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Numenism has been likened to being an “open source” religion or a “wiki” religion where there is a core understructure, but the adherents develop everything else according to their own needs and individual preferences. In both cases, what is added on has to mesh with the core understructure or the edifice erected on it will be unable to sustain itself without changing that core part – and when that happens, it’s no longer Numenism, no matter what the people living it may say.
For those who have never heard of Numenism before, a brief, very brief, overview: Numenism is a religion that was created in 1946 as a response by some soldiers and their families to the after-effects of WWII and the Atom Bomb. Initially it was a study group attempting to make sense of what happened and how a kind God could allow it to happen. By 1956, it had diverged so far from its Christian roots it could no longer be considered Christian, and had developed the rudimentary foundation that became the core understructure of Numenism. By then, the founders knew they were no longer seeking answers to their experiences in WWII; they were actively creating a new religion that was meaningful to modern Americans. The early focus was in creating the core understructure of connection with divinity and what place adherents held in the spiritual and physical world. Once the core was built, the religion was left to grow or not, as the adherents chose. This is pretty much how and why it became an open source, wiki-esque type religion. Some of us embraced Numenism, and some tinkered with the core and became something else.
( If you're interested, click here to read more )
For those who have never heard of Numenism before, a brief, very brief, overview: Numenism is a religion that was created in 1946 as a response by some soldiers and their families to the after-effects of WWII and the Atom Bomb. Initially it was a study group attempting to make sense of what happened and how a kind God could allow it to happen. By 1956, it had diverged so far from its Christian roots it could no longer be considered Christian, and had developed the rudimentary foundation that became the core understructure of Numenism. By then, the founders knew they were no longer seeking answers to their experiences in WWII; they were actively creating a new religion that was meaningful to modern Americans. The early focus was in creating the core understructure of connection with divinity and what place adherents held in the spiritual and physical world. Once the core was built, the religion was left to grow or not, as the adherents chose. This is pretty much how and why it became an open source, wiki-esque type religion. Some of us embraced Numenism, and some tinkered with the core and became something else.
( If you're interested, click here to read more )
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