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Church of the Autism Spectrum?

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OregonBecky
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08 Dec 2007, 10:33 pm

While brainstorming about ways to create an autism spectrum community, we keep running across all the freedom churches have to do stuff, even when the zoning says you can't. I think autism spectrum people have enough rituals to quality us as church.


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nominalist
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08 Dec 2007, 10:40 pm

OregonBecky wrote:
I think autism spectrum people have enough rituals to quality us as church.


lol. Good line.


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Tim_Tex
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08 Dec 2007, 11:51 pm

Throw a hint of Unitarianism or Wicca into the mix, and you're good to go.

Tim


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richardbenson
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09 Dec 2007, 5:09 pm

its a good idea, but i wouldnt attend :P



OregonBecky
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09 Dec 2007, 5:38 pm

richardbenson wrote:
its a good idea, but i wouldnt attend :P


With a church status, you can build a community in places where they don't want to you do anything except have single family homes. And you can have a lot of other various freedoms to make the community work. That's why I suddenly decided I see the light. Praise the lord!


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monty
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09 Dec 2007, 6:02 pm

OregonBecky wrote:
richardbenson wrote:
its a good idea, but i wouldnt attend :P


With a church status, you can build a community in places where they don't want to you do anything except have single family homes. And you can have a lot of other various freedoms to make the community work. That's why I suddenly decided I see the light. Praise the lord!


I think if there were enough motivated aspies in a community, they could form a non-profit organization and find a space somewhere to meet. It might be one or two privileges short of a full-blown religion, but there would be no need to invoke the deities to make it happen.

Also, by establishing a religious building, it would interfere with the ability of bars, night-clubs, and other establishments to set up business. Many communities have zoning laws that say no to those adult establishments if they try to locate within 1000 or 1500 feet of schools or churches.

If religion were made part of it, I think there would be too much bickering about doctrines, and that would prevent anything from getting done. It would doom the group!



OregonBecky
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09 Dec 2007, 6:13 pm

monty wrote:
OregonBecky wrote:
richardbenson wrote:
its a good idea, but i wouldnt attend :P


With a church status, you can build a community in places where they don't want to you do anything except have single family homes. And you can have a lot of other various freedoms to make the community work. That's why I suddenly decided I see the light. Praise the lord!


I think if there were enough motivated aspies in a community, they could form a non-profit organization and find a space somewhere to meet. It might be one or two privileges short of a full-blown religion, but there would be no need to invoke the deities to make it happen.

Also, by establishing a religious building, it would interfere with the ability of bars, night-clubs, and other establishments to set up business. Many communities have zoning laws that say no to those adult establishments if they try to locate within 1000 or 1500 feet of schools or churches.

If religion were made part of it, I think there would be too much bickering about doctrines, and that would prevent anything from getting done. It would doom the group!


What I read about what constitutes a church is so wide open that it's why I started wondering about it. However, I never thought how it would effect other zoning laws.

Here's an example of a church that aspies would like. It's called the Church of Reality and their faith is that if it's real, they believe it.


http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/i ... pt_status/Church of Reality


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EvilZak
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09 Dec 2007, 8:49 pm

I think it could work, as long as all the members realised it was just a way of getting access to extra resourcing options rather than a real religion. If that's the case, it can be about worshipping the great green Arkleseizure for all I care...



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09 Dec 2007, 9:23 pm

I just read the "Basis of Church Doctrine," and I was more confused than before reading it. ;-)

http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/basis_of_church_doctrine/


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LePetitPrince
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10 Dec 2007, 1:24 pm

Cool, I would be the pope.



OregonBecky
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10 Dec 2007, 1:36 pm

nominalist wrote:
I just read the "Basis of Church Doctrine," and I was more confused than before reading it. ;-)

http://www.churchofreality.org/wisdom/basis_of_church_doctrine/


If we started our own church we could write an EVEN MORE confusing doctrine! :D


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pgd
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14 Nov 2010, 4:49 pm

OregonBecky wrote:
While brainstorming about ways to create an autism spectrum community, we keep running across all the freedom churches have to do stuff, even when the zoning says you can't. I think autism spectrum people have enough rituals to quality us as church.


---

If there can be a Church of Scientology, there can be a Church of the Autism Spectrum/even a string of Churches of Autism around the world. It might require declaring that God is believed to have Autism but that's just a matter of paperwork/stated dogma/belief of the faithful.



Inuyasha
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14 Nov 2010, 4:54 pm

Not a good idea, because then we have the IRS going after us if we say anything that would be deemed "political."



ikorack
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14 Nov 2010, 7:57 pm

And religious feuds, really we might just get merched by religious fanatics.



Aspiewordsmith
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25 Nov 2017, 10:59 am

What about a Church, place of worship/ faith that sees God through the spectacles of Aspergia? :idea:



chromanebula
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26 Nov 2017, 1:33 am

Inuyasha wrote:
Not a good idea, because then we have the IRS going after us if we say anything that would be deemed "political."

Real churches foray into politics all the time and don't get their tax-exempt status revoked. They toe the line of not endorsing candidates, but my denomination (Catholicism) in particular has passionate feelings about issues like abortion, gay marriage/adoption, immigration, and workers' rights, which they clearly express in speeches and publications. If they're not careful they could get that status revoked (and I think they will within my lifetime), but for now the IRS doesn't seem to mind. So, unless they get away with it only because of a "grandfather clause," I think we would be fine with a certain level of activism (pushing for laws to protect Aspies, opposing genetic research, etc.)