Church of the Intelligent Multiverse
an alternative religion offering a synchronicity explanation related to the meaning of life and I forgot the other two keywords
Music Recommendations
People have widely varying musical tastes. One of my inspirations, ancient Chinese philosopher "Mozi," demanded that his followers do all in their power to ban it (in a Mohist Order I would think you could just ban the leaders from listening to music). On the other hand, the UU church I attend uses music extensively, I often think as a substitute for spiritual unity that they have a hard time producing any other way since they lack doctrinal unity. At least we can all feel as one, even if we can't think as one. I can see Mozi's point. Music is used as crutch. But I think it can be consequentialistically justified (it's not that expensive any more), or banning it can also be justified (it's a ritual act of devotion, a kind of fasting and doing without to purify the spirit, a kind of foregoing pork in order to be in the club). Perhaps a moderate stance would be to restrict its use to religious purposes. Can I advise on that? I have no musical training, and my taste runs to pop and rock.
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But popular music, and rock in particular, is designed to be interpreted in more than one way. To be metaphorical, ambiguous, and full of multiple entendre. Such music is used by interpreting it to be talking about what you want it to be talking about. So a lot of popular music works quite well as Theoconsequentialist hymns. Here are some pieces I think can work. And others. Explain how your adopted music serves a religious purpose.
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Paul McCartney and Wings
This was supposedly about Paul trying to get Linda pregnant. It can also be about the rejection of eschatology and just general positivity to team work and ambitious goals and how God's blessing can assist such things. It's a paen to infinity and its implications.
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The Cranberries
It was some kind of romantic thing, right? No it's about God. About how God works and awed admiration for it.
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The Guess Who
On the surface, this is about drugs. And it was probably about drugs. But it can also be about the transformation of reality, not just of perception. And how that transformation of reality begins with devotion to a vision.
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Jefferson Airplane
About a children's book? About drugs? No, it's about how magic works. This is an occasion to point out that I believe magic is a bad idea. It's a way of trying to get God to work for you. Nevertheless, your importance to the future is constantly varying. Sometimes you're ten feet tall. Just don't abuse it. That's the best way to stay ten feet tall. It's automatic. You don't need to try to grab the wheel. Serve and trust.
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Alanis Morissette
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Originally Aerosmith
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Natalie Merchant
This is a religious hymn about teleology. Sure, it's also about how being a woman bestows superpowers. It can't be both why? Note the infinity signs. This is related to those superpowers.
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The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
Carly Simon
This is about a woman realizing that her boring life with her husband is the greatest thing in the world, excitement ain't all that the real deal is just this ordinary life. And it's like that in general for most of us. Some people do big things and have adventures, but for most people heaven is just our ordinary lives if we realize it. Your purpose in the world doesn't have to be spectacular either. You are significant enough as a human playing an ordinary useful role as part of civilization at a pivotal point in history. There are more pivotal and significant people and situations that may take priority sometimes, but for most of us, and for humanity generally, the plodding progress of ordinary life is more than enough to please God. To be true, in the face of the string of atrocities that has made up human history this may sound out of touch. So what's the lesson in that? The lesson is that even where this message doesn't apply, it should apply. Put it on the things to do list. First world "problems" matter instructively because they define the kinds of problems everyone should be having.
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Steppenwolf
For some people ordinary life isn't enough. They need excitement and adventure, and that's OK too. All types have roles to play, Theoconsequentialism is just a lens to see how it all fits together. Mozi advised that people should do what they're good at (not necessarily what they enjoy). We should apply our talents and existing development provided we know we're using them in a way that serves God. There's not one right answer regarding some things, there is simply a map of how things relate.
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Fleetwood Mac
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Jethro Tull
On the surface this is about walking away from traditional religion. The entedre is thick in this one, however. It winds up the album it was on and summarizes the narrator's objections and compares religious creeds to blowing smoke up somewhere, and says God operates without human input, and narrates a story about experiencing, let's say, harassment in an English boy's school. Old fashioned wind up mechanisms required that a key be inserted into a hole in the rear, let's put it like that. Clearly not allowed in the book of rules, regardless of supposed authority. But for me it extols my response to religious orthodoxy. I'm doing all the things you do but without the BS. You can excommunicate me on my way to Sunday school. My faith in righteousness is strong, it's my faith in you that is weak.
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