The Religion Olympics
Why must religions, and the traditions and denominations within them, be so competitive? Sometimes when I read about trends in religion, I feel like I’m watching some kind of competitive event like the Olympics. I can imagine an announcer proclaiming: “Muslims are gaining on the Christians, while Jews lag a bit in numbers. Buddhism has become amazingly popular, with a gain of ten percent over the other religions… Hinduism is holding steady as the Sikh population shrinks a bit. Who will win the contest of the world’s most populous faith tradition?!!” (I completely made all that up, so don’t quote me.)
Or within the Christian tradition the announcing runs like this: “Liberal Christians watch in alarm at the rising numbers of fundamentalists, while New Age groups claim their share of the market. Roman Catholics have lost membership because of scandal, but still hold a large lead over most other groups of Christians. The Orthodox haven’t had much chance of winning this race ever since their split from the Roman Church…” (Again, fiction)
There are a variety of marketing strategies employed by religious organizations, including word of mouth, catchy slogans, and print and television marketing. I love the ads put out by my own denomination, the UCC, emphasizing that “Wherever you are in life’s journey, you are welcome here.” The Episcopal Church used to run print ads with catchy sayings like “Jesus died to take away your sins, not your mind.” Even the signs out in front of churches can be used to market to a particular group of people.
Once people join a tradition, steps are taken to keep them within it. Some groups require people to renounce their previous beliefs. Some have membership rituals which become a kind of lifetime membership. (”Join now and get an eternity of benefits!”)
Then we are encouraged to believe that we have made the right choice, and that now God loves us more, our beliefs are more sound, we have more truth, or at the very least, we have the most interesting or friendly people or the best programs in town. Sometimes this is carried even farther through doctrine that teaches if you leave this tradition, you will certainly be going to hell.
My Enneagram Type 7 gluttony and aversion to limiting options is going to show here but I must ask: If we are all seeking the truth, why must one exclude the other? Why not both/and instead of either/or? Or why not “all of the above.” Surely each tradition can hold no more than a planet’s worth of truth in the universe that is God. Why can’t we get together and learn from one another and see what we can learn about
Most of us are not secure enough in ourselves or driven enough to engage in a full examination of our own beliefs. It requires open and honest, hard spiritual work to come to a place where we are not afraid of our beliefs being challenged. But we can start by questioning why we believe what we do. If we have held onto doctrine is it because it meshes with our own experiences of God? Or is it because we are afraid to think differently? Are we content to go along with what we are taught? Or can we become engaged in the search for truth, both inside our own tradition and in the traditions of others. Can we talk openly with others about their beliefs and actually hear what they have to say?
Can we quit trying to knock other truth-seekers off the winner’s podium and realize that we are seeking the same thing?