How does Omnist worship?
Muslim woman looking at Buddhist inspired artwork
How Do Omnists Worship?
Omnism is a belief system that holds universal truths across many different spiritual paths. It leads to a quite particular take on the notion of worship. While many traditional religions have a set of standards that define a "true" worship experience, leading them to appoint certain icons, images, or texts as focal points for devoted attention or to create certain spaces or buildings as "holy," Omnism seems to empower individuals who identify with its tenets to worship however and wherever they want. Indeed, the "worship" that might be experienced by an Omnist is anything but homogenous.
Individualized Practice
Worshiping as an Omnist centers on individualization. Omnists hold dear the freedom to personalize their spiritual practices, pulling from a wide array of both religious and nonreligious traditions. This could look like any number of practices, from a solitary individual lighting a candle to something much more public and communal, like a worship service held in a megachurch. What is consistent across all these very different-seeming forms of worship is that they are meaningful to the individuals engaging in them.
Focus on Unity
A unified worship in Omnism connects people of different faiths. Omnists understand that even though there are many forms taken by religion (and many who might not consider themselves religious), there is an almost universal human impulse to reach toward something greater, something divine. Omnism says, "We are here together," and reaches across any divide that might come between people. It calls on us to celebrate connections and to focus on the overlaps in our various engagements with the divine. To do so is, in Omnism, to cultivate a condition that helps us all live together—in peace, if at all possible.
Inclusivity as a Cornerstone
The Omnist community is highly inclusive and welcoming. It accepts individuals from all walks of life and all traditions. Dialogue and respect that are almost unparalleled in any other religious community make such a space possible. The "diversity of the spiritual condition" is honored in individual story, in collective ritual, and in religious insight—what we might even call a secular litany of virtues. Omnism as a next-generation, cultures-without-borders kind of faith figures to build on these otherwise universal strengths.
Elements of Omnist Worship
Member of Laws of Sustainability meditating in Hawaii
The worship of the Omnist reflects the core principles of Omnism in a variety of ways. What follows are some of the more common elements of Omnist worship that help to make the practice as widespread and as varied as the religions of the world.
Meditation: Many followers of Omnism practice meditation. They see it as a way to still the mind and reach clear, universally applicable truths. Their form of stillness might not look like yours or mine, but it's a form of communing with the divine sidereal. And for them, it's right, good, and beautiful.
Omnist Prayer: There are innumerable ways to pray within Omnism. One can express gratitude, set intentions, or reflect upon experiences with the Omnist form of prayer, which may involve the use of personal words or devout words from any of the world's faith traditions. Indeed, making the act of praying a personal and powerful experience is a hallmark of Omnism.
Connection to Nature: Numerous Omnists perceive the divine in the natural world. The act of hiking at sunrise, walking in the woods, or simply paying attention to the sound of leaves knows how to make a beautiful, meaningful, and potent connection to the divine kind of "space."
Investigating Sacred Scriptures: Omnists frequently look to the various sacred scriptures of the world for wisdom about the nature of the divine and the universe. They may or may not consider themselves to be followers of the religious tradition with which that text is associated. They study, learn, and incorporate the principles found in those texts within their particular blend of the religions they practice.
Interfaith Meetings: Omnists take part in interfaith meetings, where people of diverse religious backgrounds come together to exchange experiences, perform rituals, and express their happiness. These events are an opportunity to celebrate the unity of all humankind. They are also an event to give the appearance of "kumbaya" moments between Omnists (their term), which is a kind of Interfaith 101.
To sum up, Omnism is not a matter of picking one way and abandoning all else; it is a way of life that pays homage to every existing spiritual path. Omnists draw on the wisdom of all traditions and find their Solomonic (as in King Solomon) way through the tangled brush of paths that seem to lead to the same destination. Theirs is a deeply personal spirituality, and its essence seems to lie in the easy intermingling of different spiritual practices that we see evident in the lives of many (in the United States, at least) who are not far from the practices of Omnists. Visit www.lawsofsustainability.org to learn more.
