My research is now centered around how Noyes was able to interpret Christianity and how subsequently this understanding was then prefaced into practises at Oneida. This to me is an interesting topic because it shows how religion affects our world view. Noyes was able to become his own kind of Christian through trying to realise heaven on earth. This situates him loosely into the Millenarian movement which is very interesting in itself. The movement can somewhat be characterised as a defiance against religious norms. Anyone interested in religion and the various interpretations of it will hopefully find my work interesting. Moreover, people who are interested in how religion shapes a community will be intrigued.
The practises seen at Oneida were all a result of how Noyes saw the world, grounded in his interpretation of Christianity and so the Bible. I am able to explore how he rationalised a new form of marriage and free love by seeing our modern form of marriage as synonymous with slavery. I am also able to explore how he then created a more harmonious balance between genders in all aspects of life.
People should care about this because it doesn’t mean we are restricted by religion rather we are restricted by the interpretation we ascribe to. In understanding this we begin to realise that our world view is less fixed and therefore we are more upon to change. In understanding that we may have interpreted the Bible wrong in some senses it will may make us more likely to merit Oneida because it provides us with an example of a community that flourished with a new interpretation.
My findings are relevant to this class because I think I have chosen a fairly unique topic that will maybe be interesting for people who find the connection between religion and intentional community fascinating. For me and my life this is important because it gives me a better understanding of how I and others view the world. It leads to me to question some of the assumptions that float about in my head that are maybe grounded in a world view derived in part from religion. Most importantly it makes me realise that nothing is concrete and we are always in need of a new interpretation.