December 28, 2022

DEC 28, non-sequitur: the communist church

 

The COMMUNIST CHURCH

1840s: Idealists in Britain,

By principles Chartist were smitten,

Such as John Goodwyn Barmby,

Who asked, "What could the harm be

In a Communist Church?" So it's written.
Dr G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, 2023

Authors' Note: Liberal thinking seized Europe towards the middle of the nineteenth century. Emboldened by the partial successes of the politically-targeted Chartists, intellectuals were drawn to idealistic social movements such as communitarianism. According to Wikipedia, John Goodwyn Barmby (1820 – 1881), one of its principals, introduced the term 'communist', based on the French le communisme and founded a revue called The Communist Chronicle. Seeking a spiritual path, he later founded the Communist Church, a sect that had congregations numbering in the teens at its peak. When the church folded in 1849, Barmby became active as a Unitarian minister.

Our collection of 'Non-Sequiturs' on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains an admittedly bizarre assortment of nonsensical odds-and-ends, that don't quite fit into other topic-based offerings. But should you want to review the entire collection, click HERE.

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