I’ve seen comments on forums where people actually Googled “Fringe” as a religion.

Okay, in all fairness I do have the other religions listed by name. I’ll give you that. But I thought it was funny.

Fringe month will cover a few things. One of the misfortunes regarding Project Conversion is that I cannot cover every religion in the course of a year. My wife has already threatened my life in advance for making this a two-year gig so that’s out too. So what I’ll do is take June and spend some time with lesser-known faiths, sects, and organizations that hang…on the fringe of big, organized religion.

No, I don’t have a list.

Every month so far has been strictly regimented and organized. June gives me a month to be spontaneous, to stretch my legs a little, and act a little more unpredictable. One day I might cover something on cults. Another day I might post a funny video I found on YouTube. Anything goes.

I will also take this time to review my progress. Think of it as the half-time locker room talk. What can I improve on? What do you like/dislike? These are things I need to hear from you on during the month to carry us forward. June is also a staging period for the last half of the year. I will contact and/or visit my Mentors for the other religions and make preparations.

Another important part of June: Vacation. That’s right. For the first week of June, I am on laptop lockdown. My family (along with in-laws) are going to the beach and I am forbidden from doing anything related to Project Conversion. For five whole days. Holy crap. I can’t breathe! I, I…

Okay, I think I can handle it. One week out of the year shouldn’t be bad right? I’m tough. Plus, I’m prepared. The post you are now reading is pre-loaded. Smart cookie, I know.

So that’s what we can look forward to in June. If you belong to a faith tradition that fits outside the mainstream, I’d love to hear from you. Actually, I’d love to hear from any of you for no apparent reason.

Also, something fun. I need a new tattoo. Because you are possibly the coolest folks on the planet, I’m setting up a contest. I’d like for the more artistically inclined members of our congregation to design a tattoo for me which involves symbology from all the faiths I cover this year. This can either be one whole piece or a scheme that involves symbols tattooed on different parts of the body.

Here are the rules:

1) No ink between the waist and knees or below the ankles

2) No ink above the shoulder.

3) No disrespectful images/words regarding the faiths.

4) Have fun.

I will choose the winning piece at the end of the year and apply the tattoo in 2012. The winner will get…I dunno, but it will be insanely cool and worth your effort. Promise.

Send all entries as a JPG file to abowen@projectconversion.com

Good luck.

Peace out.