{"id":10560,"date":"2024-02-01T09:22:49","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T16:22:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wakeupcall\/?p=10560"},"modified":"2024-02-03T11:43:26","modified_gmt":"2024-02-03T18:43:26","slug":"rainn-wilson-on-starting-a-beautiful-new-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/wakeupcall\/2024\/02\/rainn-wilson-on-starting-a-beautiful-new-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Rainn Wilson & The Start of a Beautiful New Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
<\/a>
Dwight Schrute, aka Rainn Wilson, of The Office<\/em>. Photo courtesy NBC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Rainn Wilson<\/strong> is best known for playing the role of Dwight Schrute on the popular TV show The Office<\/em>. Yet, if you look beyond his acting resume, you\u2019ll see he\u2019s a very spiritual guy. A member of the Baha\u2019i faith, he hosts a spirituality-themed podcast and was recently featured on Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss<\/em>, where he traveled the world to find the keys to happiness.<\/p>\n
In his latest book, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution<\/em>, Wilson serves as a witty guide to various facets of faith<\/a> and spirituality. But as I read the book, with chapters like \u201cReligion, Schmeligion,\u201d I kept wondering\u2014where was the \u201cBoom\u201d promised in the title? I wanted some fireworks. Then, on page 174\u2014BOOM!<\/strong> Wilson makes an audacious statement:<\/p>\n
\n***
** We\u2019re going to attempt to create a religion \u2026 that could potentially help us to progress spiritually in a revolutionary new fashion. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
** ***Schrute, I mean Wilson, believes this new religion can help us make more compassionate choices, help us deal with mental health struggles, and \u201chelp individuals find peace, hope, and meaning in their hectic, disconnected modern lives.\u201d In short, he wants \u201cto make the world a better place\u201d for all of us.<\/p>\nThe name for this beautiful new religion: SoulBoom TM<\/sup>.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The trademark at the end of the name should clue you in that Wilson isn\u2019t totally serious about this. Or is he? The ex-Office worker lays down ten fundamentals<\/a> for this new religion that tick all the right spiritual boxes. Wilson admits the ideas aren\u2019t unique, they\u2019re actually \u201cuniversal markers of any of the world\u2019s great religions.\u201d I\u2019ve listed all ten of his fundamentals below, followed by my own thoughts.<\/p>\n
The 10 SoulBoom Fundamentals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\nA Higher Power<\/strong>. A belief in a greater force in life, or what those of us who aren\u2019t spiritually squeamish call God. Wilson refers to this divine source as \u201ca force that has our best interests in mind.\u201d<\/li>\nLife After Death<\/strong>. Our bodies may die but the soul lives on. Oh, and btw, there is no such thing as hell\u2014at least not the way most people think of it. Hell is simply being 360 degrees away from God.<\/li>\nPower of Prayer<\/strong>. Meditation works as well. (To see their similarity, read this on centering prayer<\/a>.) Whichever practice you choose, it\u2019s not so much about communicating with God, it\u2019s about communing<\/em> with God.<\/li>\nTranscendence<\/strong>. The inherent ability you and I have to connect with something greater than ourselves.<\/li>\nCommunity<\/strong>. One of the primary benefits of church. But your community doesn\u2019t have to exist within the confines of religion.<\/li>\nA Moral Compass<\/strong>. The basic knowledge of right and wrong. This moral code has nothing to do with societal trends and hasn\u2019t changed much over the past 2,000 years. In the words of Mark 7:12, \u201cdo unto others as you would have them do unto you.\u201d<\/li>\nThe Force of Love<\/strong>. As Wilson says, \u201cEverything boils down to love. Light is love. Friends are love. Trees and the birds and the ocean are love.\u201d Or as Rumi puts it: \u201cLove is the bridge between you and everything.\u201d<\/li>\nIncreased Compassion<\/strong>. There\u2019s no such thing as having too much compassion<\/a>, for others\u2014and especially for ourselves.<\/li>\nService to the Poor<\/strong>. Help the hungry. Help the addicted. Help those with mental health issues.<\/li>\nStrong Sense of Purpose<\/strong>. Do what has meaning to you. You\u2019ll usually find your purpose has something to do with helping others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n*******
** *******Wilson didn\u2019t stop there. He added 10 additional principles that would help make SoulBoom \u201crelevant to the present moment.\u201d I won\u2019t list them all, but here are two that stood out that I\u2019ll expand upon here.<\/p>\n\nProfound Connection to the Natural World<\/strong>. Wilson points out that most native cultures<\/a> \u201chave a deep connection to the cycles, beauty, and mystery of nature.\u201d They may be on to something. Studies have shown that spending time in nature \u201clights up the same parts of the brain as regular meditation.\u201d A great place to start is to spend \u201c20 minutes, 3 times a week outside\u201d\u2014doing something as simple as taking a stroll through a neighborhood park.<\/li>\nNo Clerics<\/strong>. Wilson mentions how in AA\u2019s Twelve-Step Recovery Program, there\u2019s a lack of leadership roles. Per the AA Big Book<\/a>: \u201cThere is but one ultimate authority\u2014a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n "
I was at a wedding in a Catholic church recently, when a friend asked me why I did not go up for a blessing (an option, if you don\u2019t want to receive holy communion.) My response: I did not need a middleman to receive a blessing, I could go directly to the source! And so can you. As Richard Rohr<\/a> said, \u201cReligion is pointing to the moon, it is not the moon itself.\u201d If we have studied and learned what we can about \u201cthe moon,\u201d we do not need someone else to show us the way. The map is imprinted on our own hearts.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I\u2019d also like to petition Rainn Wilson to add one more point to his list, as follows:<\/p>\n
\nNot just the Bible<\/strong>. There\u2019s more than one holy book. There are many. Spiritual wisdom comes from numerous sources, both ancient and new. So while we will pull teachings from classics like the Bible<\/em>, Teo Te Ching<\/em>, and the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas,<\/em> we will also look toward our modern day sages for guidance, including Matthew Fox<\/a>, Thomas Moore and Richard Rohr.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n*******
** *******I\u2019ll see you at the SoulBoom service this Sunday! You won\u2019t have to travel far, because the ceremony will be held in a comfortable chair in your own home. In lieu of a reverend, rabbi or imam, you will be leading the service yourself. You might just find you are as likely to find God there as you would in a traditional house of worship.<\/p>\nIf you enjoyed this story, you\u2019ll find 112 just like it in my new book Wake Up Call: Daily Insights for the Spiritually Curious, now available<\/a> from Wildhouse Publishing.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rainn Wilson is best known for playing the role of Dwight Schrute on the popular TV show The Office. Yet, if you look beyond his acting resume, you\u2019ll see he\u2019s a very spiritual guy. A member of the Baha\u2019i faith, he hosts a spirituality-themed podcast and was recently featured on Rainn Wilson and the Geography […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1184,"featured_media":10578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,1499,1919],"tags":[2286,2289],"class_list":["post-10560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-religion","category-spiritual-guidance","category-spiritual-philosophy","tag-rainn-wilson","tag-soul-boom"],"yoast_head":"\nRainn Wilson & The Start of a Beautiful New Religion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 10-step guide to starting a religion we all can relate to--via Rainn Wilson and Soul Boom.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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