Religion

The Farm was part of the New American Religions movement of the late 20th century. Some describe Stephen's teachings as an eclectic buffet assembled from many religious traditions. Were there unique or distinctive elements in how religion was practiced, or viewed, at The Farm? Perhaps one defining characteristic is that while it held "spiritual" values, the community shunned being called "religious" or "a religion." It accepted self-definition as an "intentional community" or as a "spiritual community." The distinction may seem minor, but apart from legal or tax conveniences, The Farm did not adopt religious nomenclatures such as "church," "deacon," or "minister," It considered everything "Wakan" (holy)—even blasphemy and sacrilege. Stephen jokingly called The Farm a "multistery," or monastery for householder yogis.