Omnism is the belief in all

religions Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural, t ...

. Those who hold this belief are called omnists. In recent years, the term has been resurfacing due to the interest of modern-day self-described omnists who have rediscovered and begun to redefine the term. Omnism is similar to

syncretism Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the ...

, the belief in a fusion of faiths in harmony. However, it can also be seen as a way to accept the existence of various religions without believing in all that they profess to teach. Many omnists say that all religions contain truths, but that no one religion offers all that is truth.

Contemporary usage

Contemporary usage has modified "belief in all religions" to refer more to an acceptance of the legitimacy of all

. The ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

'' 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".

Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury (or Chirbury) Knight of the Bath, KB (3 March 1583 – 5 August 1648) was an English people, English soldier, diplomat, historian, poet and religious philosopher. He studied multiple languages and ...

, considered the first Deist, argued that all religions were true. In the poem ''

All Religions are One ''All Religions are One'' is a series of philosophical aphorisms by William Blake, written in 1788. Following on from his initial experiments with William Blake#Relief etching, relief etching in the non-textual ''The Approach of Doom'' (1787), ...

'',

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

professed that every religion originated from God's revelation.

Henry Stubbe Henry Stubbe or Stubbes (1632–12 July, 1676) was an English royal physician, Latinist, historian, dissident, writer and scholar. Life He was born in Partney, Lincolnshire, and educated at Westminster School. Given patronage as a child by th ...

and other Socinians synthesized a form of ''Muhammadan Christianity''.

Unitarian Universalism Unitarian Universalism (abbreviated UUism or UU) is a liberal religious tradition characterized by its commitment to theological diversity, inclusivity, and social justice. Unitarian Universalists do not adhere to a single creed or doctrine. I ...

, which grew out of the Protestant Reformation, practices omnist beliefs. Other notable interfaith organizations include the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples and The

Parliament of the World's Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

was the first organization with the goal to unite all religions.

Notable omnists

* Philip James Bailey, who first coined the term. *

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...

, who stated that he is an omnist in response to condemnation of his promotion of the documentary '' Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America''.

General and cited references

* *

References

External links

{{Wiktionary, omnitheism * "Omnist", ''

'', draft revision June 2004, retrieved October 6, 2005. Universalism

Contemporary usage

Notable omnists

See also

General and cited references

References

External links