Syncretism—it was once the word of choice to condemn those who incorporate into their religious lives elements from other religions. To declare that something was syncretistic was a conversation stopper. “No, you can’t do that; that’s syncretistic.”
But, in my latest column for Faith Forum in the sa国际传媒, I argued that times are changing. Now, it’s not uncommon to have the most dedicated adherents of one faith taking up practices from another. In my column, I mentioned Victoria’s own Father Martin Brokenleg and the US Catholic theologian Ruben Habito as examples. Brokenleg is an Anglican Priest who maintains the ancestral ways of the Lakota people. He sees no contradiction between these two traditions whatsoever. Habito is a Catholic Zen Master. Note how odd the mere juxtaposition of those two words sounds to unaccustomed ears. How can that be, we wonder? Is that being like a vegan steak lover? Apparently not.
As I was writing my column, friends who know my interests starting sending me about the passing of Sister Elaine MacInnes. I am embarrassed to say that I did not know of Sr. MacInnes who not only belonged to the Roman Catholic Our Lady’s Missionaries Order but was also a recognized Zen Master. Canadians especially should know of Sr. MacInnes because she was awarded the Order of sa国际传媒 for her distinguished work in bring Zen and yoga into prisons. She is sa国际传媒’s Zen Roshi.
The for her induction into the Order of sa国际传媒 is worth citing in full. It reads,
She offers those who are incarcerated a path to hope and peace. A Catholic missionary, she founded and ran a conservatory-style cultural centre near Osaka, Japan. As she introduced western music to the region, she was introduced to Zen. Later becoming one of the world's few Zen Masters, she taught meditation to prisoners in the Philippines and Great Britain, helping to improve their concentration, sociability and self-esteem. Her approach flourished, with thousands of inmates benefitting from her persistence and compassion. She has returned to sa国际传媒 and is now initiating similar programs here.
, Sr. MacInness is yet another distinguished and committed Christian who could Clearlynot possibly be accused of being an acquisitive spiritual shopper who is pulling up to the divine deli to place a side order of Zen to go along with her Christianity. After all, she was given her dharma transmission and recognized as a Zen Master only after two decades of practice. Twenty years! As is the case with Brokenleg and Habito, clearly, there is nothing facile, disrespectful, or consumerist about her spiritual life.
What word or words should we use to describe such lives since syncretism has become a pejorative term? In academic circles, no single term has won out. Several are in circulation, and these include multiple religious participation (MRP), multiple religious belonging (MRB), double belonging, and . We’ll leave it to the academics to sort out the relative merits of these terms. What all share in common is a desire to honor this family of practices rather than dismiss or demean them.
What can we learn from such lives? What do they have to teach us about religious diversity? The study of such lives is still in its relative infancy. But I suggest that we can draw a few conclusions.
First, religious traditions are not identical. If they were, why bother investing years or even decades of study and practice in a tradition other than your own? Why reduplicate your efforts?
Second, while traditions are not the same, at least some are not only compatible but also mutually enriching. Double belongers often report that their spiritual lives are enhanced, deepened and transformed by what I playfully call “interreligious cross-training.” The runner who also swims finds that her entire body is conditioned in ways that one sport alone does not permit; likewise, the interreligious cross-trainer reports a new spiritual depth and maturation not permitted in any other way. The title of my friend Paul Knitter’s on the subject puts the point well, Without the Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian. Knitter testifies that Buddhist meditative disciplines have made him a better disciple of Jesus.
Third, exclusivism has to go. If multiple religious participation is leading the best among us—disciplined practitioners, dedicated risk-taking spiritual pioneers, and devoted public servants—to lives of service and compassion, what sense does it make to suggest that these other traditions are inferior, mistaken or misguided?
For Christians, after all, there is only one test mandated by Jesus himself for judging the legitimacy of a practice or a life: “Ye shall know them by their fruits (Matthew 7:16).” Judging by these lives, the fruits of double belonging, when undertaken with care and deliberation, are nothing less than world transforming.
John J. Thatamanil is Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. He is also a Priest and Diocesan Theologian of the Diocese of Islands & Inlets (Anglican Diocese of British Columbia). He is, most recently, the author of Circling the Elephant: A Comparative Theology of Religious Diversity. He splits his time between living with his wife and son here in Victoria and living with his daughter in Manhattan. His research centers on how Christians can learn from the practices and insights of other religious traditions.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at /blogs/spiritually-speaking
