Antoinism

Not to be confused with Antonianism.

Antoinism
The tree of the science of the sight of the evil, symbol of Antoinism
OrientationHealing,[1] Christianity[2]
LeaderLouis Antoine
RegionBelgium, France, Monaco, Réunion, Guadeloupe, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Congo and Luxembourg
Membersbetween 10,000 and 200,000

Antoinism is a healing and Christian-oriented new religious movement founded in 1910 by Louis-Joseph Antoine (1846–1912) in Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, Seraing in Belgium.[1][2][3] With a total of 64 temples, over forty reading rooms across the world and thousands of members, it remains the only religion established in Belgium whose notoriety and success has reached outside the country.[4][5] Mainly active in France, the religious movement is characterized by a decentralized structure, simple rites, discretion and tolerance towards other faiths.

Raised a Catholic, Antoine worked as a coal miner in his youth, then as a steelworker, before performing his military service in 1866. After marrying Catherine in 1873, he moved several times for professional reasons. Deeply impressed by Allan Kardec's writings, he organized a spiritualist group in the 1890s. In 1893, the death of his son marked the definitive loss of his faith in Catholicism. In 1896, he explained his Spiritist views in a book, then discovered the gifts of healing. Quickly known as a healer, he gathered many followers, mainly among workers disappointed by Catholicism or medicine. In 1906, he broke with Spiritism and started a religion, then published three books outlining his doctrine and consecrated the first Antoinist temple. After his death in 1912, Catherine ensured the continuity of the religion, promoting a centralized worship around the person of her husband and providing additional rules in the organization. When she died in 1940, some differences happened between the French and the Belgian temples.

Antoinist beliefs combine some elements of Catholicism, reincarnation, and esoteric healing. In the Antoinist views, the man must reach consciousness by getting rid of the illusion of matter produced by his intelligence—the source of evil and suffering. The purpose of life is to release oneself from the cycle of reincarnation through a moral progression aided by "fluids"—all human actions, acquired by silent prayer and the harm caused by diseases and enemies. As freedom of conscience and free will are considered very important in the Antoinist creed, the religion does not practice proselytism and is not exclusive. It does not provide any prescription on social issues. Although focused on healing, Antoinism does not interfere with the medical field, and does not discourage the resort to traditional medicine.

Antoinist temple in Vottem, Belgium

Simple and brief, services are performed in the temples, generally twice per day, and are composed of two forms of worship: "The General Operation", which consists of the transmission of the fluid to the churchgoers, and "The Reading" of Antoine's writings. Members who performed the services wear an entirely black dress, as sign of an intense involvement in the religion; they are not paid. Temples are also the place of consultations of a healer by people who wish to obtain a request, frequently related to health. Antoinist celebrations include Christian holidays and other three days that commemorate the founding couple and the dedication of the first temple. Registered as organism of public utility in Belgium and as religious association in France, the religion is directed by a college composed of the most active members called desservants. It is financed by anonymous donations and does not ask for money from its followers. In France, the cult classification of Antoinism in the 1995 Parliamentary Report was criticized by the sociologists who studied the religious group, and many people involved in the anti-cults fight did not report cultic deviances.

  1. ^ a b Gascoin, Eugène (1928). "Ceux qui guérissent". Les religions inconnues (in French). Paris: Gallimard. pp. 155–61.
  2. ^ a b "Autres communautés et associations d'inspiration biblique ou chrétienne". Quid. France: Robert Laffont. 2002. p. 553. ISBN 2-221-09758-0.
  3. ^ Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin (1993). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Active New Religions, Sects and Cults. New York: Rosen Pub. Group. ISBN 0-8239-1505-0.
  4. ^ Samuel, Albert (1989). Para comprender las religiones de nuestro tiempo (in Spanish). Estella: Editorial Verbo Divino. p. 194. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  5. ^ Gaspard, R.; Seffer, E. (2000). "La seule religion belge: L'Antoinisme". Temps Jadis (in French). 66. Heusy: 7.