#new religious movements | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prismsanctuaryofficial · 1 year

Text

Frequently Asked Questions

✨ What is the Prism Sanctuary?

We are the first "church" in the Prismatic faith which is an LGBTQIA+ focused religion that values the true self.

✨ What are members of The Prism Sanctuary called?

Followers of Prismatism are called Prismatists!

✨ What are the Seven Tenets?

Our tenets have been made to coincide with the colors of the rainbow flag

Red represents Life.

I am worthy, I have a right to dignity as a being. I choose my life.

Orange represents Healing

I am deserving of all forms of consensual love without fear of discrimination. Love is love. Love is healing.

Yellow represents Sunlight

I have the right to discover and accept myself and to take steps to present my true self to the world. I am the sunlight.

Green represents Nature

I have the right to the medical care I feel is needed, it is my choice. This includes the right to gender-affirming and reproductive medical care. I decide my nature.

Blue represents Harmony

I will seek to give compassion and empathy to all living things to the best of my ability. I seek Harmony.

Indigo represents Serenity

I will fight for the rights of myself and others to take a stand against injustice. It is my duty. Justice is my serenity.

Violet represents Spirit

I have the right to my bodily autonomy, I decide what is best for my body. I rule my spirit.

✨ Can I be a part of another religion and still join?

Yes! Prismatism is non exclusionary.

✨ Do you worship a deity?

No. We celebrate the love of your true self and your identity as a human being.

✨ Is there a statement of faith?

Yes! We believe like the emanations of light through a prism that we are all unique and beautiful beings worthy of love, self discovery and dignity.

✨ Is there a website where we can officially join the church?

Yes! Visit [https://prismaticlightchurch.org/](https://prismaticlightchurch.org/) and enter your name and email address. You should receive a certificate of membership soon. Don't worry, we won't spam your inbox!

✨ Are you affiliated with another religion?

No. We are an entire unique religion, separate to all others.

✨ How do I become ordained?

Ordination is in the works. Hopefully within the next few months this will be available.

✨ Can I start a local chapter in my state?

Eventually! First we need to get federally recognized as a religion and are working towards that now!

✨ How can I help?

We need publicity! Spread on social media and word of mouth. Make art! Help us make merchandise we can wear at Pride! There’s lots of ways to help us grow! Ask any staff member to become a volunteer!

✨ How is this different that The Satanic Temple?

We are more LGBT focused but do share a lot of similar ideas! Prismatism has transitioning as a sacred ritual.

✨ Where is church service held?

Service is held Saturday from 6pm-7pm central standard time on the sanctuary’s TikTok page

✨ Will you fundraise?

We have a donation link in the website and all donations will be used to create promotional material, start services for LGBT youth, and to cover any future legal fees. We also have a cashapp if that is easier: $churchPrismaticlight

✨ Is this more of a social community or is it a deeply religious/spiritual faith?

Prismatism is as religious/spiritual as you need it to be in your life. If you simply need a loving, supporting community then that is what it is. If you want to dive in an truly embrace the Tenets, then that is what it is.

✨ Will there ever be in person services?

We sure hope so! We’d love to be able to grow enough to have physical building where we could bring communities together and offer services and resources.

✨ Can I promote my GoFundMe within the community? Will the church publicly promote my GoFundMe?

Unfortunately at this time, we do not allow the self-promotion of GoFundMe (or similar) campaigns within this community. Nor will the church promote GoFundMe (or similar) campaigns on your behalf. It is our hope that this will change in the future, but for the time being we cannot allow it.

#welcome to the Prism Sanctuary #lgbtqplus #lgbtqia #lgbtq #new religious movements #new religion #this is our way to fight back #you are loved #you are safe here #gay #lesbian #trans rights #trans #aroace #we support you

8 notes · View notes

brianshares · 1 year

Text

youtube

#anime #cult #happy science #animation #conspirituality #spirituality #new religious movements #helen keller #cartoons #new age #my posts

4 notes · View notes

cabell · 1 year

Text

The License Plates have been nearly forgotten in the mainstream US now, probably due to the proliferation of new age religious movements in the 1960s & 70s. But in 1946 when Matteo JWHJ0715’s father (b. Clarence Stuart) joined the Portales commune that would emigrate to Spain the following year, they were one of the largest of the early 20th century technoapocalyptic sects! In recent years, many scholars have proposed that the License Plates, many of the early members of which had become disaffected with existing Esoteric Christian groups, ultimately represent a bridge from that tradition to the UFO Religions of the mid-20th century. This is incredibly important context for anyone analyzing the symbolic use of apples in Goncharov!

#goncharov #apple symbolism #new religious movements #the license plates #I was a religious studies major okay

8 notes · View notes

thewitchfarhan · 6 months

Text

I am currently working on developing my own religious/spiritual practice that is a syncretism of Hellenism, Hinduism, and my own independent beliefs.

It’s called Kaênaastha and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out atm. If anyone’s interested I can share more about Kaênaastha and how to go about inventing your own practice 🥰

~||~

#thewitchfarhan #Kaênaastha #Kaenaastha #textpost #inventing religion #witch #personal practice #NRM #new religious movement #new religious movements

1 note · View note

whatisonthemoon · 10 months

Text

Dan Fefferman attends an anti-cult conference

Stranger in an Even Stranger Land: Report on an Anti-Cult Conference

Dan Fefferman April, 2000 Washington, DC

In my capacity as director of the International Coalition for Religious Freedom, I decided to attend the annual conference of the Leo J. Ryan Foundation in Stamford Connecticut. Headquartered in Bridgeport, the LJRF makes no bones about its ties to the now-defunct Cult Awareness Network, which was put out of business by a lawsuit that tied it to an illegal deprogramming conspiracy. LJRF even bills itself as the renewed "Cult Awareness Community." Its current president is Priscilla Cole, who formerly ran the Cult Awareness Network, and several other CAN stalwarts can be found on its rolls.

Of course, it’s no coincidence that the group—named for the Congressman who was gunned down in the Jonestown massacre in 1978—has its headquarters in the town where the Unification Church is well known for its role in bailing out the financially troubled University of Bridgeport. LJRF’s executive director is Julia Bronder, an embittered former UB employee and UC critic.

Human Rights, but for Whom?

The title of the LJRF conference was "Human Rights and the New Millennium." This too may be no coincidence. Our own International Coalition for Religious Freedom (ICRF) sponsored a series of international conferences in 1988 entitled, "Religious Freedom and the New Millennium." Indeed a common thread running through the LJRF presentations was that "freedom of thought" is an even more fundamental human right than freedom of speech or religion. And since cultists can’t—by definition—have freedom of thought… Well, more on that later.

I have to admit that the conference was well run and well conceived to support its organizers’ purposes. I did feel a little out of place at times, especially with people who assumed I was an anti-cultist like themselves. One former UC member was so happy to see me, until I informed her that I was "still in." Another guy angrily accused me of being a private investigator hired by Scientology to harass participants and spy on them. Talk about bad vibes! But the majority of the organizers and participants I met were courteous, if cool, once they learned who I was. Below are some highlights. While many other groups other than the UC were dealt with, I’ve concentrated on what relates specifically to our work.

Accolades from the Adversary

Not to brag, but several speakers made reference to ICRF. They mentioned our four conferences and the cities in which they were held—Washington, Tokyo, Berlin, and Sao Paulo. They grudgingly praised our web site (www.religiousfreedom.com), and the "impressive array" of speakers whose papers we have posted there. A featured luncheon speaker, Prof. Stephen Kent of the University of Calgary, used the ICRF as a primary example of the way in which American new religious movements (NRM’s) are able to influence the American government and academic community. He admitted that ICRF has become an influential participant in the international human rights debate. Another speaker bemoaned the fact that ICRF had been able to get current and former congressmen, government officials, leading academics, and prestigious human rights leaders to join with us.

A special breakout session was devoted to the Maryland Task Force on Cult Activities which we’ve reported on previously in Unification News. The panelists—anti-cultists Ron Loomis, Denny Gulick, and Franz Wilson—declared the Task Force’s Final Report as a victory for their side. These men and other anti-cult activists on the Task Force were later given a special award for their efforts to create and influence the Task Force. The speakers acknowledged ICRF’s opposition to the Task Force, but naturally downplayed our effectiveness in blocking the anti-cultists’ aims. For example, they did not mention the fact that the state’s official task force on "Cult Activities" decided not even to use the word "cult" in its final report. Nor did they mention that one of its members, panelist Franz Wilson, interrupted UC member Alex Colvin’s testimony during a formal task force meeting and threatened him with violence.

Panelist Ron Loomis of the American Family Foundation avowed that the panel’s "agenda" was that "you should go back and attempt a similar effort in your state." But he warned about getting too much press in the beginning. "The best way to do it is locally," said Loomis, because national campaigns attract too much attention from NRMs and civil liberties groups. "Politicians are chicken," he complained. (In Maryland the legislation creating the Task Force was pushed through with almost no opposition voices raised, because our side did not find out about it until it had already passed the lower house and was on a fast track to pass the Maryland Senate. Four previous efforts by anti-cultists to pass similar legislation had failed when both sides were heard.)

Washington Times Targeted

The Washington Times and the WT Foundation were also major targets of LJRF speakers. One session was devoted exclusively to "Following the Money Trail in the Moon Movement." Led by Rev. Fred Miller, the session complained about the continued success of the Washington Times and its influence in conservative political circles. Miller seemed particularly upset by the success of the WTF’s American Century Awards. He named several high level political leaders who honored True Father Moon on that occasion. Miller was visibly disappointed by Jerry Falwell’s presence.

Another focus was George W. Bush. Several speakers mentioned him, believing that Rev. Moon must be a major financial supporter of Gov. Bush, if not directly then through his father. They are hoping to find evidence that UC money is ending up in Bush’s campaign treasury. They also bemoaned the fact that New Yorker seems to be a highly successful financial enterprise and that it has become a Ramada franchisee. Miller even reported on a meeting between himself and Ramada officials in which he sought unsuccessfully to influence them to end the relationship.

The anti-cult movement had been seriously discredited in the 1980s because of its association with deprogramming. It lost several major court cases, and also lost credibility among its mainstream funding sources. Now, however, it appears to have found a new "Sugar Daddy." Bob Minton is a reputed multimillionaire whose primary hobby in life is fighting against "cults." His main passion is attacking Scientology. However, he is also rumored to be a major funding source for the LJRF. Minton was a keynote speaker at this year’s conference, although he seems to have few credentials other than the green kind. He publicly announced that he had purchased 2,000 copies of former deprogrammer (now exit counselor) Steve Hassan’s new book, "Breaking the Bonds," which retails for 24.95. If you do the math, that’s a nice little contribution, and it doesn’t count any other donations to Steve’s new "Freedom of Mind Foundation" non-profit group.

No Hassle with Hassan

Speaking of Steve Hassan, I had several conversations with Steve during the conference. I’ve also been corresponding with him through e-mail. Notice the distinction I made in the above paragraph between "deprogramming" and "exit counseling?" Steve is adamant about making this distinction because deprogramming involves force and exit counseling does not. I think he has a point. I asked if he would be willing to put his opposition to forced deprogramming in writing to the Japanese Christian churches who—sometimes using his earlier books on "mind control" as their justification—are reportedly involved in forced kidnapping of hundreds our UC members. He agreed to do so. The letter says, in part:

"[An anti-cultist minister in Japan] told me this morning that sometimes, albeit infrequently, a family might hold their adult child against his/her will, and then a minister might be invited to speak with them. In my opinion, no minister should get involved in something like this as a matter of policy--even if the cult member requests a meeting in writing…

"I want this letter to stand as a public record that I think that any approach to help cult members should be one of love, compassion, and positive communication, not force. Otherwise, kidnapping or involuntary detention will invariably be traumatic… In fact, there was always another way that would have been less traumatic."

In return for his writing the above-mentioned letter, Steve asked me to clarify to the world community of Unificationists that he is not involved in holding people against their will. I think Steve is sincere in this, although he is certainly wrong in many of the things he says about the UC, Rev. Moon, "mind control," and NRM’s in general. Steve is a former deprogrammer, not a current one. What he does now is called "exit counseling," or in his current parlance "strategic interaction" to "break the bonds of mind control."

Now some of you will ask, "But isn’t what Steve does still really faith-breaking based on religious intolerance?" And I’d have to say yes. He gets paid by people who disapprove of other people’s religion (usually family members) to talk them out of it. And he also writes books and speaks out wherever he can trying to convince people of the need for the service he provides. But technically speaking it shouldn’t be called deprogramming unless force is involved. I’m hoping that since Steve wants UC members to avoid speaking in the present tense about things he did in the past (namely deprogramming), he’ll do the same and stop speaking about things we did in the past as if they were going on today. Watch this space.

Perhaps the most disturbing presentation of the LJRF conference was made by Jim Seigelman and Flo Conway, authors of the book "Snapping," which was instrumental in forming the anti-cult movement’s ideological basis in the late 1970s. Their presentation was entitled "Church vs. State," and it called for a new interpretation of the First Amendment that recognizes "freedom of thought" as the most basic human right, even more basic than freedom of speech or freedom of religion. (Another featured speaker, Stephen Kent of the University of Calgary eerily entitled his presentation "Human Rights vs. Religious Freedom.") Keep in mind that Conway and Seigleman and their cohorts, including exit counselor Steve Hassan, clearly argue that members of the minority religions they call "cults" do NOT have freedom of thought, because the cults have robbed them of it.

Seigelman actually called religion "the Achilles heel of American democracy." And Conway stated that "freedom of thought must be added to the first amendment." The both supported what they call a "judicial initiative" that will establish a "right to freedom of thought" in the same way that a "right to privacy" or a "right to have an abortion" has been established.

But if you unpack the Owellian newspeak, this type of "freedom of thought" simply stands the First Amendment on its head. Instead of "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or abridging the free exercise thereof," Conway and Seigleman appear to say that "The Courts shall interpret the law so that anyone who joins an unpopular religion shall be declared incapable of exercising freedom of thought." The legal and political implications of such a doctrine are staggering.

At its closing banquet, the LJRF gave Conway and Seigelman its highest honor, the Leo J. Ryan Award. The first person they thanked and credited as a pioneer in "this work" was not other than the father of deprogramming himself, Ted Patrick.

#dan fefferman #International Coalition for Religious Freedom #religious freedom #new religious movements #cult apologism #anti-cult #cult awareness network #steve hassan #steven hassan

2 notes · View notes

kontextmaschine · 2 years

Text

Reading a 1946 Rosicrucian Order monograph someone passed to me, which low-quality paper is fragmenting such that I won't be passing it on, so may as well record the take-always here

Secret knowledge passed on that is basically an esoteric way of saying "the kidneys filter the blood, and staying well-hydrated helps"

A bit that starts similarly about the solar plexus – it's involved with the sympathetic nervous system! – and then goes on to frame it as something like a chakra where aura light gathers and can be used for magnetic powers

An "experiment" to prove this with oil and a toothpick I'm not particularly sure proves anything

The postwar housing crisis! A convention in San Jose was canceled because the hotels were full of returned veterans without homes.

An appeal for Rose-Croix University (Fine and Mystic Arts! Physical Sciences! Rosicrucian Healing! Alchemy! Previous College Education NOT Neccesary!)

I mean, it's clear what's going on here – in an America where most people didn't graduate high school, the Rosicrucian Order is posing as a venue for self-improvement and education to make you an elite, using a combination of woo and enthusiasm with just enough actual grounding that an internet modern can tell is patchy but might be indistinguishable from real learning to its contemporary audience

#amhist #rosicrucian #new religious movements

12 notes · View notes

a-scientific-spirituality · 1 year

Text

I have cancer. And not much else.

I am 40.

I got sick in my late 20's. I didn't know what was wrong, I went to doctors and nothing. I blamed stress, I had to drop out of graduate school and figure out living. I ended my marriage, and moved to Denver.

I remarried some time later... and my wife started getting very sick. I continued getting sticker. I was finally diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer at 35. Incurable. So - I prepared for the worst.

5 months later my wife was injured in a post-surgical -care accident and spent 4 years in a wheelchair.

9 months after she regained the ability to walk, I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma. Five days after that she left. Not because I was sick. But she didn't need me anymore. I don't know if it was ever real

All that aside...I'm 40 now, living at my father's farm in rural Iowa. I'm stranded. I spent Christmas and new years in detox or here as I could not find a doctor in Iowa who would prescribe my bupenorphine while I used Iowa medical Marijuana. I hate it here so much. Over half of my take home income goes immediately out the door to my ex wife.

So... here I am. 2 months now out here. It's COLD on a level Denver wasn't. It's lonely and I miss my partner and my cats and my life in Denver.

I've been pondering the contents of this blog for 30 years. I think I have it sorted now. I've not got much else to do.

Mostly this is something to keep me busy. And i guess it gives me hope. If it gives you hope then I am grateful for that chance.

#spirituality #spiritual insight #theology #science #hope #life is sacred #new religious movements #new religion

2 notes · View notes

wanderingmind867 · 2 years

Text

I find religions interesting, but I can't focus on them very well. I tried to read the Bible online once, and the language used was too confusing for me. Mostly I've gone through a small fascination with New Religious Movements, at least partially caused by South Park's episodes on Mormonism and Scientology.

It got me to read the first 70 or so pages of a Joseph Smith biography, and It made me think about the weird new religious movements that came from America (like Mormonism, Jehovah's witnesses, scientology, Nation of Islam, etc.) Although I still only know a bunch of small facts, I find it very interesting.

#religion #new religious movements #my thoughts #thanks to south park #tangents #interesting #asd #autism #neurodivergent #random thoughts

3 notes · View notes

thedemonologist · 7 months

Text

Back from the dead!

Classes have officially begun. I’m enrolled in a course called “New Religious Movements” and it’s wonderful! It’s about cults and new religious movements and how we need to approach these topics with more empathy and understanding. I think this is a brilliant course and a wonderful way to start. I’ve read about Heaven’s Gate and the People’s Temple so far. I can’t wait to see what other ones are on the roster.

Keep learning!

#demonology #cults #religious cults #religion #new religious movements #college

0 notes

pennysanford-mi · 1 year

Text

#2000swave #pennyadmixture #9/11/2001 #stillness #miscible layer #aesthetic #thomas anderson #transfem #witchvapor #detroit witch house #new religious movements #omega point theory #dxm #david bohm #latent space

1 note · View note

yarrow-the-terran · 1 year

Text

Strange Rites :: Review

I have been annoyed at the popular discourse surrounding religion lately. I cracked open Woke Racism by McWhorter in the store and was pretty disappointed by his assertions that antiracist ideology is a religious system. It seems that if people notice a group any more substantial than a clique they’ll inevitably call it a religion or cult, especially if they don’t like them. I’ve seen this done…

View On WordPress

#Alternative Spirituality #Book Review #Free Love #Magic #Manosphere #New Religious Movements #philosophy #religion #Spirituality #Syntheism #terra #Terranism #The Satanic Temple #Wicca

1 note · View note

dowsingfordivinity · 2 years

Text

Books I read in July 2022

A varied month: bisexuality, climate fiction, and essays. (more…)

View On WordPress

#Alicia Elliott #bisexuality #books #climate change #climate fiction #depression #Haudenosaunee #Hodinohshoni #Indigenous #Julia Shaw #Monica Byrne #new religious movements #religion #science fiction #sexuality

0 notes

massiveharmonytiger · 2 years

Text

Hey guys. So I was curious about your thoughts on religious freedom, religious syncretism and cultural appropriation and how to reconcile these elements all at once. In my experience, a lot of syncretized religions pre-date the idea of cultural appropriation, which was coined in the 1980s and gained traction after 2010. The result is blended religions formed from combining religions A, B, or C, gaining followers, from inside and outside the religions they stem from and developing over time to form a new entity, religion D.

Because the formation of these blended religions pre-date the idea of cultural appropriation, many may have some elements that are considered problematic as they come from marginalized religions. Followers of religion D go on to practice and develop this blended faith, sometimes for years, having it stabilize and become an integral part of their identities. Since these followers are a mix of different cultural identities, some could be dominant or marginalized in their own right, because intersectionality. Religious freedom indicates that this group should have the right to practice their beliefs, and this group gets accepted in countries where blended religions are commonplace. Cultural appropriation indicates that this group is scum, because some of their elements come from marginalized groups. It’s more complicated that this because some of their followers also come from mixed identities and marginalized groups. Some come from the same marginalized groups that the marginalized elements come from. Because religion is rarely simple, and often douchey, usually defined by superior or exclusionary attitudes, we’ll add a few loud, obnoxious voices spouting problematic rhetoric and talking over more peaceful members that just want to practice their religion and be left alone. This is nothing new, but the difference is that this isn’t coming from an established religion (who are rarely without their own issues, problematic beliefs and in-fighting) so the result is a lot more incendiary.

In countries where blended religions aren’t generally accepted, religions A, B or C proceed to feel threatened by this religion because this is how it generally goes with blended religions. A lot of this is justified because the cultural appropriation is there. They persecute Religion D. Anything from book burning to verbal abuse to bombing. Religion D takes on the identity of the marginalized group, while Religions A, B, or C become the oppressors, while still being marginalized by the cultural appropriation of this group and their own traumatic histories. So how does religious freedom factor into this? Religious freedom is about the freedom to practice your religion regardless of whether people agree with it or not, and provided that it does not threaten the freedoms of others. Okay, great. Beautiful and inclusive, even. Apply it to reality though and nobody is blameless, and similarly nobody is unscathed. Each group has hurt the other. Each group doesn’t agree with the other. Religion D can’t exactly stop existing, go back to a time before it was formed or just get adopted by another religion as if they haven’t become their own thing. Religion A, B, or C can’t accept Religion D because to do so would be destructive to their own belief systems and they sure as hell aren’t going to do that to their people. Where does this leave things?

And yeah, I apologize in advance because this is a contentious issue and I’ve already made a mess of this elsewhere by having a heavy case of burnout autistic brain and phrasing things indelicately. None of this is meant to offend. It’s for this reason that I was vague on purpose, using labels like A and D, instead of pointing fingers at groups. I just wanted to open up a civil conversation about this because situations like this usually don’t get resolved, they escalate. Please give me your honest opinions.

#appropriation #cultural appropriation #religion #religious syncretism #religious trauma #new religious movements #tw religious persecution #tw religious appropriation #freedom of religion

1 note · View note