New religious movements in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States have a history going back to the 19th century.

Expression

Although the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

is often listed as the least churched part of the United States, some researchers have found the region to be strong in the "secular but spiritual" category. Sociologist Mark Shibley has identified several modes of expression of those who identify as "secular but spiritual" in the Pacific Northwest, including New Age, earth-based and pagan practices, and nature religion. Shibley notes daily practice of nature religion in environmentalism, deep ecology and wilderness preservation, and finds the dominant dimension of Pacific Northwest life to be how the people relate to the landscape. Other academics have found "episodic public life in ethically charged matters" to be a characteristic of Northwestern religious sensibility. Religious expression in the Pacific Northwest has been called, unlike most of the United States, "never ... a '

Christian culture Christian culture generally includes all the cultural practices which have developed around the religion of Christianity. There are variations in the application of Christian beliefs in different cultures and traditions. Christian culture has i ...

' ... uta diverse marketplace of spiritualties including varieties of New Age, neo-paganism, Gaia worship, channeling, metaphysics, holistic health, earth-based spiritualties, Nordic spiritualties, Wicca, meditation centres, astrologers, and westernized forms of Buddhism and yoga."

Movements founded in the Northwest

New religious movements founded in the region include: *

Indian Shaker Church The Indian Shaker Church is a Christian denomination founded in 1881 by Squaxin shaman John Slocum and his wife Mary Slocum in Washington state. The Indian Shaker Church is a unique blend of Indigenous, Catholic, and Protestant beliefs and pract ...

founded 1881 * Edmund Creffield's Bride of Christ Church founded 1903 * Brother XII's Aquarian Foundation on Vancouver Island founded 1927 * Community Chapel and Bible Training Center founded 1967 * Church of Jesus Christ at Armageddon (Love Family) founded 1968 *

Shasta Abbey Shasta Abbey, located on sixteen forested acres near Mount Shasta in northern California, United States is a training monastery for Buddhist monks and a place of practice for lay Buddhists and interested visitors. It was established in 1970 by R ...

founded 1970 *

Sun Bear The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...

founded the Bear Tribe Medicine Society in 1971 *

The Rowan Tree Church The Rowan Tree Church is a Wiccan organization, legally incorporated in 1979. It is an Earth-focused network of Members dedicated to the study and practice of the Wiccan Tradition known as Lothloriën. Originally centered in Minneapolis beginning i ...

founded 1979 *

Rajneeshpuram Rajneeshpuram was a religious intentional community in the northwest United States, located in Wasco County, Oregon. Incorporated as a city between 1981 and 1988, its population consisted entirely of Rajneeshees, followers of the spiritual tea ...

founded 1981 * Ramtha's School of Enlightenment founded 1988 *

Mars Hill Church Mars Hill Church was a Christian megachurch, founded in 1996 by Mark Driscoll, Lief Moi, and Mike Gunn. It was a multi-site church based in Seattle, Washington and grew from a home Bible study to 15 locations in 4 U.S. states. in addition to ser ...

founded 1996

Nones

In the Northwest, people who don't express any religious affiliation, called "nones" by experts like Elizabeth Drescher, constitute a larger percentage of the population than "nones" in any other parts of the United States. Drescher, a professor at Santa Clara University's Department of Religious Studies, calls the entire Pacific Northwest a "none zone". Susanna Morrill, a scholar of religion at

Lewis & Clark College Lewis & Clark College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Originally chartered in 1867 as the Albany Collegiate Institute in Albany, Oregon, the college was relocated to Portland in 1938 and in 1942 adopted the name Lewis & C ...

in Portland, called some Northwesterners' expression "experiencing the natural world in a way that feels supernatural". If counted as a religious group, the "nones" in the Northwest would outnumber the next largest group, Roman Catholics, by more than two to one.

Expression

Movements founded in the Northwest

Nones

See also

References

Further reading