Yes. I Am A Christian

[Sfinelli3]

The religion that was started based on the book Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein is The Order of the Mithril Stars and it is based in California.  It's a Druid type religion, but not really.  Its very strange.

[paindancer]

Dude, 20 seconds on wikipedia.. you need to quit taking your friends info as fact without checking.  Sfin, please, quit blurting out things without checking them.  It ammounts to intellectual diarrhea it does not help you or anyone else.  For your reference, I did some of the leg work for you.  Several spiritual schools of thought were inspired by the writing in question.  The author did not however create them.  Hubbard, for counterexample, did create Scientology, mostly out of a bet.  (I did not fact check that last statement, so you are welcome to do some healthy research and prove or disprove me)


Wiki:

In 1968, Tim Zell (now Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) and others formed a Neo-Pagan religious organization called the Church of All Worlds, modeled after the religion founded by the primary characters in the novel. Except for correspondence with Zell (a lengthy letter to Zell appears as a letter to "a Fan" toward the end of the book in Grumbles from the Grave) and a paid subscription to the Church's Green Egg magazine during the 1970s (as Heinlein refused to accept a complimentary subscription), Heinlein had no other connection to the project.

From the Order of the Mitril Star website FAQ shown below or linked  here:  http://www.mithrilstar.org/druidfaq.htm :

Q: "Grok?" "We are Gods?"  "Waterbrothers?"  What's up with that?   

A: This comes from  Robert A.  Heinleins novel, Stranger In A Strange Land (SiaSL).  To briefly summarize the book, it's about a human born on Mars and raised by Martians who returns to Earth as an adult, becomes a messiah and starts his own religion.  The main sacrament of that religion is water sharing, and the initiates are known  as water brothers.

We are one of a handful of Pagan groups somewhat inspired by SIASL,in what has come to be known as The Heinleinian Tradition.The Order practices water sharing as a sacrament, encourages poly fidelity as a lifestyle, and recognizes that deity resides in each and every one of us ("Thou art God.") In our Reformed Druidism101 course we require students to read the novel (and they are tested on it).
Our embrace of Stranger In A Strange Land is unique within the RDG - we're the only group within the Reform that does this.

Q: How can we take a group based upon a science fiction novel seriously?
A:  OMS is not the first spiritual group to be INSPIRED BY (not BASED upon) that novel. The Church of All Worlds, Inc.(CAW), and the broader, "Heinleinian Tradition" were both inspired by SiaSL. David Fisher (a founder of the Reformed Druids of North America) said (regarding some of the sources of Reformed Druidism): "I must admit we were all readers of science fiction or science fantasy."

Scientists read science fiction. Many of them get a lot of inspiration from science fiction. A case in point is James Lovelock who authored the Gaea Hypothesis. This single hypothesis, the idea that the planet we live on is a single, interconnected organism, is the basis not only for the way science today looks at the planet, but for much of Pagan spirituality.  Lovelock's biographer says that not only was he inspired by science fiction, but he read Stranger In A Strange Land many times.

OMS is, however, inspired by more than just that one book. It also contains elements from Reformed Druidism, Faery Wicca, Discordianism, Ceremonial Magick, Shamanism, and Metaphysics - all blended together into a unique expression of spiritual practice.


Or the Church of All Worlds website, paraphrased below or found here http://www.caw.org/index.php?module=Pages&func=display&pageid=3 :

CAW evolved from a group of friends and lovers who were in part inspired by the science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein back in 1962. This book suggested a spiritual and social way of life and was a metaphor expressing the awakening social consciousness of the times. Inspired by this awakening of consciousness and the book, Stranger in a Strange Land, this group grew, evolved, became “water-kin” and created a religious organization that was recognized as a church by the federal government of the United States on March 4th 1968. They named this religious organization the Church of All Worlds after the church founded by the hero in the book. The Church’s organizing spiritual and social concepts and values include; a belief in immanent Divinity, a pluralistic perspective towards religion, living in harmony with Nature, self-actualization, deep friendship and positive sexuality. In time the church’s spiritual and social concepts and values became recognized as Neo-Pagan. As CAW continued to develop, it both influenced and was affected by the Neo-Pagan movement.

[GraVes]

Yeah I'll have to agree with pain. Love you to death Sfin but at the same time a lot of your post come across as "this is what I know so this is how it is" I have absolutely no insight into this SiaSL so I'm not going to try to respond. On the other hand I have done a lot of research into Scientology so I feel comfortable talking about that with others. I'm not saying I know everything but I also know I'm not living off of Wikipedia

[Sfinelli3]

I guess I was misunderstood.  I didnt mean HE created it, but the story did, basically.

[paindancer]

Another religion that was started by a SciFi writer was from Robert A. Heinlines (sp?) Stranger in a Strange Land. 

No worries.  As you can see above, its easy to misunderstand you.  I think, you just get into a hurry too often.

Hang in there.

So Graves, was I right in that Hubbard did create scientology mostly on a bet?  I hear wierd things about them, that in some interpretations they could be considered otherkin, just packaged differently.  They kind of fascinate me, with their giant complex.  Never have bothered to investigate them however.

[GraVes]

There is some evidence that Hubbard made a bet with Arthur C Clarke that he could start a religion but nothing concrete. More evidence suggests that when Hubbard couldn't get Dianetics accepted as a Medical service that he decided to take it religious because, lets face it, you don't have to have truth or fact to have a religion.

[asteria]

Exactly. Its what you believe not what you know.

[SilverRose]

Yea but it's nice to be able to back things up when you can, saves alot of trouble.

[asteria]

yea but as long as you can truely believe it you can always back it up.

[SilverRose]

touche

[asteria]

 

[nightchild]

Religioun has nothing to do with how you live Religioun is based upon an idea and is made for other to believe and some follow it blindly.
If looking for whom you really are you don't need Religioun to do that.
You are who you are how you act upon it is completely up to you.
So i decided to stay more on a spiritual believe instead of only looking at one believe system taking many believes systems and all tell the samething
believe in yourself and you can achieve anything.

[Gamael]

Religioun has nothing to do with how you live Religioun is based upon an idea and is made for other to believe and some follow it blindly.
If looking for whom you really are you don't need Religioun to do that.
You are who you are how you act upon it is completely up to you.

watch your words "nightchild"

[Stellar]

Religioun has nothing to do with how you live Religioun is based upon an idea and is made for other to believe and some follow it blindly.
If looking for whom you really are you don't need Religioun to do that.
You are who you are how you act upon it is completely up to you.

watch your words "nightchild"

Everyone has the right to believe as they wish. Being a Christian myself, I believe in free will. Night is exercising his own free will, and I see no fascists in residence here. Do you?

I hope that you had a great Holiday. *hugs for you*

[asteria]

Religioun has nothing to do with how you live Religioun is based upon an idea and is made for other to believe and some follow it blindly.
If looking for whom you really are you don't need Religioun to do that.
You are who you are how you act upon it is completely up to you.
So i decided to stay more on a spiritual believe instead of only looking at one believe system taking many believes systems and all tell the samething
believe in yourself and you can achieve anything.

I am a wiccan and i do not follow it blindly that is your view and i will respect it but remember that some people truely belive in there religion and might get offended by that comment. Some times religion is not just for finding yourself remember that.