Many of you know I consider myself a Syncretist.Syncretism: The merging or assimilation of several different traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity; the reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief such as in philosophy or religion.
That said, I recently read the following passage in Franciscan friar, ecumenical teacher, and author Richard Rohr‘s book Yes, And…Daily Meditations, wherein he touches on this concept in the meditation entitled Implications of Monotheism, and I think it’s a point worth considering:
“Our inherent dignity has nothing to do with our race or religion or class. Hindus have it, Buddhists have it, and so-called pagans in Africa have it. They are just as much children of God as we are, objectively, theologically, eternally. Where else do we think they came from? Did some other god create them, except the God? Their divine DNA is identical to ours. We deny our supposed monotheism (there is one God) if we believe anything else. Far too many Jews, Christians, and Muslims have been anything but believers in one God who created all things.”
