Recently, a spotlight has been placed on religious leaders in the Episcopalian denomination, some of whom have adopted beliefs of religions other than Christianity. Accusations of syncretism and pluralism may force some religious leaders out of the priesthood – one in particular could be forced out this week.

What is syncretism?

Syncretism is the merging of multiple religions or faiths into one worldview or belief system. This may include the practice of multiple religions and associated rituals; it may also include a blending of beliefs.

According to Beliefnet.com, syncretism is common in Asia. And Americans are used to cafeteria-style religion where they select the beliefs and practices that work for their worldviews and lifestyles.

But does syncretism cause a believer to dilute core beliefs so much that they no longer uniquely believe in any one religion or idea? If so, can they really call themselves a follower of any religion? And how can competing claims be reconciled? For example, traditional Jewish believes show Jesus as a regular man, while Christians consider him the Messiah, Son of God. The Episcopalian Church, a Christian denomination, is currently struggling publicly with these issues.

Syncretism in the Episcopal pulpit

Ann Holmes Redding is an Episcopal priest in Seattle who practices both Islam and Christianity. She believes she can practice both – but Rhode Island Episcopal Bishop Geralyn Wolf (Redding’s superior) wants to remove Redding’s status as a priest. Wolf argues that Redding has abandoned Christianity by converting to Islam and suspended her priesthood in 2008.  According to USA Today, Redding was supposed to recant her Islamic faith by March 30 or she would be expelled from the priesthood. No word yet on whether she recanted – but she told newspapers last year that she had no intention of recanting.

Like Redding, Elected Episcopal Bishop Kevin Thew Forrester (of the Northern Michigan diocese) practices Zen meditation and is lay-ordinated in Buddhism. He has not, however, taken Buddhist vows nor does he consider himself a Buddhist. He claims to simply borrow practices from Zen Buddhism to guide his Christian meditation on God. But many Episcopalians are trying to prevent Forrester from becoming fully ordained as bishop. No word yet on whether he will get all 120 votes necessary to move from election to ordination.

Find other examples of syncretistic religious leaders at Beliefnet.com.

A move toward pluralism?

If multiple beliefs are fully believed – in other words, if one really does consider himself fully Christian and fully Muslim – this is the idea of pluralism. Pluralism implies that a diversity of beliefs and practices are fully adopted and accepted. This is much different from the typical exclusivist attitude of many religions, in which that particular religion is believed to be the only way to the goal. Pluralism implies that multiple religions can lead to the same goal.

So will the Episcopal denomination move toward pluralism? Christianity Today suggests it wouldn’t be a surprise if they at least discussed it. The magazine quoted Wade Clark Roof, religious studies professor at UC-Santa Barbara, as saying, “Clearly there are people, including religious leaders, [who find] spiritual wisdom in faiths other than their own…(which is) in some respects good in an age of global religious diversity when tolerance and respect are essential to our peace if not our survival.”

Church leaders seem to worry the focus on Jesus as Savior would be lost in a pluralistic faith. So it doesn’t seem likely Episcopalians will all become pluralists anytime soon.

See what else Christianity Today has to say about America’s shift toward religious pluralism and the “crisis” in the Episcopalian church.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.

Filed under: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Protestantism | 1 Comment »

Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI said that condoms will not solve the HIV epidemic in Africa (before he embarked on his trip to Africa).

This was the first time the current pope had addressed the use of condoms. He said condoms will only make the AIDS crisis worse – the solution lies with good morals.

In protest of the pope’s comments, French activists threw condoms on the square of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris last Sunday.

Right-wing French youths responded to the activists with signs saying, “Leave My Pope Alone.” A clash erupted between the two groups and three people were arrested, according to AFP Reuters.

What do you think? Is the pope condemning a possible solution — or is he doing the right thing?

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, Religion and Ethics | No Comments »

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The following overview of the Society of Friends was written by Religion Transcends writer Jackie Walker for the Spring 2009 issue of Relate magazine. Relate’s mission is to inspire teen girls to pursue their dreams with confidence and to teach them to be an example for others in their speech, life, love, faith and purity. Religion overviews may have Christian overtones to make the content relatable for the Christian teen audience.

What would it be like to be the president’s daughter? What would you wear? Who would you meet? What would your school look like?

If you’re President Barack Obama’s daughters, you enter the classroom with secret servicemen at your side. Your family pays $30,000 a year for your school tuition. Your classmates have been warned not to talk to the newspapers. And even though you’re not a “Quaker,” your school is founded on the Quaker religion.

Here’s what you would need to know about Quakers and Quaker education if you were the president’s daughter.

Fact file

Name: “Quakers” is a nickname for the Religious Society of Friends. The group gained the nickname when its founder told a government official to quake upon hearing the name of God.

Numbers: 210,000 worldwide

Founder: George Fox (1624-1691)

History: Fox wasn’t satisfied with the churches around him in England.  Feeling God spoke to his heart when his heart was ready to listen, he decided people needed to listen to Jesus on their own.  After challenging churches and the government with his ideals, he was imprisoned eight times; over 6,000 of his followers were also jailed. Things were not any easier when the Quakers came to America in 1656. They were persecuted and some were killed until William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania) became a follower and showed people that Quakers wanted peace.

Main beliefs: Quakers don’t follow a set of beliefs. Instead, each person is supposed to follow her “Inner Light” or her own understanding of what God wants. This means many Quakers believe different ideas – but they all agree that Jesus is the most important belief. Therefore, many Quakers identify themselves as Christians.

Worship: Each week, Quakers gather for a worship meeting. It’s simple: Anytime two or three people meet in the name of Jesus, that’s considered worship (see Matthew 18: 20). There are no rules, no schedule, and no priests or pastors. Instead, Quakers believe each person can be moved by God to figure out what’s true and good. During a service, they sit in silence for an hour, waiting to be moved by God to speak (ready to listen, like Fox). If moved, a Quaker may speak to the whole group, either reading Scripture, praying, or talking about an experience or idea. As you can imagine, sitting in silence for an hour became a problem for some people over the years. In 1827-1828, a major separation of the Quakers took place. Some groups of Quakers began meeting in giant buildings with pastors, singing, and schedules. Others continued to hold meetings in small buildings with no leader and simple silence. The divide remains today.

Dress: In the past, Quakers wore “plain dress” or simple clothing that would not take attention away from God. Most people stopped wearing plain dress in the 20th century and today most Quakers dress like everyone else.

Peace: Quakers stand against war, injustice, racism, and all forms of violence. Instead they seek harmony, peace, justice, diversity, and equality for all people. After all, if all people have the “Inner Light” of God within them, it would be wrong to hurt people. This idea has led many Quakers to become “conscientious objectors,” refusing to join the armed forces and even refusing to make war goods and weaponry. Such refusal has led to imprisonment for some Quakers and death for others. But Quakers continue to actively work against violence and for peace. As a result, they have been successful in promoting women’s rights and human rights – and they were among the first to lead the anti-slavery movement in both England and the United States.

Inside the school

Quakers began founding schools around the time our founding fathers were forming our nation. They were among the first to teach pioneer children on the western frontier. After the Civil War, Quakers raised funds to educate thousands of former slaves.

Obama’s daughters (Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7) attend the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, the same school that former first daughter Chelsea Clinton attended while her father was president. The first daughters aren’t Quakers – but only five percent of students at Sidwell are. Still, the school promotes many Quaker ideals mentioned in the above fact file – peace, unity, independence, and equality. The girls attend a weekly service, sitting in silence for an hour. In class, they will be taught to listen to God, to learn about the world, and to go out into the world to do good things. Based on these practices, it’s not so surprising that Obama chose a Quaker school for his daughters.

Want to know more about Quaker life or Quaker schools? Check out Quakers in America by Thomas D. Hamm (2003), available in part at www.books.google.com.

Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends.

Filed under: Christianity, Mormonism, RELIGION OVERVIEWS, Sects | 2 Comments »