“NONES”: THE NO CHURCH PEOPLE!

Are you a believer, agnostic, religious, spiritual or nones?

Varghese Pamplamil

Notes: Here is another informative and educative – what is more from the questioning pen of Pamplanil – article on the wide range of people based on their belief systems.

They range from believer, unbeliever, agnostic, utheist, secular, religious, spiritual or nones, and a wide range of groups. Here the writer is focusing only on one group called: Nones! They don’t belong to any existing churches or organized religions.

“Is God dead?” Landmark!

One historical land mark in this evolution of thinking was the Time Magazine article of 1970: “Is God dead?” That precipitated the thinking of a whole lot of people starting from US to stop believing in any church affiliation or their beliefs.

They describe themselves as NONES, meaning they don’t believe in the teachings of any churches but go by the light of reason and their personal conviction, which is above church teaching or of any pope, stated by retired Pope Benedict, which we quoted many times.

Pamplanil’s Bielief!

So Pamplanil states he believes in no churches or Gods but goes by the light of  his reason and strives for the wiping out of all organised churches. Right of wrong, it is his belief. No one is bound to follow him.

I on the contrary was a firm believer and an ardent devotee from my teens of Our Lady who was my only God. From there I changed due to personal rational thinking to Jesus my Lord and God (confession of doubting Thomas), then to my sole friend and guru, forced by what he said at the foot-washing, then to Jesus as SON OF MAN only(85 times in the Gospels), then to just MAN only not God prompted by reason again as a god cannot be going about mating beautiful girls like certain sexy men.

Search for Jesus’ Genetic father!

This led me to go in a frantic search for the actual human father of Jesus who could be Tiberius Julius, a Roman soldier stationed and living near Nazareth as found by 25 year research scholar.

So some may call Jesus Son of God, son of man, son of a bitch or  bastard! None of this is going to diminish my deep esteem of JESUS as my Guru. That is my present position which I may change as better light dawns. No one is asked to accept my present position either!

Chicago  key-note Speech!
Finally I came to my present position when I was literally forced to give a Keynote address in Chicago last Aug.10^th. which explains everything. I am forced to stay put in that position.

So I have said goodbye to all “Churchianities” and organized religions and started believing in the theory all human life, you and I, are part of that ENERGY  neither created nor destroyed, similar to the Vedanta concept AKAM SAT BAHUDA VADANTI, Being is One, every soul is that being in full not part of it. The learned call it by different names due to Maya.

I and the Father are One!

This is what I understands by the words of Jesus “I and the Father are one, one who sees me sees the Father.” Of course I don’t understand it fully, but trying to.

In the light of these reflections please try to agree or disagree with Pamplanil or me. One thing I am convinced is that the present setup of the Churches refusing to discuss with any thinker should go and Covid 19 is doing major role in this cleaning. Criminal silence, Criminal cover-ups and Criminal climbing (the Alpiners) must be wiped out.

Kindly prove me wrong and I shall be eternally grateful to you. God bless, if there is a god! The Know-nothing james kottoor, editor ccv.

Please read Pamplanil on 

NONES!

Varghese Pamplanil

The definition

“Nones” or “no church people” encompass religiously unaffiliated people who do not subscribe to any institutional religion. Also known by many other names such as “unbelievers”, “unchurched”, “spiritual but not religious”, “churchless”, “agnostics”, and even “atheists”.

The history

An expose by Ray Stannard Baker, a journalist, in the early 20^th century, of the “the richest church in America— Trinity Episcopal Church” lamented that the working classes as well as a very large proportion of men and women belonging to the cultured class, had became alienated from the church especially the Protestant church. This indifferentism, by any means, did not solely confine to the “wicked city”;  but among people through-out the country — in small towns and villages as well as in large cities.

The religious “indifferentism”that emerged at the dawn of the 20^th century foreshadows the decline of institutional religions. In August 1927, the Time magazine offered two reports on the issue: one focusing on membership losses among Mainline Protestant Churches; the other offering data related to religious affiliation among union workers compared to “professional and business men”

During the post-Depression and the postwar years, deep anxiety would come to express itself in more ominous tones in the news media;  the trend continued well into the late 1940s and 1950s.

Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving scientific world views vis a vis religious traditions in the context of World War II, did bring out new terminologies of unbeliefs into the popular lexicon: atheism, agnosticism, secularisation along with the recognition of Darwinian evolutionary theory.

A 1940 story in Time detailed proceedings of a conference attended by  more than 600 Catholic, Protestant and Jewish leaders; theologians, philosophers, educators, politicians and scientists. The participants included Enrico Fermi, Talcott Parsons, Paul Tillich, Altus Huxley and the notorious Eugene MaCarthy. This “Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion and Their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life” focused on harmonising science, religion and philosophy and their true relation to the  democratic way of life. A message from Albert Einstein suggested that “teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the “doctrine of a personal god”….they will have to avail themselves of  those forces which are capable of cultivating “the Good, the True and the Beautiful in Humanity itself”’

Is God Dead?

The watershed moment in reporting on religious change in the 1960s and 1970s was the Time magazine’s sensational 1966 “Is God Dead’ issue, released in the eve of Easter and Passover; the symbol of a growing “culture of unbelief” in America.

The spiritual paradigm shift of the late 1960s and early 1970s, added new dimensions to the media exploration of the religiously unaffiliated— the “holistic-human potential”

Einstein views on the subject

In the summer of 1945, Albert Einstein typed a note to a young ensign abroad a U. S. aircraft carrier out in the  Pacific, responding to the passionate letter he’d received from him the month before.

A Jesuit priest has told the ensign that he had convinced the famous physicist to believe in “a supreme intellect who govern the world”. The ensign was shocked and he wrote to Einstein to offer a number of arguments against such an idea.

In his reply that cameup for auction at Bonhams in New York, Einstein dismisses the claim of the Jesuit saying that from “the viewpoint of the Jesuit priest, I am, of course, and have always  been an atheist”. The anthropomorphiacal concepts in religion are “childish analogies” he wrote.

The present scenario

Americans as well as people  in the developed countries are leaving organised religions in droves. They disagree with their churches; they  feel restricted by dogma and they are deserting formal religious organisations of all kinds.

One’s religion is often entirely determined by one’s  parents. In the existing system, people are categorised on the basis of religious affiliation. The religious identity,  of late, has become “ the indelible stamp of Cain” easy target for being hunted and mercilessly murdered in cold blood. Religious divisions have given rise to social turmoil and wanton killings of innocents, mayhem, looting, destruction of property and other valuable assets. Even children have lost their lives simply because they happen to be born into a particular religion for no fault of theirs. Religion has been cynically used by demagogues for narrow political ends as is happening in  our country.

The overwhelming majority of NONES  say they seldom or never attend worship services except weddings and funerals. PEW findings suggest that the unaffiliated are less likely on the futile search for the meaning and purpose of life. All  the same they tend to be aware of their connection with nature and the earth.

The NONES have no churches. They  assemble in small groups in private residences or halls and pursue the spiritual  and intellectual pursuits in informal manner as was the case of early followers of Jesus. They  take care of the members of their group by providing assistance to the needy by way of food, medical aid etc.

Origins and demography of religions

Historically, the words religious and spiritual have been used synonymously to describe the various aspects of the concept of religion. However the word “religion” is a highly contested term with the  scholars.  

Many feel religious belief is non-essential: it may even be potentially harmful or, at worst a hindrance to spirituality. There seems to be an inherent tension between personal spirituality and membership in a conventional religious organisation. Mostly the  NONES people   value curiosity, intellectual freedom, and an experimental approach to religion and related matters. Many go as far as to view organised religion as the major enemy of authentic spirituality, claiming that spirituality is a private mode of reflection and private experience—not a public ritual. In contrast, to  be “religious ” conveys an institutional connotation, usually associated with Abrahamic traditions which compel the members to attend worship  services, say Mass. To be “spiritual”, In contrast, connotes personal preference and individual empowerment governed by the deepest motivations of life. Cultures that are deeply suspicious of institutional structures but lay emphasis on the higher value of individual freedom and autonomy, spirituality imparts more meaningful and positive connotations, while religion has been viewed more negatively.

Summation

I would like to leave the matter to the considered views of the enlightened readers of the Church Citizens Voice. It is for them to decide whether they would like to be slaves of the “dictatorship of the clerical class” with their arbitrary diktats or like to live a life of individuality, self respect and self determination.

I, for one, have  no ties with anychurch establishment for the last fifteen years. I don’t meet the financial demands of the clergy. My firm stand in the matter was conveyed to the local diocesan bishop in person. I haven’t suffered any adverse consequences in the social context or any othersphere.

Please permit to offera few suggestions:

Once the Covid days are passed, put in place local informal groups—“koottaymakal” which may include people of the various Christian denominations, independent of the oversight of clerics. Over a period of time and on  gaining experience, persons from other persuasions — religious as well as non-religious, non-believers, agnostics and even atheists may join the group. The meetings might be held once a month initially and later more frequently as decided by consensus. The assemblies can be held in some halls. Simple healthy refreshments may be served. Alcohol should never be allowed. The program of the group may give emphasis on give company to the companion less, moral and material support  to the deserving needy. Medicines may be collected and distributed on the advice of qualified doctors. Counselling by qualified persons may also be thought of. Modifications to the agenda could be made in the light of experience.

The leader of a particular assembly be selected by lots. Moral, spiritual,social. environmental issues may be discussed in a spirit of give and take and mutual respect. It may be desirable to avoid discussions on political issues.