In this era of omnipresent diversity, we face paradoxical outcomes from practices, policies and the management of diversity in organizations. On the one hand, diversity is supposed to be adopted in terms of social justice and inclusiveness: embracing all talent and reaching out to diverse groups that traditionally were not part of the core of organizations. On the other hand, broad societal discourses of otherness are emerging, which severely limit chances for the inclusion of 'others'.
My work in religion focuses on Buddhist philosophy, practice, and the liturgical traditions of India and Tibet. My experience of religion is broader: born Jewish, raised Protestant, with compelling memories of attending Catholic Mass with a Catholic friend every New Year’s day from sixth grade through high school. Other than that, by the time I was thirteen my parents, due to their own divergent views, took a hands-off approach to me and religion. Left to my own devices, I morphed to a comfortably agnostic posture until I encountered Buddhist thought, language, and literature in graduate school and then in situ in Tibetan communities in India and Nepal. I mention this by way of underscoring an underlining principle of Christian Smith’s Religion—that the how’s and whys of religion’s impact on our lives derive as much from our historical, familial, and personal location as from the actual traditions we contact. They interact with every component of our lives, and with each other. They impact not only how we view our own religious tradition, or lack thereof, but the degree of distance we feel toward “other” religions. They also impact the kind of gulf contemporary cultures construct between “religious” and “secular” (which doesn’t really exist in traditional cultures) as well as the contemporary intermediate zone of “spiritual but not religious.”
Western monotheisms understand that a Creator with infinite creative power brought forth this world and its inhabitants. This Creator also indicated how we are to behave toward our fellow human creatures. On the one hand, there is the golden rule, “Do unto others….” That seems a pretty clear instruction, though we see it enacted or dismissed in wildly different ways by self-identified Christian groups. And of course the Ten Commandments aren’t the only behavioral referent. Biblical passages such as “an eye for an eye” complicate things. However, the larger truth is even a relatively homogenous understanding of creation does not mean that the “what then”—the way believers actually behave toward other living beings—is not extremely variable. Antipathies and estrangements among and within traditions are so widespread that we may presume them normative and unassailable.
It is also the case that Western monotheisms distance themselves more vigorously from “other” traditions than is common in much of Asia, where participation in multiple traditions are common. Japanese say they are born Shinto, marry as Christians, and die Buddhist. That’s not to say there isn’t seriously politicized and radicalized religious friction, but the overall cultural compass is broad.
Yet, if we consider things more or less objectively, it is not at all obvious why, in the face of so many basic and clearly evident human commonalities, these particular religious differences should provoke such powerful feelings of otherness, disdain, or downright enmity, with respect to people who are, in most ways, very much like ourselves. And really, every human being is much more like us than not. When we study medicine, biology, even the arts such as dance and music, we understand this. But when we study religion, do we take it for granted that difference dominates? Scholars, as well as other cultural custodians including politicians, bear some responsibility for this. Nonetheless, as is often observed, expressions of love and illuminating knowledge are a crucial essential of virtually all religious, spiritual, and humanitarian traditions. To love the divine or, in the secular context, to choose equality, is to loosen one’s own fixed sense of identity in ways that conform with Christian ideas of “becoming like a child” to enter the Kingdom, with Sufi ideas of recognizing the Friend in everyone, and Buddhist ideas of recognizing one’s true face and thereby finding a potential Buddha in every being. Sameness, or at least a potential for connection, surfaces right along with difference.
Religion, like language and like life itself, is infinitely various. A moment’s reflection establishes that variety and change are perhaps the most ubiquitous characteristics of everything we encounter. Yet, when it comes to religion and to culture more generally, we humans often exhibit powerful expectations of sameness, and seem surprised, if not dismayed and even when we don’t find it.
Recognizing the infinite variety of song, dance, and physical prowess across cultures helps us appreciate that our own expressions are part of something larger than any one modality can reveal. Do we not in fact often recognize this, at least implicitly, when we take pleasure in art or ways of being associated with traditions quite different from our own and which, partly for that very reason, surprise and delight us?
Virtually every tradition, great or small, is preternaturally interested in the issue of creation.
Monotheistic communities focus on believers’ relationship with the Creator—love, obedience, above all a sense of belonging and meaning.
This relationship generally underpins a sense of responsibility for self and kindly conduct toward others.
Other traditions emphasize not a creative person but the emergent creative process itself.
Buddhists for example take great interest in causal properties of intentions and actions, and thus are dedicated to reducing reactivity, thereby setting in motion positive causes through ethical and kind behavior.
Regardless of how a tradition characterizes the forces of which we are all the fruition, pretty much always concludes that some type of love and understanding is key. Moreover, when we look at these varied iterations, we find, as has often been noted, that the moral outcomes are disarmingly similar.
Yet, we often fasten on the arguably much less significant differences, dividing the world, our cities, neighborhoods, even families, accordingly. There are, however, compelling reasons to recognize that no matter how we understand creation, whether we believe, with Buddhists and Hindus, that the universe is born through our own actions, or see through the eyes of Jews, Christians, and Muslims that it arises through divine agency, we easily conclude that we are all the children of the same powers that be. We can interpret creative powers differently while still recognizing they are something we all share. Recognizing and calling out this variegated wholeness is a sameness that makes a difference.
What Separates Christianity from Other Religions
1. Every other religion teaches us to earn our way to God.
Christianity is the only religion that teaches that God came to us. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus died for us before we did a thing for Him. God didn’t wait for us to get things right before He sent His Son to die. In fact, God sent his Son because He knew we could never get things right apart from Jesus!
2. Other religions have systems of rules to appease their god. Christianity is a relationship with God.
Other religions give us a list of things to do and not do. Some religions call them laws or pillars. These are things that you do in hopes of getting into heaven.
Psalm 145:18-19 tells us, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”
We don’t have to appease God to receive His favor. He already showed us His love for us by sending Jesus to die on a cross in our place, for our sins. The separation between us and God was appeased, and we didn’t have to do a thing except believe.
The separation between us and God was appeased, and we didn’t have to do a thing except believe.
Christians go to church, read the Bible and obey God’s commands, not because we have to but because we want to. We want to learn about this God who would go to such great lengths for us. We want to show our thankfulness for His grace by representing Him well with our lives. And we choose to follow His plan, knowing that a God who loves us enough to sacrifice His Son for us has our best interest at heart.
3. No other religion has an empty tomb.
We’re the only people who follow a leader who died and came back to life.
Every other major religious leader is dead. People have been looking for Jesus’ body for thousands of years, and they still haven’t found Him! With all of the advancements in scientific technology, no one has been able to solve this “mystery” in the world of science. The tomb is empty, and the body is not hidden and will never be found because Jesus rose from the dead.
Christianity is unique in that it puts all of the work of salvation, of getting into heaven, onto God instead of man. Every religion in the world is about what man can do
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