Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Spirituality within cohousing

[Mark Frauenglass (WORKGROUP/MAILDATA/Mark%Acquilano_Leslie_Inc+p]

>...We did not feel included, but
>rather felt that we were forced into something against our will, and
>that if we didn't take part, we weren't really one of the chosen people
>of the movement, since we didn't share their beliefs.
>... not imposing a common ground on your neighbors.
>Steve Farley
>These dances and songs attempted to promote all SPIRITUAL ways of believing
in
>this desire. They excluded and alienated those of us whose desires to
create a
>more unified world come from non-religious roots. Please don't try to
impose
>any version of god on people who don't believe in supernatural things and
don't
>want them to play a role in our lives.
>... Generic spirituality can be a very tempting way to seek this
commonality. ...
>David Mandel

Aren't religious philosophies that promote the oneness/brother-sisterhood of
life the same as the 'ethical humanist' philosophies that propound to skirt
'religion'?  I think people had a problem with RITUAL.  So what's the big
deal?
Growing up in New Mexico the son of a Jew who rebelled against dogma and
a German Catholic and attending Hopi and Navajo and many of the Pueblo
dances/
ceremonies and dating Christian Scientists and Mormons gave me a chance to
see many 'window dressings' for INTENT.

If the ritual got in the way of the expression of intent, then you guys
missed the point
that we are all trying to get along and live lighter on this planet.
I like to play as well as get things done.  I enjoy many rituals and hope
there is enough
tolerance for everyone to at least be entertained.

>... If your worldview is fanatically agnostic or atheist, it is
>still religiously so, if it fails the lunch-music test, seems to me.
>Shava Nerad

Anyway, Cohousing does seem to promote diversity, but religious-vs-non
tolerance doesn't seem to exist.

Mark Frauenglass
Highline Crossing