5 Practices From Other Faiths Christians Can Adopt

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Every religion has its own set of unique practices. Muslims are famous for praying five times a day. Christians go to church on Sundays. Hindus take part in colorful festivals such as Holi. There are some practices that overlap between religions. Both Hindus and Buddhists, for example, place an emphasis on meditation for those who are seeking to escape samsara. Muslims, Christians and Jews all hold personal prayer in high regard.

Few people look outside of their own faith for supplemental practices. People tend to seek spiritual advice solely from a person within their own faith. Adherents of the three Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – usually think that pulling rituals, practices and advice from another faith is taboo. Borrowing from another religion is, at best, a sign that the person doing so has weak faith. At worst, it is apostasy. This is an unfortunate mindset because it can lead to closemindedness and subconscious bigotry. It also prevents Christians, Jews and Muslims from branching out in ways that allow them to grow in their own faith.

Learning from another faith or borrowing another religion’s practice does not necessarily mean that a person is abandoning their own faith. Contact with other religions often strengthens a person’s own beliefs and allows them to expand their understanding of their own faith. With that in mind, here are five practices from other faiths Christians can adopt.

Rededication Ritual

Every year, Christians can restate their dedication to Christ. This simple ritual can be done alone or in a group. Simply find a quiet space and some candles. Christians should use either one candle to symbolize one God or three candles in honor of the Holy Trinity. Light the candles, and focus on thoughts of Christ. Each person in the ritual should then take a few moments to reaffirm their beliefs in Jesus and their determination to follow Him. This can be done silently or verbally. If Christians choose to do this verbally, they can either speak spontaneously using what they feel in the moment or use a preset prayer or creed. A well-known creed or prayer, such as the Apostle’s Creed, would work best when this ritual is done in a group.

The rededication ritual is based on the rededication rituals commonly performed by Neopagans on Imbolc, the Pagan New Year. Pagans will light one candle for each deity they worship and reaffirm their belief in those deities and their decision to follow them. For Pagans, this is more commonly done alone, but the ritual is sometimes performed in groups such as Covens or Groves.

Praying Repeatedly

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Many Christians end their days with an evening prayer, but there is no reason to confine prayer to the few minutes before sleep. Christians can find small moments throughout the day to turn to God. Christians can start their day with gratitude or hopeful prayers. Say a prayer of thanks while making the bed or sing a quiet hymn while waiting for the coffee to percolate. At lunch, Christians can take a few minutes to be with God. There is even time for prayer while Christians are running their errands. Say a prayer while waiting in line at the grocery store or sitting at a red light. Get up early to spend some time with God as the sun rises as well as saying prayers right before bed.

Praying all day is based on the famous Muslim practice of salat, the ritual prayer Muslims take part in five times per day. The first prayer is at or shortly before dawn, and the last prayer falls between dusk and midnight. Starting and ending the day with God helps keep adherents of all faiths on the right path.

Faith Debates

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Christians do not normally like to debate their faith. They want to understand their faith without thinking about it too deeply. They want to grow in it without being challenged on their beliefs. This easygoing spirit, however, denies Christians the chance to really dig into what they believe. Bible studies in a supportive environment can assist in growth to a certain extent, but there is nothing that forces a person to examine their beliefs quite like someone demanding an answer to the question “why.” Why does the Christian believe what they believe? Why do they think it’s correct? Why is another interpretation wrong? Why are both not correct? Why do they take part in this practice? Why is it important? Why, why, why, why, why?

Debates about faith give people the push that is often needed to really grapple with the hard questions. Most people dislike doing this because they fear they will not find answers or that they will not like the answers they find. Without questions, however, there can never truly be understanding. A person who truly wants to grow in their faith must have the courage to face down difficult questions and grapple with unpleasant answers.

Debates about faith are a staple in Buddhism especially in Tibet. Monks spend a great deal of time engaged in debates about Buddhist philosophy and theology. These discussions can delve quickly into serious matters and deep questions because all parties involved have the same context. They are all Buddhists asking Buddhist questions. A similar environment in Christianity could help stagnating churches reinvigorate a generation of disciples who are not satisfied with platitudes and surface answers.

Many Roads to Rome

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Christians love to talk about their denominations and find differences. Lock a Catholic, a Baptist and a nondenominational Christian in a room, and tell them they will not be able to leave the room until a sermon is written that they all agree on. Then, go get a pizza and several movies because they will be in that room for a long time.

Many Christians seem to focus on the differences between denominations at the expense of remembering that all Christians are just that: Christians. Protestants seem to enjoy declaring that Catholics are not Christians at all but are Mary-worshipping idolaters. Catholics, in turn, swear that Protestants are all heathens and going to hell. Nondenominational churches pat themselves on the back and claim that they are above all that denominational nonsenses while Orthodox churches look down on the squabbling with careful aloofness. None of this is practical or how Christ was hoping for believers to act.

Christians need to remember that all Christians are serving the same God, the same Lord and are saved by the same Savior. Denominations are lines drawn by humans, and frankly, most Christians do not know their own denomination’s doctrine well enough to distinguish it from another denomination’s doctrine. Put Lutheran and Presbyterian doctrines side by side and ask the average member from either congregation to point out which is which. Odds are, the person will be guessing blindly. With this in mind, why are Christians so determined to keep squabbling over denominations instead of recognizing that everyone has their own way of serving God?

This idea that there are many roads that lead to salvation is a core doctrine in Hinduism. Hinduism has many deities who are interrelated. Krishna, for example, is worshipped both as an incarnation of Vishnu by some people and the Supreme God in his own right by others. Shiva is sometimes worshipped alone and sometimes as part of the Triumvirate of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lakshmi has followers of her own as well as those that see her as the wife of Vishnu. Hindus do not, however, tend to dismiss each other like Christians of other denominations do. Hindus see all Hindus as following the correct path. They feel that other paths simply take a little longer than the one they are following.

Personal Sacred Space

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Many Christians see their church as a sacred space and treat it as such. The physical space is carefully taken care of, and certain standards of behavior are expected to be upheld within its walls. People also find themselves in a “church mindset.” Some find it much easier to speak with God or express their faith in that sacred space. That space, however, does not have to stay at church. Christians can easily designate a small space in their house as a sacred space. A curtain hung in front of a corner to block off the area, or a bench and bible set off to the side of the bedroom can easily serve as a sacred space. In this area, Christians can focus on God and get into a “church mindset” without having to drive to the church. Designating the space can also help families that have young children. Children might think that they have to wait until Sunday service to talk to God, but if there is a sacred space set up in the home, they have a place to go for “church activities.” It can also be a blessing for busy parents who want a few quiet moments to read the Scriptures. The closed curtain around a sacred space can be an easy way for children to know not to bother mommy or a silent signal to daddy that he is on child wrangling duty for the next 15 minutes.

The idea of a personal sacred space is common in a number of religions. Buddhists often have personal meditation areas and altars. Many Neopagans have a small altar set up in their house that they use for prayers, magick and meditation, and no Hindu house is complete without a home shrine. In these religions, a sacred space acts as an easy signal to get into a more religious mindset. It provides some structure and a subconscious signal that it is time to step back from the daily minutia. It helps them keep their religion at the front of their minds and avoid feeling like they are either wasting time praying or from having that pile of dirty dishes nag them when they are trying to pray.

There is no reason to be afraid of liking another faith’s rituals. There are many practices that can be transferred between faiths without compromising anyone’s beliefs. Using these otherwise foreign practices can help reinvigorate a faith that has gone stagnant and open up whole new spiritual worlds for a person to explore. A faith debate might encourage a person to dig deeper into the Scriptures and find a pearl of wisdom they never knew. Setting aside denomination divisions might help them live a kinder life. There are many ways that learning about other faiths can broaden a person’s cultural horizons, but sometimes the most profound and welcome changes are the ones that happen far closer to home.