1) A:\u00a0an assembly of persons; especially an assembly of persons met for worship and religious instruction. B: a religious community usually organized in a particular locality.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I often refer to our growing virtual assembly as the “Congregation,” but according to the definition given above, is that really what we are?<\/p>\n
Perhaps the best way to settle this issue is to look around and compare ourselves to other so-called congregations and see what, if anything, we have in common.<\/p>\n
1) Clubs\/Social Organizations<\/span><\/p>\n These groups vary widely and include entities such as fraternities\/sororities, car clubs, Boy Scouts, book clubs, and\u00a0fan clubs\u00a0just to name a few. Some common markers for these groups are usually\u00a0a)<\/strong> a\u00a0unifying interest, and b)<\/strong> local contact. In many cases, the unifying forces that bring these people together do not define them as human beings. A woman reading this month’s hottest best-seller isn’t known throughout her community or workplace as that<\/em> woman reading that <\/em>book. The identity and any distinction is usually visible only in the corporate presence of her group. In addition, these groups are often marked by a physical proximity. It’s hard to have a decent car club when you cannot meet somewhere with your pals to show off your classic Mustang’s new paint job.<\/p>\n Given these parameters, does Project Conversion sound like a club or social organization? While there are similarities–especially within the unifying interest section–we still need locality. Let’s look at another type of congregation.<\/p>\n 2) Activist\/Political Groups<\/span><\/p>\n Organizations with highly visible goals, motivations and actions define the activist\/political group.\u00a0Another aspect of this group is that the members\u00a0often represent their affiliation in any medium available. The mission statement and group philosophy is\u00a0ingrained\u00a0in their personality. Think of this\u00a0congregation as the first group on steroids. Activists\/political groups are the catalysts of\u00a0change in any environment, as they\u00a0often trigger riots and\u00a0revolutions but are ill-equipped to govern or sustain the desired results. High energy and dynamism are common attributes of such groups, examples of which include everyone from the Nazis to the artists of the Italian Renaissance.<\/p>\n I started Project Conversion with one goal in mind: shocking the world toward religious peace. The measures I’ve taken are a bit extreme. Not everyone agrees with my tactics and my family has much to endure, however like many groups in this category, my outlook is that the end justifies the means.<\/p>\n Our group fits some of these criteria, however we are different because I am the only one (that I know of) out of the group going to the highest extreme. While many of you are changing your own worlds through tolerance and dialogue, we are not a recognizably unified,\u00a0high energy front as seen in the activist\/political category.<\/p>\n Maybe if we had t-shirts…<\/p>\n Religious\/Spiritual Communities<\/span><\/p>\n Okay, surely this is us right? I mean, Project Conversion has the religious stuff cornered. One religion a month for the year makes us a sure shot. But wait a minute. What makes a religious community? The primary marker here is a common spiritual philosophy\/belief. These groups often follow a statement of faith required to bear the title of that particular religion. While no religion is entirely monolithic, there are always reliable threads. If you’re a Christian, chances are you’ve believe in Jesus as either the literal son of God or a super prophet. If you’re a Hindu, well…you get the point.<\/p>\n Because of this unified spirituality, I cannot say that our Congregation is a religious\/spiritual one. Our members come from many walks of life. We have Muslims, Christians, Unitarian Universalists, Pagans, Atheists, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics, and a few rogues like myself. None of us think alike spiritually, and yet we somehow get along just fine. How is this possible when we live in a world where religious\/philosophical\/spiritual conflict often sparks our most devastating\u00a0tragedies?<\/p>\n Because we are a City.<\/p>\n A city is a group of diverse people from various walks of life who come together with one unifying goal: to live in peace. <\/span><\/strong>It’s that simple and sometimes, that difficult, but it happens. Cities define our species. We put aside our differences and\u00a0unite for common protection from a harsh, cold world. Sure, some of our municipalities are marked by high crime, dilapidated slums, and nowhere to get a decent pizza, but we see this as a fair trade for the alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n Each of us hail from different backgrounds, but we come to Project Conversion united in our effort to learn about our spiritual neighbor and with that knowledge, bring peace. How is it that we are so diverse yet not once has there been an argument on the Facebook page <\/span><\/a>or on the site’s chat? Why is it that I’ve never deleted or withheld a comment on the site for negativity? We have members of our community from all over the world, so here’s my question:<\/span><\/p>\n Why can’t the world be more like us? What will it take for people to become our fellow citizens?<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/projectconversion.com\/2011\/06\/city.jpg\")
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