We Need New Religions
The birth of new tribes, religions, and cults part 1
The Birth of New Tribes & Religions
As new tribes form and rise in this age of decentralization, I predict we will see the rise of many new religions, cults, and spiritual subcultures. And though religion has gotten a bad rap, I welcome it with open arms.
I think we need the birth and revival of MANY religions, if we are to have successful tribes.
Let me explain.
I sat down to a recent podcast where I was asked: “What do you think holds a tribe together long term?”
Hmmmm. I thought through it.
A tribe starts by finding your people. Highly aligned people. Living in proximity. Building resources, relationships, and power. I speak of this all the time. But that alone doesn’t create a tribe — it creates a community. Which is all fine.
But think… What happens when someone dies? How do you face disasters and conflicts? How do you sanctify marriage and approach things like sex?
These questions lead us a bit deeper into a quagmire. A quagmire that modern society fiercely avoids — and that is the BIG questions of life:
What is death? What is sacred? How do you live a good life? What is virtue? What is best? What is the ideal, and what is a perversion?
These questions have traditionally been answered by religion. And religion has ALWAYS been the center of every tribe, culture, and successful civilization.
In fact, culture itself comes from religion: a shared myth, a shared ideal, a shared way of life.
Only recently has society been divorced from the BIG questions. We created a secular world where life is governed by work, politics, media, and the pursuit of happiness… while the BIG questions are increasingly sidelined. We are taught math, not virtue. Science, not myth.
As a result, most people end up spiritually homeless. Nihilistic. Fundamentally disconnected from each other and from life itself.
Culture itself — the soul of a people — has died.
This has created the meta-crisis. And it will require meta-solutions.
Now, saying all that, you may ask: if I love religion so much, why don’t I just return to Christianity? “Just go to church, man.”
I wish it were that simple. And it could be — for many of you.
The Case for Christianity
If I were to take the most direct path to founding a new town and tribe in America, I would become a practicing Christian right away. It comes with many big advantages: cultural resonance, widespread recognition, a strong base. But most importantly — it’s an established tradition.
I would take that tradition and blend it with modern science and innovations. Then I would establish a community around a “second founding ethos.”
