Introduction
Among the thousands of belief systems followed around the world, omnism is among the most fascinating. This belief is mesmerizing because of its unique maxim and principles. The main principle of omnism is all religions contain an element of truth and should be respected. There are over 4200 religions globally, and all vary from one another to a certain level (Waltner, 2020). Claiming that a person can learn something and respect all is hard to grasp, especially for individuals with inflexibility in their religious stand. Although, in theory, omnists believe in all religions, they only follow a few sets of practices of the major faiths while following more rituals of their childhood faith. Discussed below are the definitions, historical context current perspectives and controversies associated with omnism the belief of all religions.
Definitions
The practice of omnism has been in here for a while, but the definition of the term is quite young. Omnism can be defined as a spiritually uniting philosophy of religious oneness & peace, respecting all faiths as equal and valid (Gandy, 2018). However, most people who support this view are unaware that the term exists and has less religious affirmation. Religious affirmation is the denominational membership or religious identification of an individual (Aji & Dharmmesta, 2019). There are many omnists around the globe as a person who respects the country’s laws and follows a particular religion can be referred to as an omnist. Most researchers and authors on examine one’s cognitive belief about religion and exclude behavioral aspect (Aji & Dharmmesta, 2019). As a result, omnism which has more intrinsic orientation than extrinsic remains under researched.
Secularism, also being a set of beliefs that is practiced by many alongside a particular religion, could make the person be referred to as an omnist. The term Omnism was first coined by Philip James Bailey, a poet, and has been used to define the practice of believing many gods since. Like many other religions omnism is in many ways an heritage (deWildt & Aupers, 2020). The omnist religion is classified under imagistic mode of religiosity (Paolucci, 2020). An imagistic religion is practiced by small groups and is infrequently performed. The oxford dictionary defines the term Omnism as a person who believes in all faiths or creeds; a person who believes in a single transcendent purpose or cause uniting all things or people, or the members of a particular group of people. Despite that, the term is not popular to even people who practice this deity.
Since there are no clear written guidelines for practicing omnism, sematic memory gathered from various fields is vital to this type of faith. All omnists agree that all religions should have a common goal which is seeking the truth for the common good for all people. Most believers of the world’s popular religions practice omnism without consciously knowing it. The cultural environment is the biggest predictor of being part of a religion (Willard & Cingl, 2017). This means people who live in diverse cultures are likely to integrate different religions and follow them. Many coexist with people of differing faiths, accept some of their traditions, and respect other people’s religions, meaning that they practice omnism. The fact that omnism is practiced by more people than what statistics show means it is an under-researched topic.
Historical Context
The term omnism came into use in the 1800s, but believing all religions is an older practice. The custom can be traced back to pre-historic times when religion began (Walsh, 2017). The fact that the term religion is itself very young suggests that people intermixed beliefs seeing the good in everything. For thousands of years, the merging of religious doctrines from the dark ages to modern times made it to be tolerated as it enhanced interaction and cohabitation between members of different religious groups. It should be noted that from pre-historic times to now, omnists do not describe themselves as belonging to a particular congregation. However, a few religious organizations have set up coordinated omnism units.
The term Omnism as we know it today originates from a verse by Philip Bailey, the poet, not the musician. In his long poem “Fetus,” Bailey used the word in the poem in 1839, and it has been in use, gaining popularity ever since. In the poem, Bailey wrote that he is an omnist and believes in all religions. Omnism has never been adopted by anyone as a religion. The term instead is used to express spirituality. The exact opposite of the term is antireligion, which denotes a person who does not believe in any religion to contain truth. The word was later popularized by Ellen Burstyn, a believer of the religious doctrine. Ellen Famously stated that omnism is a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all religions (Power, 2017). This definition makes a person who describes themselves to be as religious but not spiritual to be an omnist.
Omnism as a religion is relatively younger compared to other religions. There are a few omnism religious institutions in the world, with one of them being the Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The institution was founded by opposing institutions who agreed to sort their differences and form one institution. When a new member wishes to join the group, they usually allow them to join the group. They typically claim that the member can join them as they wish. The congregation does not want to know the religious stand of any new member. The Unitarian Universality Association believes in more than one thing in which they mention that they think for themselves but flex together (Renfrew et al., 2018). They have a set of written doctrines or guides which include, among others, the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They believe in the responsible search for truth and that everything created in the world is important.
In China, the omnism religion was established in the 1920s when Caodai, a Supreme Being institution, was formed, and AAA was its official symbol. The goal of this congregation was to unite all of humanity to promote peace and a shared vision. Other Chinese Minh societies later appeared in Vietnam in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (Jammes & Palmer, 2018). Africa and the African diaspora have historically been sites of tremendous religious pluralism (McIntosh, 2019). In Japan, an omnism religion is called Kokyo was formed in the 1800s, and the mission of this group was to unite all people as brothers and sisters.
In the 19th an omnism religion grew out of Islam in central Iran. This religion referred to itself as Baha’i and believed that God sent them many educators in the past, including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammed, Buddha, Krishna, among others (Renfrew et al., 2018). The founder of this religion was Mírzá Ḥusayn-‘Alí Núrí, who took the title Bahá’u’lláh, which translates to “the Glory of God” (Stockman, 2021). Baha’u’llah preached for peace and unification of all religions (Stockman, 2021). He was arrested when it was discovered that he had a large following but converted more people to prison.
Current Perspective and Controversy
Currently, omnism serves several functions in society. First, it leads to a peaceful and productive interaction between members of different religions. Since most people who practice omnism do it unconsciously, it facilitates social unity in these other groups. Apart from enhancing agreement, omnism makes people live a meaningful and purposeful life by providing guidance based on different religions’ comprehensive advice. Omnism can also promote psychological and physical wellness by guiding a person to live more enriching lives by offering a wide range of guidance (Steward, 2017). The controversy concerning omnism is that it is not a natural religion with a well-set religious gathering. Omnism is more of a spiritual body than a religious institution. It encourages multiple religions in a setting, letting people divert from their traditional religion, culture, and traditions. Modern nationalism can be perceived as akin to religion (Bowen, 2018). They take a stand of all religions to be true and worthy of respect. Since omnism tries to find truth in all faiths, some argue that this makes it false as not all religions are the same.
Conclusion
This study may seem pointless for a person who does not believe in omnism or is not interested in spiritual matters. However, a close look at omnism in theory and practice may prove that the approach could be one of the most important in the current diverse world. With religious conflicts and religion-based terrorism being on a high, learning how to live and accept other people’s beliefs could help avoid a lot of friction. Nevertheless, as stated in the opening paragraph, there are more than 4000 religions. Some of these religions may seem crazy and stupid to an outsider, but as omnists claim, having a close look could reveal some hidden advantages that make the religions gain followers.
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