My journey to discovering Omnism

Colleen Claire (herculture.org/blog) 2017; San A. Dee, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I'm an Omnist who loves meditating like this statue of a famous religious figure (San A. Dee)

Growing up with a Catholic mother and a Hindu father, I was lucky enough to have parents who did NOT press their very different beliefs on me.

I lived in an open-minded, liberal community where I was around a number of different cultures and religions.

• Omnism 101: Full Guide (alittlebithuman.com)
• Don't call it "Ominism" or Judeo-Christian "Onanism"!
• VIDEO: I believe all religions are true

When they were married, my parent’s religious beliefs were never an issue for them. They began to accept each other's views [which aren't so different when viewed as Maitreya-ism or Messianic traditions waiting for the Teacher to come], for better or for worse.

Can I change religion and do something else?

Whether it was my dad steering clear of a steak house [which slaughters cows and distributes their body parts for profit], or my mother practicing Lent [a big religious 40 days of fasting and self-sacrifice like Islam's Ramadan and Buddhism Rains Retreat], I learned many traditions and customs in both faiths.

If someone would have asked me what I believed in last year, I wouldn’t have known how to answer.

As a kid, I always considered myself "Catholic" [like most of the planet]. I spent most of my childhood believing Jesus' dad was God, hearing my grandmother talk about Saint Mother Theresa, and attending an occasional mass (Sunday service).

A chalk mandala honoring many traditions as in essence One (Omnism/Wiki)

.

However, I never felt connected to Catholicism. I just found it convenient to say I was Catholic in case it came up in a conversation. I truly felt like I had respect for all faiths.

Just over a year ago, I wondered if there was a denomination catering to believing in all religions. So I did what seven billion other people in this world do when they had a question. I searched online. Low and behold, I came across "Omnism."

Omnism is the recognition of all religions. To put it in perspective, they all matter and have a meaning for existing.

One main belief is that everything created in this world is important. While this may sound like a new term, it’s actually not.

Poet Philip J Bailey first used the word "Omnist" in his poem "Festus," which was published in 1839.

In summary, the poem explains a human’s relationship to God, and God's relationship to humans. Bailey goes on to simply say, “I am an omnist, and believe in all religions."

Although Omnism is not a religion, it is a sense of spirituality. There are no churches or sacred texts regarding the belief. There is no given theology, so individuals tend to independently formulate how they believe in Omnism.

What to believe when I believe everything?

It is a very open-minded and transcends thinking. The closest comparison to this term is Universalist Unitarian, which promotes strong spiritual interactions with the universe and all people around us. More

COMMENTS

• (Kirpal Singh) I am a follower of Sikhism which is based on teachings of Gurú Nanak who taught about Ik Ongkaar: One ultimate reality also called Satnam WAHEGURU & Oneness of Creation including Humanity. Based on it he emphasized Equality, Liberty & Fraternity in 15th century. He is Father of interfaith dialogue respectfully with each other.
• (Kelsa) Found this article after searching "Can I appreciate and believe all religions?" I feel at peace knowing Omnism is a thing - it just feels so naturally "right" to me. I just needed a name for it. Thank you for sharing your journey.
• (Euphoria) I am so glad there is actually a thing called Omnism. My whole life, I have been a christian but never truly felt that it was right for me. That all life around us results in jesus. Of course, I still found many great things in christianity but thought of it from a different point of view. I started interpreting Hinduising to my belief because I believed that God could come in different forms. I then looked into Islam and the Jewish faith and found many great things about them. It was only when I decided to truly look into my belief and found Omnism. It has benefited my well being a lot because I know longer have to think of life from one religious point of view. I can experience it through different ways!
• (Mina) Hi Colleen! Thank you so much for this wonderful post. It helped me to understand what the word Omnism represents. When you wrote "Universalist Unitarian, which inhibits strong spiritual interactions" I wondered if the word "inhibit" was what you were meaning. I would have thought it enabled or facilitated spiritual interactions? I am not certain if I misunderstood.
• (George Coniglio) My Ministry.
• (KR) About a month ago I figured out I am an Omnist. It fits my open minded perspective well. Even though I was raised Christian, there are some things and flaws about Christianity that I noticed, and I no longer agree with some of the Christian logic anymore. I still believe in a higher power/God, but not entirely in the way Christians do. Im so glad I found out my spiritual identity and it makes me so happy that I've fully discovered a part of myself.
• (Kathy sanders) I am so thankful that there IS a word for what I am. I am an Omnist. I thank you for your letter. For the longest time I also thought I was an atheist. But I always believed there was a god. Or something bigger and better out there. Thank you again for your insight.
• (Kari) I worked in Palliative and Hospice care for 15 yrs. Through my experiences Ive grown to believe that all Religions have a truth and path in the Universe to God or Enlightenment. I am so happy to see there is a term to describe my beliefs. thank you for your article.
• (Bronwyn) Im so happy to know that i don't have to decide to a specific way or form. Learning this has really opened my confidence and belief in my spiritual journey and allowed me to experience every type of religion in a beautiful respective way through traveling and life every day x
• (Sherri Davis) I relate with this very much. Thank you for putting a word and definition to what I have been feeling.
• (Kat) I have been thinking about this for months now since the pandemic started. I am a Roman Catholic but I still have this instinct that I need to discover other religions first before deciding whichever I will belong. I still have many years to discover the other religions. Wish me luck.
• (Alexander) That's so great to hear! I'm evangelical Christian, but upon finishing my research in regards to christian apologetics, I realized that cannot be my only solidification in my faith. To truly understand and cement your beliefs in one manner or another, you must look at all the possibilities. I encourage you to learn not only the general beliefs of a religion when conducting your research, but to look deeper into the doctrine (ex. Bible for Christians, Qu'ran for Muslims) as well as history to develop a certainty regarding your beliefs. Only then can you truly come to a conclusion. Good luck
• (Viswanatha) Hinduism is omnism. It accepts and respects all religions.