Omnism

Omnism is the belief in all religions.^[1][2] 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, the belief in a fusion of faiths in harmony.^[3] 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.

An artistic mandala with symbols associated with six world religions expressing love as a common value

Contemporary usage

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 synthesized a form of Muhammadan Christianity.^[7] Unitarian Universalism, which grew out of the Protestant Reformation,^[8] practices omnist beliefs.^[9] Other notable interfaith organizations include the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples^[10] and The Parliament of the World's Religions was the first organization with the goal to unite all religions.^[11]

Notable omnists

• Philip James Bailey, who first coined the term.^[12]
• Kyrie Irving, who stated that he is an omnist in response to condemnation of his promotion of the documentary Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.^[13][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

• Bahá'í Faith
• Blind men and an elephant
• Religious pluralism
• Syncretism
• Universalism

General and cited references

• 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.
• Ruoch, Beni (2022-06-27). "Omnism: The One World Religion". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-02-19.