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Losing My Religion The Documentary Film
A feature documentary for theatrical distribution, Losing My Religion will be a soul-searching, interview-style film, exploring the experiences and exoduses of fundamentalists as they leave behind their family, friends, their acquired interpretations of “God”—the only world they have ever known. We will examine how these transformations often give birth to some of our world’s great activists.
Here is the link to see a trailer:
http://www.losingmyreligionfilm.com/ This follows youth who leave the Jehova’s Witness religion they explain in their own words how and why they leave and the after effects.
Wondering how much of the message’s theme will be universal to all religions. Do you think the turmoil necessary, if they trade down instead of up is it worth it. What is worth losing all your family and relationships over or do only true relationships survive?
Unless the world implodes and we go back to the dark ages I think fundamentalist religions will slowly lose their hold on more people. There is becoming too much information readily available to keep people in the dark. Is it worth it to leave such a religion considering the consequences? Truth always needs to be brought to the light of day. Many great individuals broke from their belief structure to move to a freer and more intellectually honest belief. The struggle will continue in our day between those who would control and those who resist the control.
Sorry, Cadence, but it’s NOT happening. We see what’s happening in the West, where this is what is going on, but all over the world, religious people, particularly of the fundamentalist type are the ones outbreeding the rest. More moderate religions and non-religions tend to have less children. I had a statistics class in college in which the professor postulated that the driving force behind every revolution except the American one(s) were the result primarily of the governed people repopulating at such a higher rate than the governing people that they overtaxed the ability of the governors to care properly for the governed. The governed couldn’t find work to support themselves, especially in times of agricultural distress – so rather than starve they revolted. It was a fascinating theory, and I think there is a lot of truth in it, even if I don’t agree with everything he said. I do think, however, that there is an element (as Sam said) of truth with that idea in relation to religion. I think religions die or stagnate when they no longer are relevant to the masses – and the masses tend to want to be taken care of by those who are seen as in charge. (I can’t apply classic conservative vs. liberal categories here, since the political labels tend to be reversed in this arena from how most people view them.)
I agree, Ray. I also think that people like Joseph Campbell make the argument that modern society is moving too far away from mysticism and myth. Like all cycles of nature, it is possible that we swing back to wanting and yearning for more myths in our culture to provide meaning and create bonds with families and others in society, even if Cadence is right that more and more information becomes available to more and more people. The stories or myths may change, but not the need for them.
humanist wrote:Wondering how much of the message’s theme will be universal to all religions. Do you think the turmoil necessary, if they trade down instead of up is it worth it. What is worth losing all your family and relationships over or do only true relationships survive?
I think it is universal to all fundamentalist-style religions. I’ve briefly surfed some ex-JW forums, and the stories are nearly cut-and-paste identical to ex-Mo exit stories. Dr. Bart Ehrman, one of my favorite Bible textual criticism authors, expresses in his books a very similar personal exit narrative from fundamentalist protestant Christianity.
The turmoil is necessary, for those of us who are destined to pass through it. Trading up or down? How we make the journey, that is individual to our personalities I think.
A lot of things are going on. The traffic is not all one way.
As I say, most people in the world are born into fundamentalist families and those families are breeding faster than us effete and childless Westerners. It’s a matter of numbers.
In Northern Ireland, Catholics are outbreeding Protestants, so that the electoral dynamic has changed to disfavor the more British minded.
There is also a significant backlash against “science”, whatever that is, and lot of alternative and New Age ideas have gained ground, some of which are complete hogwash. The majority of people don’t know the difference between astronomy and astrology for example, either.
The JWs are still getting quite a few converts. They have at least three Kingdom Halls in this city, as against our one LDS chapel.
However, while as Brian says, many of the exit stories are similar, I’m not so aware of ex-LDS being so completely cut off as ex-JWs are. I hope I’m right.
The struggle between conservative and liberal faith will always exist with the ebb and flow of time. The thought that as we progress technologically speaking will never replace religion. It may modify it but never replace it as there will always be unexplained phenomenea regardless of scientific discovery. If you look at science itself it’s like a religion the old replaces the new constantly with few absolutes. There is always some form or reaction to any major change in any given faith. It has happened even in our own church I saw a factoid that said there were 400 divisions in Mormonism of it’s period in history. Maybe a century from now there will be protestantesque brands of Mormonism. Who really knows. I think however that as long as there is some form of mainstream faith there will be some form of fundamentalism. In fact there still is a Flat Earth Society, and a newer but more known theory that the moon landing is a hoax. All it takes is for one person to call BS and get enough people to listen to create a fundamentalist movement. Hmmm that reminds me look at the Jedi religion in Austrailia. I think most claim it as a snub to religion or government establishment to call themselves Jedi but there is a small group that claims the Star Wars movies are a sort of prophetic vision of George lucas but he doesn’t know it himself and that it is not simply an awesome story. I wish I knew the link when I heard about it it was like a blurb or something I heard on Coast to Coast AM.
Quote:Maybe a century from now there will be protestantesque brands of Mormonism.
There already is, it’s the CoC or RLDS. From what I know of them, they are extremely protestant and reformed in many respects.
Quote:a newer but more known theory that the moon landing is a hoax.
Ah, there is more to that story than meets the eye… if you want, I’ll explain (I may even throw in a JW ref to keep it relevant!
Sam If you really look at it, the CoC is the original church. I’m speaking of protestanesque in reference to let’s say Bushman or Dehlin (just hypothetical examples for my analogy) were to go “Martin Luther” or Uchtdorf broke away and started a branch of Mormonism. As far as the moon landings go I’ve heard plenty, and it is good stuff, but I still think we went. I’m a Coasty, my first-born might end up being named Art or George
😆 perhaps Nighthawk.I can’t remember which prophet said it, but one said we’d never go to the moon. So in a manner of speaking that may actually have been prophetic.
Hi, I appreciate that the CoC has equal claims in certain respects, and is not Brighamite, but it is very Protestant. Firstly, it called itself “Reorganized” (i.e. Reformed), and secondly its format of service and presentation is extremely Protestant. In fact, from some of the videos I’ve seen it doesn’t look very unprotestant at all. As regards the Apollo hoax theory, yes, there is another aspect to the whole thing which often goes unnoticed. It’s actually quite subversive in a positive way. According to the testimony of the guy who started it, his aim was not mainly to say whether the landings happened or not, but to make people question the government presentation of events. He thought that people took at face value everything politicians told them, and didn’t question official reports. He was actually ahead of his time. We now know lies have been told by various politicians – American and otherwise – about certain events in recent history, and that they have distorted certain events, fabricated other evidence and also omitted to mention important facts in order to get what they wanted, and to get the public to buy it… so yes, I’ve got a bit of admiration for that guy, even though I also believe Apollo did reach the Moon (it’s not really that far, and it is a whopping big target too) Although who would name a
lunarprogram after the sungod? Weird… The lesson from all that is that we shouldn’t swallow everything we hear, whether it’s from politicians or religious leaders.
FenixDown wrote:Hmmm that reminds me look at the Jedi religion in Austrailia.
See also:http://Www.jedichurch.orghttp://Www.jedichurch.org” class=”bbcode_url”> http://Www.churchofthejedi.orghttp://Www.churchofthejedi.org” class=”bbcode_url”> http://Www.Jedi-church.co.ukhttp://Www.Jedi-church.co.uk” class=”bbcode_url”> Thanks Sam. Yep that about sums up what I heard on C2CAM. Same guy too.It is interesting. Thanks Heber!
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