as
an opportunity to make the world a better place.
At first blush,
the "My God" project strikes me as the ultimate in cynicism ÇƒÓ and
certainly a jab at the many devout believers of various religions
worldwide ÇƒÓ to launch a new religion under such a flimsy commercial
pretext.
Despite the
rather noble-sounding motive cited earlier by the filmmaker, the
skeptic in me canët help but suppose that making money and/or desiring
to expose what Deemer perceives as the crass aspects of religion are
the two key motivations for this project.
And I wonder
what kind of person would accept money under these conditions to start
a religion. Doubtless, one would have to have much chutzpah, arrogance
and, probably, a disdain for todayës other religions. As a rock
musician with his "Now" philosophy, Boden certainly appears to be just
the right man for this job.
Whatës more,
Eckhart Tolle, who wrote the 1999 New Age classic, "The Power of Now,"
probably should stake a claim as a seminal influence on Bodenës The
Church of Now and his nowist movement, based off the name alone.
Boden is not
alone in his endeavor, as about 40 to 45 new religious groups emerge
each year in the United States, according to J. Gordon Melton,
executive director of the Institute for the Study of American Religions
at the University of California at Santa Barbara. That total
constitutes a jump from the average of a handful a year from more than
a century ago, he told the Times.
Scientology was
rated as the most successful new religion of the past century by
Melton. Other successful movements include the Unification Church, led
by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon; Church Universal and Triumphant, a New Age
group; and the Universal Life Church.
On July 13,
Boden, who is billed as earnest in his beliefs and desirous of creating
a community of likeminded thinkers, posted the following about his
so-called 14 Ideas:
"Being that
every movement should have tenets or specific ideas that it operates
from, I have laid down some of my ideas. I donët want to use the word
ǃÚrules.ë I have never been much into being told what to do, or what to
think. Tenets sounds a bit too institutional, so for lack of a better
term, letës call them what they are: ideas. Iëm not asking anyone to
live by these ideas; Iëm only asking that you consider them. Ponder
them for a bit. They are fairly straightforward ÇƒÓ no witty word play or
mystic meanings going on. Just some concepts that I try and live by ..."
1. Live mindfully
2. Be fully engaged in every moment
3. This life is the one that counts; this IS your eternal reward.
4. The only sin is not living fully.
5. Evil is neither natural nor supernatural. It is wholly a human invention.
6. We are God. (If you believe in God)
7. The only constant is change.
8. Paradox is commonplace. Embrace it!
9. There is no quick fix in life, nor any pat answers.
10. Judgment is based in irrational fear.
11. Control is subjective.
12. Laughter is a MUST!
13. Everything is contextual.
14. You are already on a path whether you realize this fact or not.
To date, Boden reportedly has found the task of starting a new religion arduous.
And in perhaps
the ultimate irony, Deemer said that he himself is mulling whether he
should try starting a religion to help a world beset with conflict over
religious beliefs.
ï
John North, publisher and editor of the Daily Planet, may be reached at publisher-at-ashevilledailyplanet.com.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
