Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs
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We prefer to think of it as a philosophy rather than a religion, and some think it’s as real as any other. Frankly, it’s not as outlandish as it might seem. Hear us out.
By some estimates there are over 4,200 religions in the world. According to the Center for Study of Global Christianity there are an astounding 45,000 denominations of Christianity alone in the world. Each has it’s own beliefs, rules and many have their own gods and deities…and the adherents of each believe they are the only ones that are right: but they can't all be. So why not this one?
Religion based around brewing is older than most existing western religions. Ninkasi (goddess of beer and brewing), for instance, was already being worshiped in the Early Dynasty period (2900-2334 BCE) of Sumeria, one of the cradles of civilization.We think the commonaility between all religions and philosophies is people’s desire to belong to a community of like minded people. Brewed beverages play in integral part in the lives of A LOT of people…all we are doing is kicking up our appreciation a notch in a lighthearted and fun way.
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That’s cool. We don’t discriminate. You can be an active member of any religion and still practice Brewnitarianism. People’s capacity to believe in a lot of different things is immense. That said, just as it would be incredibly rude for us to prostelytize Brewnitarianmism in another church, we consider it rude to prostelytize other religions here.
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As we said, we are more a philosophy than a religion, but regardless, churches aren’t the important thing: people are. People can practice Brewnitarianism anywhere, however Cafes and Pubs, in particular, are considered important sites in Brewnitarianism and should be treated as such. (Please remember to tip your bartenders, baristas, waiters and waitresses. They work hard to bring you your sacraments.)
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We are a non-theistic community committed to inspiring and empowering people to be the best versions of themselves, have fun and brew new friendships while making the world a better place. We achieve this by supporting scientific knowledge, critical thinking, artistic expression, spreading kindness and meeting the needs of people in the physical world (and brewing the best cuppa).
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The motto “Be the best you you can be” is central to Brewnatarianism. Sometimes people need a symbol to help focus their efforts - whether that is a deity, a mascot or something else entirely. For Brewnitarians, coffee is the ‘life's blood’ of the coffee bean, shed for you to provide the life giving energy required to be and do one’s best. Hops (an ingrediant in beer) symbolize the creativity and community that adds meaning and color to one’s life. Tea is representative of reflecting on what is important in life.
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We don’t. There might be one - there might not be. If it turns out there is one, we’d imagine that when people shed their mortal coil they are ferried across a great river of beer (aka the River of Questionable Ideas) to Brewnirvana, a tropical island filled with infinite corner cafes, pubs with everything on tap and no tab to close for all eternity. Cheers!
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We didn’t say there wasn’t an afterlife…just that there probably isn’t. Frankly, if you need the threat of eternal damnation to be a good person, you probably aren’t that good to start with and unlikely to get into 'heaven’ (in the western religious sense) in the first place. “Good by extortion” isn’t “good”. As far as how you can be good ‘without a heaven’, it’s easy. Just do it. Be kind. Treat others well. Help those in need (don’t just pay lip service). No one expects perfection (to err is human afterall)…just be mindful and give it some effort.
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The Divine Bean, an omniscient coffee bean and giver of life, created all things. No just kidding - The universe wasn’t created - it always was.
(Or was it?)
This is our mythology. -
Contrary to the raging debate, as everyone truly knows, life begins when you take your first sip of coffee. Before that moment, we are lifeless irritable zombies.
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The current science says yes. Sacraments, like most things, should be used responsibly and in moderation. More is not always better.
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Don’t kid yourself, ALL religious orgnizations are businesses - some make more money than others. You need only look at private-jet flying, mansion-living pastors of megachurches or the vast art and real estate holdings of other mainstream religions as evidence.
Unfortunately certain governing bodies look askance at religions and philosophies that are not considered “mainstream” and don’t provide them the same treatment. Certain completely legitimate religions, like Pastafarianism for instance, have expended great effort challenging the status quo - with limited success. We prefer to focus our efforts elsewhere, like serving and building a vibrant communtiy. Unfortunately that means any donations are not currently tax deductible.
We have plans to create a Foundation to direct charitable works as the community grows however.
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It isn’t all fun and games (but it mostly is). There are certain principals that guide our lives and rituals we practice. We invite you to visit the following pages to learn more about Brewnitarianism: