Is there a religion which requires its adherents to continually
improve their homestead ?

Dear nels96-ga;

I am posting this a comment for the time being in hopes that it might
be what you are looking for. If it answers your question please let me
know. If not the question will remain open for someone else to work on
it.

I didn't find a literal reference to this religious requirement in any
of my searches as far as improving one’s physical property upon which
they live, but I did come across a very similar statement in the
Catholic New American Bible where the phrase “homestead” is actually
used in conjunction with God’s expectations of man. I will provide a
few verses before and after the primary verse, which is Isaiah Chapter
58 verse 12:

9 
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help,
and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression,
false accusation and malicious speech;

10 
If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then
light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become
for you like midday;

11 
Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the
parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a
watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.

12 
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations
from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they
shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."

13 
If you hold back your foot on the sabbath from following your own
pursuits on my holy day; If you call the sabbath a delight, and the
LORD'S holy day honorable; If you honor it by not following your ways,
seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice--

14 
Then you shall delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the
heights of the earth; I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob,
your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

NAB ISAIAH 58:9-14
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/isaiah/isaiah58.htm


The context in which this ancient scripture was written appears to be
figurative – at least at that time; an illustrative example of utopian
behavior. In time however as the New Testament began to develop and
record the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul revisits this
ideology many times, specifically when he addressed the Church in
Corinth after the death of Jesus and he asked.

16
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit
of God dwells in you?

17
If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the
temple of God, which you are, is holy”

1 CORINTHIANS 3:16-17
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians3.htm

This is not a unique school of thought in Paul’s time as he alluded to
it often in his travels and communications with evolving Christians.
He taught that the Spirit of God literally lives in the body of man:

13 
"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food," but God will do away
with both the one and the other. The body, however, is not for
immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body;

14 
God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 

15 
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then
take Christ's members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of
course not!

16 
(Or) do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute
becomes one body with her? For "the two," it says, "will become one
flesh."

17 
But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 

18 
Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the
body, but the immoral person sins against his own body.

19 
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within
you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

20 
For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your
body.

NAB 1 CORINTHIANS 6:13-20
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/1corinthians/1corinthians6.htm



In this excerpt from “Vision and Mission” The Lamb Album, tape 1, a
Catholic nun explains the OLD TESTAMENT illustration in more modern,
forthright terms. Here she likens a Christian’s body to God’s home
away from home, meaning that through faith and power of The Holy
Sprit, God lives inside the body and mind of a Christian. As she
explains it, the mortal body is the “homestead” of God and it is
incumbent upon all a Christians to glorify God by constantly being on
guard against immorality and by maintaining the purity and sanctity
of, or “improving” if you will, the mortal body – the homestead of
God.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
http://www.bellwetheromaha.org/Teachings/2000/2700.htm

Again, if your question has been answered by my research please let me
know so I can close the question for you.

Regards;
Tutuzdad-ga

Thank you tutuzdad, but you got detoured because I mistakenly left out 
a clarifying phrase. I should have specified "outside the Judeo-Christian arena".
nels96

Why would you want to join this religion? do you enjoy improving your
home? if so - you dont need to be religeous to do it you know. you
just need a good interior designer, a bit of money, good sense of
style and a few other things like that.

no religeous need at all.

I am surprised that my question keeps getting misunderstood.

I am not trying to join that religion. 

My question is raised by the fact that I have a neighbor who has been
rebuilding and modifying and rebuilding again for over 10 years, and
before I approach him as to why he keeps doing this I want to be sure
I am not going to offend him. Some one told me that it is a religion
thing.

Thank you, nels96

Dear Nels, 

I haven't answered your question so far, because in the religion I am
thinking of, "improving your homestead" is more closely related to
environmental concern in general, and it is not one of the foundations
of the religion.

This religion is the Baha'i Faith <http://www.bahai.org/>. 

However, in any case and due to your comment: I am not sure that if
this person is not religious, they would still not be offended by your
question, and vice versa. It depends on the way you ask, on the kind
of relationships between the two of you, on their mood or attitude in
general and many other factor.

Your neighbour's behaviour could be the result of many factors, most
of those I could think of are not religious - love for aesthetics,
hobby, "fashion victom", obsession, etc. They might be sensitive
disregarding of their belief.

If your neighbor is into TM and follows vadic traditions that could be
why all the improvements.  Just a thought.