Comments on: Beliefnet Takeover: Tragedy or Business-As-Usual?

By: Should Liberal Religious Groups Be Making Clothing, CD’s, Movies and Other Products?

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:11:32 +0000

[…] The argument against religiously-motivating selling of products is obvious: our religion could be corrupted by the profit motive. This is a valid concern. (I wrote a related piece recently criticizing the sale of Beliefnet, because it seems like now the main purpose of the site is to sell products, with the promotion of religious diversity and exploration only a secondary concern). […]

By: Shelby

Shelby — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:40:09 +0000

Elena,

“IME, the spiritual practices that open one to a sense of presence, or knowing, or whatever-you-call-it, are really very mundane, very daily, and very available to all… And create little whiz-bang for others to see.” This is a counter-cultural argument in a society where religion is frequently treated as a tool for material advancement.

Karbeth,

I’m glad you shared your perspective as a reader who is not religious but interested in promoting community online.

Miya,

Yes! I don’t know if there is hard data out there, but it seems anecdotally that the Belief-o-matic has encouraged an extraordinary number of people to consider Unitarian Universalism. And the UU forums at Beliefnet provide one way of engaging those newcomers. So the future of Beliefnet does have unique relevance for UU’s.

On a side note, I think we go to the same church. Next time you see me around, please say hello!

By: Miya

Miya — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 13:10:40 +0000

Hi Shelby,

I think one thing that makes this question about the future of Beliefnet hit more “close to home” for us is that I would not be surprised if a non-trivial number of new UUs first encounter UUism through the Beliefnet “Belief-O-Matic” quiz. I had already started trying out a UU congregation when I took the quiz, but I can’t pretend it wasn’t meaningful for me in my early exploration to score something like 99.5% compatible with Unitarian Universalism. I just hope seekers don’t get deprived of content like this that truly promotes religious inquiry and self-discovery from a pluralist perspective.

By: Karbeth

Karbeth — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:30:22 +0000

It is disappointing to see a site that was presumably devoted to a form of community-building sell out. But not surprising. So onward, with sites like yours–alternative online spaces. I’m not particularly spiritual, but I’m drawn inexorably to the conversation.

By: Elena

Elena — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 05:12:20 +0000

Your last paragraph says it all…

Large institutions of all kinds seem to evolve to homogeneity - whatever their claims to diversity. So it is up to every individual to “create online spaces… for religious exploration,” just as it was up to us, and our neighbor, before the web.

It also behooves us not to get pulled into the myth that bigger is better, or that the person on the spotlit stage necessarily has the greater insight than the woman sitting one chair over.

IME, the spiritual practices that open one to a sense of presence, or knowing, or whatever-you-call-it, are really very mundane, very daily, and very available to all… And create little whiz-bang for others to see.

By: Shelby Meyerhoff

Shelby Meyerhoff — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:19:15 +0000

Hi Ms. Theologian, Thanks for commenting. I haven’t spent much time on Beliefnet (except for the UU-related forums), so it’s helpful to hear about your experience of it as commercialized and Christian-focused.

By: Ms. Theologian

Ms. Theologian — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:18:46 +0000

I totally agree. And while I do visit Beliefnet regularly, in recent years, I’ve found it too commercial, too product-pushy, and too Christian-centered.