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The National Church of Bey: Official Commercial and Indiegogo Campaign
A few weeks ago I posted about an Atlanta area church purportedly worshipping music superstar Beyonce Knowles. Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and this appears to be one of those times. Or is it? This morning I followed up with the Church’s activities on social media feeds and was delighted to find some…
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The National Church of Bey (That’s Beyonce, For the Unindoctrinated)
Whether serious or satire, this is certainly a curious piece of news circulating the religion feeds. It also highlights the complexities of defining religion (and perhaps, how not-for-profit religious organizations are granted such status). Sometime last year, a group of about a dozen Beyonce Knowles fans in Atlanta (GA) formed a church dedicated to Her…
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NRMs: Satanism
I hesitated to write this post because I realize that it may cause some controversy and discomfort for some of my readers. That said, I felt it was an important new religious movement (NRM) to discuss because it aptly demonstrates how beliefs that seemingly contradict our own, or are foreign to us, can lead to…
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Holy Daze: World Religion Day (January 20th, 2013) – Bahá’í Faith, Interfaith
In 1949, The National Spiritual Assembly (a governing body of the Bahá’í Faith in the United States) proclaimed that every year on the third Sunday of January, the Bahá’í community would observe World Religion Day. Despite this observance being originally founded by the Bahá’í community, it is intended to be celebrated by all the world’s…
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NRMs: Raelism
Many of you may be familiar with the Raelian Movement from when they made news in 2002. A biotechnology company with ties to the Raelians claimed to have cloned the first human baby, a girl named Eve. Obviously, this created some sensational headlines. The Raelian Movement was founded in 1974 by Claude Vorillhon who claimed…
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NRMs: Jediism
I’ve wanted to write about this new religion for a while now. Mostly because it was inspired by one of the greatest movie franchises in the history of cinema, but also because I keep company with various geeks, freaks, and assorted fanboys/girls who I thought would appreciate this post. That being said, let’s chat about…
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NRMs: Fellowship of Isis
Founded in 1976 at Clonegal Castle, Ireland, the Fellowship of Isis (FOI) was formed to foster closer unity between individuals and the Goddess. The founders include former clergy with the Anglican Church, Lawrence Durdin-Robertson (1920-1994); his wife and clairvoyant, Pamela (1923-????); and Lawrence’s older sister and surviving founder, Olivia Robertson (1917-). Claiming a hereditary lineage…
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NRMs: New Religious Movements
If you’ve perched here before, you’ll know that I find religion a fascinating subject matter. One of the most intriguing (at least to me) areas is New Religious Movements (NRMs). These movements are popularly referred to as cults; however, due to the inherent negative connotations associated with the word, I’m going to refrain from using…