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Omnism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Omnism is the epistemological and theological position in philosophy that all religions contain varying degrees of truth, but no single religion can offer a fully true teleology.[1][2] Omnism is related to syncretism, or the practice of combining multiple belief systems.[3]

Contemporary usage

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Contemporary usage has modified "belief in all religions" to refer more to an acceptance of the legitimacy of all religions. The Oxford English Dictionary elaborates that an omnist believes "in a single transcendent purpose or cause uniting all things or people." Omnists interpret this to mean that all religions contain varying elements of a common truth, that omnists are open to potential truths from all religions. The Oxford dictionary defines an omnist 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."[4] Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury, considered the first Deist, argued that all religions were true.[5] In the poem All Religions are One, William Blake professed that every religion originated from God's revelation.[6] Henry Stubbe and other Socinians syncretized Unitarianism with Islamic theology.[7] Unitarian Universalism, which grew out of the Protestant Reformation,[8] is congruent with Omnism, and some congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association explicitly attest to the category of Omnism.[9][10][11] Other notable interfaith organizations include the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples[12] and The Parliament of the World's Religions was the first organization with the goal to unite all religions.[13]

Notable omnists

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  • Philip James Bailey, who first coined the term.[14]
  • Ramakrishna, the Hindu mystic, believed in all religions being true. His parable-based teachings advocated the essential unity of religions and proclaimed that world religions are "so many paths to reach one and the same goal".[15]

See also

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General and cited references

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  • Thomas P. Power (February 20, 2017). "6 Omnism". Confronting the Idols of Our Age. Wycliffe Studies in Gospel, Church, and Culture. Wipf and Stock. p. 30. ISBN 978-1532604331.

References

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  1. ↑ "I Omnist". 15 May 2017.
  2. ↑ "Definition of OMNIST". Merriam-Webster. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  3. ↑ "Syncretism: Concept, Types, Characteristics, Features And Examples". Collaborative Research Group. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "omnist". Oxford dictionaries. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018.
  5. ↑ Idinopulos, T.A.; Wilson, B.C. (1998). What Is Religion?: Origins, Definitions, and Explanations. Numen Book Series. Brill. p. 144. ISBN 978-90-04-11022-9. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  6. ↑ Summerfield, H. (1998). A Guide to the Books of William Blake for Innocent and Experienced Readers: With Notes on Interpretive Criticism 1910-1984. Colin Smythe Publication. C. Smythe. ISBN 978-0-86140-408-7. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  7. ↑ Shah, Z.A. (2022). Islam and The English Enlightenment: The Untold Story. Claritas Books. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-80011-984-0. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  8. ↑ Bramadat, P.A. (2000). The Church on the World's Turf: An Evangelical Christian Group at a Secular University. Religion in America. Oxford University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-19-535059-3. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  9. ↑ Andrews, Yvonne L. "What is Omnism?". First Church of Lancaster, Unitarian Universalist. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ Patrick, Lydia. "Omnism". Words of Wisdom - Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Gwinnett. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fairbanks. "What do UUs Believe?". UUFF.org. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  12. ↑ Andrus, M. (2021). Brothers in the Beloved Community: The Friendship of Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King Jr. Parallax Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-1-946764-91-1. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  13. ↑ Lehmann, K.; Brodeur, P. (2021). Talking Dialogue: Eleven Episodes in the History of the Modern Interreligious Dialogue Movement. KAICIID – Beyond Dialogue Series. De Gruyter. p. 22. ISBN 978-3-11-052917-3. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
  14. ↑ Herbert F. Tucker (17 April 2008). Epic : Britain's Heroic Muse 1790-1910: Britain's Heroic Muse 1790-1910. OUP Oxford. p. 344. ISBN 978-0-19-923298-7.
  15. ↑ Swami Prabhavananda (2019), Religion in Practice, Routledge.
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