Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Religious Conservatives in Cohousing

[R.N. Johnson (cohoranda]

Many religious groups already espouse strong community values- they just are 
focused a little differently than most of us in cohousing.
Besides Quakers and Unitarians, there are a lot of religious groups that have 
at least enclaves that believe in some variation on communul 
living, simplicity, common meals and even environmental stewardship. Amish and 
Mennonite communities come to mind.  I grew up in an area 
with a strong Mormon presence, and while my Mormon schoolmates were not living 
in separate communities, they certainly spent a lot of time 
in community activities that didn't t look all that different from many 
cohousing activities.  If you go back to the Anabaptists, there were even 
groups that used a radical variation of consensus decisionmaking.  One of the 
Temescal cohousings came out of a local Methodist church group, 
if I remember correctly.
I think that religious cohousing would look a little different from the current 
model, but would be recognizable. In some ways, it would be easier to organize.
Randa Johnson
New Brighton Cohousing
Aptos, CA 

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