In which Grace decides to form a New Religious Movement

After a lovely few days with family and friends and without all the hassles and politics and religious authority-play of work, I have suddenly realised: it doesn't need to be this painful. I need a New Religious (or Spiritual or Faith) Possibility... soon. But what?

Grace's Possible New Religious Possibilities

Agnosticism/Secularism
Sorry, no. God’s there and I like chatting to him/her/it. Not an option.

Sufism
Of all non-Christian ways of engaging with God, this I like. But I don’t think one can convincingly buy into one form of Islam without embracing the entire Ummah. And I couldn’t do religion that didn’t do Jesus. The whole concept of the incarnation is what I love.

Various forms of progressive Judaism
I like the ethics and the academic rigour of it. However, I’ve rarely felt excessively welcome in groups of religious Jews. Or maybe it’s just me. But either way, I don’t think I could ever do religion that didn’t involve Jesus. There’s Messianic Judaism, of course. But I don’t quite see the point of that for those who weren’t Jewish to begin with.

More “liberal” forms of Christianity
Oh please. Sorry, but I just don’t get it. I’ve read Bultmann, Cupitt and the like and yes, they’re very educated and intelligent people, but I’ve never seen the point of demythologisations, nor of insisting that modernity and rationalism inform faith. I’m fine with the Bible telling me that the world was created in six days and that Mary was a virgin and equally I’m fine with Darwin telling me both are impossible. I don’t need to contend with the alleged conflicts between science and religion because, after several years of scientific training and a few episodes of psychosis, I struggle to believe either in science or the objectivity of reality, text, reason or experience. For me, God is all there is.

Converting to Roman Catholicism
Could do. In recent years I’ve been surprised to find that I like a lot of the theology. But they’d need to be a significantly nicer to their women before I could really want to be a Catholic. So probably not this year, then.

Cutting edge, radical, hardcore New Paradigm Church-like
As in, like Vineyard, Hillsongs, NFI, G12-type churches. Maybe. They’re good fun. Sorry to be superficial, though, because I know these things shouldn’t matter, but the volume of the music tends to annoy me: God’s not deaf. Or maybe I’m just too old. But I also get edgy in groups that are so laid-back and informal that they lack clear structures of leadership or mechanisms for accountability.

Quaking
The whole concept of Quakerism intrigues me. I don't think I understand it entirely, but I love the idea of a God who resides within everyone. All inclusive, like.

Bog-standard Church of England-ness
Could do worse. I think it’s all something I understand and can relate to relatively comfortably. But I’m increasingly realising that faith has to involve community. I know they earnestly do try, but I think I’m still a bit young for the jam-making and the jumble sales of your stereotypical Anglican social scene. But I know there’s more to it then that.

Post-evangelicalism emerging Churchyness type “movements”
This interests me. I like the focus on community, eclecticism and inclusion. Sometimes I doubt that they’re ever as new or innovative as they claim, but probably few of us are. There’s not much of such things in my home town, but maybe I could start something new? Hmmm now there’s a thought…