Blog idea - would you take offense?

[Tarheeler]

Hi can you give me a link to this guy´s blog please
Thank you

Sure thing....

Project Conversion | Twelve Months of Spiritual Promiscuity

Keep in mind that he isn't an "objective observer"; he is actually practicing each faith and immersing himself in a new religion each month.

 

[Jontehs]

Sure thing....

Project Conversion | Twelve Months of Spiritual Promiscuity

Keep in mind that he isn't an "objective observer"; he is actually practicing each faith and immersing himself in a new religion each month.

Thank you its was why i was so interesting because He is actually practising each religions

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Well, it's up:

The Religiologue - a Travelogue of Religions

Not much there yet, but I've got grand plans.

 

[Kathryn]

Blog looks good - now put some meat on the plate!

 

[JacobEzra.]

.

So... what would you think if your church showed up in my (potential) blog?

What would you think if, on reading it, you realized that I had lied to you when I told you that I was "one of you" while I was there?

IF you come to a mass, you wouldn't have to worry about lieing to anyone. Just be polite and sit in the back and watch.

I for one would like to see what someone like you would think and write about my church.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Blog looks good - now put some meat on the plate!

Here's your first helping, as requested!

The Religiologue - a Travelogue of Religions: 1: The Prayer Palace

It's a bit later than I hoped; there was a once-a-year thing that I was hoping to get to a few weeks ago, but the timing didn't work out. I'll be keeping it under my hat, though, because I may want to use it next year.

IF you come to a mass, you wouldn't have to worry about lieing to anyone. Just be polite and sit in the back and watch.

I for one would like to see what someone like you would think and write about my church.

I don't know where exactly you are, but I'll probably get to some sort of Catholic church before too long. My wife's Catholic, so I've been with her to more than a normal atheist's share of Masses.

 

[Katzpur]

Well, it's up:

The Religiologue - a Travelogue of Religions

Not much there yet, but I've got grand plans.

Nice job! I really enjoyed your first entry. I love how you were so open-minded in your approach. You didn't lie and say that you liked the things that made you uncomfortable, but you didn't ridicule or demean the service either. I'm going to make sure I don't miss any additions in the future.

(By the way, would you mind letting me know before you go to an LDS service? I have a couple of pointers for you.)

 

[Kathryn]

Great first entry -keep 'em coming.

By the way, I've been to a couple of megachurches and a wide variety of "charismatic" church experiences. What I found refreshing and interesting about your "take" on those types of services is that, as a Christian, I felt pretty much the same as you.

Things that make you go..."Hmmmm..."

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Nice job! I really enjoyed your first entry. I love how you were so open-minded in your approach. You didn't lie and say that you liked the things that made you uncomfortable, but you didn't ridicule or demean the service either. I'm going to make sure I don't miss any additions in the future.

Thanks!

(By the way, would you mind letting me know before you go to an LDS service? I have a couple of pointers for you.)

Will do... though if you don't mind sharing them publicly, you're welcome to put them here.

BTW: do all LDS temples have a public open house before they're dedicated? Looks like I missed the boat for the one in Vancouver, but apparently there are several temples under construction within a reasonable drive of me, scheduled for completion over the next few years.

 

[Songbird]

Wow, I love this, Penguin!

 

[LoTrobador]

There is already a similar project: The Mystery Worshipper.

 

[Hermit Philosopher]

First, I should say that I'm just considering this idea right now. I may not do it.

I had an idea for a blog that I thought I'd run by people here to see what everyone thinks: an atheist (i.e. me) visits different churches/temples/etc., sits through their services, and then writes about the experience.

The idea wouldn't be to be sensationalistic (i.e. no freak show of "hey! Look at the weird stuff that these people believe!"), but I wouldn't plan on glossing over negatives, and - judging by my experiences in church - there's likely to be some negatives. Instead, the idea would be to give a different perspective on what goes on.

I've seen writing projects where atheists or other outsiders actually joined a church and participated as members, only to tell the congregation later that they'd been duped, and that a book or blog was about to come out. It seems like that approach causes a lot of hurt feelings - it wouldn't be the approach I would take.

Instead, each blog entry would be on a single visit to a place of worship. My plan would probably be to not advertise what I was doing... I'm still deciding what to say if asked. Either I could come clean right away and say what I'm up to (which would probably make people change how they behave around me) or I could give them a cover story: either that I'm considering the denomination/religion (which would also probably affect how they would behave around me, and be misleading if not a full-out lie) or that I'm a member of the denomination/religion visiting from out of town (which would create a huge workload of studying beforehand, as well as be, well, a bald-faced lie).

So... what would you think if your church showed up in my (potential) blog?

What would you think if, on reading it, you realized that I had lied to you when I told you that I was "one of you" while I was there?

Dear 9-10ths_Penguin,
As long as one is respectful towards members, there really is nothing wrong with sitting through a service. Therefore, I am not sure I understand why you feel you would have to lie and say you belonged to a faith when you do not?

I think your blog-idea is a good one! Though personally, I would perhaps choose to approach experiences from several different theoretical angles (e.g. structuralist, feminist, critical realist, social constructivist angle, etc.). Mainly because doing so, would emphasise the fact that there are numerous ways in which one can interpret other people’s belief-systems and rhetorical choices.

Keep us posted!
Hermit

 

[Penumbra]

I very much liked your post Penguin. Very well-written.

One criticism I have is aesthetic. A transparent background with colors in the back and white text is a bit much. I had to highlight it to read it. Normally if I see a blog like this, I just kind of click away.

It may be worthwhile having a simpler background so that the good content is the focus of it all. Or maybe I'm just picky. Just a suggestion. Really good article, though.

 

[idea]

...I have no plans to weasel my way into a Mormon temple, but I may check out one of their meeting halls. However, it'll probably wait until early Movember so that I'm clean-shaven - from what I gather, a goatee is like a big flag saying "non-Mormon over here!"

My husband has a goatee - as does a member of our bishoprick perhaps if you were in Utah it would be a red flag, but there are a lot of places that it would not be

although, I think you will miss most of the "experience" because you will not personally know all of the people you are meeting with - it is sort of like a family gathering - with cousin Fred and Aunt Nellie, grandma and grandpa McDonald etc. etc. just as it would hopefully be more fun for you to eat Thanksgiving dinner with your own extended fam than with a stranger's ... it's not a holywood production / entertainment package - it's a get-together with friends & fam type deal - and a big roulette wheel for who ends up speaking (Aunt Nellie talking about her conversation with the clerk at the grocery store? or Grandpa talking about the war? all with spiritual "lessons" woven in there somewhere of coarse. .... Just know what to expect - if you go expecting a lazer light show and a rock band, you will be disappointed... if you go expecting a family-type gathering? some people enjoy those sorts of things, others do not.

btw - I know of another Athiest who has done the same experiment, and wrote a book on it... let me see if I can find a link to it...
here it is! http://www.triparoundthesun.com/
btw - the author of this book is an athiest, but he is also an active member of the LDS church . It's a one-room schoolhouse in there, with everyone and everything - rich/poor/young/old/ all career types - worldwide church too so all nationalities...

O - and often, lots of kids - lots and lots of kids - you have to learn how to tune them out if you are going to listen to the speaker (might sound a little like a daycare in there but then it is a "family gathering"

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I very much liked your post Penguin. Very well-written.

One criticism I have is aesthetic. A transparent background with colors in the back and white text is a bit much. I had to highlight it to read it. Normally if I see a blog like this, I just kind of click away.

It may be worthwhile having a simpler background so that the good content is the focus of it all. Or maybe I'm just picky. Just a suggestion. Really good article, though.

Thanks!

Good point about the background. It was the default for this theme and I didn't find it especially offensive, so I guess I just kinda left it.
I'll put some more thought into something else.

 

[idea]

...I think you will miss most of the "experience" because you will not personally know all of the people you are meeting with -

edit to add - I think this would be true of any group (although if you just have the same pastor week after week, perhaps not quite as much?) ... when you know a little backgroud info - like brother x just got a divorce, or sister T just lost her job/child, or little z just graduated etc. etc. the discussion is deeper when you know the background info on the person giving it.... as well with people there - part of the experience is meeting up with friends (not about the talk) - it's a social group type thing, the better you know those around you, the more you will get out of it - not just polite "Hello" greeting to one another - there are deeper bonds going on - people who raised their kids together, people who buried their dead together, people who have gone through life together... I guess it would take a lifetime to really capture what that is...

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

edit to add - I think this would be true of any group (although if you just have the same pastor week after week, perhaps not quite as much?) ... when you know a little backgroud info - like brother x just got a divorce, or sister T just lost her job/child, or little z just graduated etc. etc. the discussion is deeper when you know the background info on the person giving it.... as well with people there - part of the experience is meeting up with friends (not about the talk) - it's a social group type thing, the better you know those around you, the more you will get out of it - not just polite "Hello" greeting to one another - there are deeper bonds going on - people who raised their kids together, people who buried their dead together, people who have gone through life together... I guess it would take a lifetime to really capture what that is...

I agree, but I'm not really trying to say that my experience is reflective of that of a member of a church.

I'm using a "travelogue" model for my blog, which should give you some indication of my approach to this issue. Just as someone visiting and writing about, say, Beijing (just to pull a place out of the air) wouldn't have the same perspective or depth of knowledge as someone who was born and raised there, we can still see the value in him writing about his experiences.

Edit: and I should probably add that the Toronto I read about in travel magazines doesn't have much similarity to the Toronto I grew up in and (kinda) still live in today. Still, I recognize that the difference simply comes from different perspectives, not from one experience being more "authentic" than the other.

 

[idea]

...Toronto I read about in travel magazines doesn't have much similarity to the Toronto I grew up in and (kinda) still live in today. Still, I recognize that the difference simply comes from different perspectives, not from one experience being more "authentic" than the other.

I think the "growing up in" experience does give you a more authentic feel for what it really is, nevertheless, I do think it is interesting to see what an "outsider's" view is.... the 4 realities kind of thing:

how you view it
how others view it
how you think other's view it
the actual reality of it

...

 

[Desert Snake]

Dear 9-10ths_Penguin,
As long as one is respectful towards members, there really is nothing wrong with sitting through a service. Therefore, I am not sure I understand why you feel you would have to lie and say you belonged to a faith when you do not?

I think your blog-idea is a good one! Though personally, I would perhaps choose to approach experiences from several different theoretical angles (e.g. structuralist, feminist, critical realist, social constructivist angle, etc.). Mainly because doing so, would emphasise the fact that there are numerous ways in which one can interpret other people’s belief-systems and rhetorical choices.

Keep us posted!
Hermit

Yep. Doesn't seem offensive.