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Perhaps the idea simply comes from the fact that I have always been interesting in the idea of founding countries and civilizations and places, but I came up with this idea
I remember the commercials that that broadway writer guy had on TV, where he was advertising a planned community in Jackson (NJ) for artists and the like, saying "it's a community for nice people"
From what I hear he still hasn't put anything in the ground, but the guy owns like 1,000 acres in Jackson
So I thought, what about use some of that land to form a community for Christians/church-goers? Raising kids in a real community, with concurrent goals (family life) would have its obvious advantages, even just raising kids in SOME kind of culture that isn't our default TV non-culture would be great
It wouldn't cater to any one denomination, but subdivisions could be created for people of the same denomination. I could name numerous very concrete advantages, from knowing your neighbors won't spazz out at seeing even the mildest corporal punishment of kids, to having plenty of other couples around to trade off one night a weekend to watch each other's kids for date night, or for the wives (husbands included sometimes) get dinner and dishes done. Also, I forgot to add that I'd include homeschoolers as welcomed people, so it would be a commnity for both church-goers and homeschoolers, and as before, the homeschoolers could have their own blocks if anyone cared that much. With numerous homeschoolers we could REALLY teach our kids thoroughly, and I would relish the chance to teach physics and really give the kids a working understanding of it.
I guess part of this is also my feeling of a lack of community. I read an article by the author that summarized his book "The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life". It was nothing new to me, I'm acutely aware of a complete lack of community in our society (the blue states, at least, I've never lived in a red state). And the fact is a real community, of shared involvement and investment, is what the vast moajority of people in history have had. We seem to have lost it due to the largely and much greater more recently immigration-based source of our population.
There was also an article by some women describing how she moved with her husband and kids into a trailer that's like 200 square feet and ended up being much happier, again, didn't surprise me, but the moral there is that there is a HECK of a lot more to quality of life than income and floor space, whereas in my experience, in the blue states we actively take the opposite view to the extreme/absurd, where people only care about income and material wealth.
Also wouldn't hurt to have a much easier source of demand for me to build houses for and get some experience/credentials in land development, and also easy access to a lot of land for garden space (I like to grow fruits/vegetables)
Anyway, just a thought.
Would it sound tempting/good to anyone? Not so good that you would actually necessarily move, I know a lot of people are tied to their jobs, but excluding those concerns, would it sound like a good place to live in, a planned christian community?
I've thought about that extensively when I get in a depressed mood about the world. I've always imagined in my head living in some really nice gated town with just Christians. It would be just like the "Leave It To Beaver" neighborhood come to life. Very stepford and taken care of in all appearances. Wealthy citizens. A self sustained community filled with it's own industry, trade, and agriculture. All the great amenities for families such as movie theaters, amusement parks, libraries, restaurants, etc. Waking everyday up in sunshine and happiness. Everyone saying hi to one another in the street. Everyone worshiping God. It would be a suburban paradise away from the darkness of the world. But I guess in hindsight the point of that community wouldn't make sense because we're suppose to go out in the world and tell them about Christ and welcome them to our churches and communities. Not hide in them. Lol. But I digress. When I do become wealthy, I still plan on living somewhere that somewhat fufills my fantasy. Someplace like Greenwich or Darient CT, Beverly Hills, or Palm Beach. I just want to have an upper class lifestyle.
Perhaps the idea simply comes from the fact that I have always been interesting in the idea of founding countries and civilizations and places, but I came up with this idea
I remember the commercials that that broadway writer guy had on TV, where he was advertising a planned community in Jackson (NJ) for artists and the like, saying "it's a community for nice people"
From what I hear he still hasn't put anything in the ground, but the guy owns like 1,000 acres in Jackson
So I thought, what about use some of that land to form a community for Christians/church-goers? Raising kids in a real community, with concurrent goals (family life) would have its obvious advantages, even just raising kids in SOME kind of culture that isn't our default TV non-culture would be great
It wouldn't cater to any one denomination, but subdivisions could be created for people of the same denomination. I could name numerous very concrete advantages, from knowing your neighbors won't spazz out at seeing even the mildest corporal punishment of kids, to having plenty of other couples around to trade off one night a weekend to watch each other's kids for date night, or for the wives (husbands included sometimes) get dinner and dishes done. Also, I forgot to add that I'd include homeschoolers as welcomed people, so it would be a commnity for both church-goers and homeschoolers, and as before, the homeschoolers could have their own blocks if anyone cared that much. With numerous homeschoolers we could REALLY teach our kids thoroughly, and I would relish the chance to teach physics and really give the kids a working understanding of it.
I guess part of this is also my feeling of a lack of community. I read an article by the author that summarized his book "The Little Way of Ruthie Leming: A Southern Girl, a Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life". It was nothing new to me, I'm acutely aware of a complete lack of community in our society (the blue states, at least, I've never lived in a red state). And the fact is a real community, of shared involvement and investment, is what the vast moajority of people in history have had. We seem to have lost it due to the largely and much greater more recently immigration-based source of our population.
There was also an article by some women describing how she moved with her husband and kids into a trailer that's like 200 square feet and ended up being much happier, again, didn't surprise me, but the moral there is that there is a HECK of a lot more to quality of life than income and floor space, whereas in my experience, in the blue states we actively take the opposite view to the extreme/absurd, where people only care about income and material wealth.
Also wouldn't hurt to have a much easier source of demand for me to build houses for and get some experience/credentials in land development, and also easy access to a lot of land for garden space (I like to grow fruits/vegetables)
Anyway, just a thought.
Would it sound tempting/good to anyone? Not so good that you would actually necessarily move, I know a lot of people are tied to their jobs, but excluding those concerns, would it sound like a good place to live in, a planned christian community?
As an atheist, I saw a similar idea for retired people. The first complex in a city north of me was for Christians and sold out in weeks. The same developer in a different part of town built a similar one for our small, but largely affluent Jewish population. Same result.
Then he gambled and did the same for a sizeable Muslim population. Again same result.
What do I take away from that?
People like to be with similar minded people. I think your idea is workable. Even if some of the inhabitants come around to my way of thinking
I can say that living in a small town at the buckle of the bible belt in my jurisdiction. A creation science museum is three blocks away. I love the idea that I see kids under six going to the playground by themselves, with no need for an adult around. I saw the same thing at Halloween. Very cool, very 1950ish.
The idea certainly has appeal to me, and I have given it some thought. It wouldn't work out. People need jobs, and so those who bought into the community would all have to be willing to uproot their lives, leave their families, and establish a new life in this community. I don't think life in most parts of the USA are that bad that this really has any appeal to anyone. This is why church membership has historically been a very important part of Christian life. When we lived in Ill. our church was our community. My wife made friends who also had babies. They got together during the week, and occasionally helped out with children. Christians are typically also very family oriented, and so family also is part of the network in Christian families.
So if this is important, I'd suggest you find a local Christian church.
I've thought about that extensively when I get in a depressed mood about the world. I've always imagined in my head living in some really nice gated town with just Christians. It would be just like the "Leave It To Beaver" neighborhood come to life. Very stepford and taken care of in all appearances. Wealthy citizens. A self sustained community filled with it's own industry, trade, and agriculture. All the great amenities for families such as movie theaters, amusement parks, libraries, restaurants, etc. Waking everyday up in sunshine and happiness. Everyone saying hi to one another in the street. Everyone worshiping God. It would be a suburban paradise away from the darkness of the world. But I guess in hindsight the point of that community wouldn't make sense because we're suppose to go out in the world and tell them about Christ and welcome them to our churches and communities. Not hide in them. Lol. But I digress. When I do become wealthy, I still plan on living somewhere that somewhat fufills my fantasy. Someplace like Greenwich or Darient CT, Beverly Hills, or Palm Beach. I just want to have an upper class lifestyle.
If your talking about Beverly Hills, CA and you want a strictly Christian community..... keep looking. Like most of Southern California, BH is a huge mix of people and religions. It also has the largest Persian Jew community in the country. Beautiful area. Nice place to live. A place you can find churches and temples. Come to think of it there's also an Islamic Center.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 11-19-2013 at 08:16 AM..
We would have areas like that now if the Federal Government would leave us alone. You cannot apply the same moral standard across all 50 states. You end up with no one happy with the results. we must become 50 separate countries self-governed. That is how to make it happen.
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Love it---actually the way I grew up.
