When exploring religion, people tend to want to go to the source, researching history and the original documents of the religious system in question.
The reality lies, I believe, in how a religion manifests itself in it’s present form today says more about that religion than any degree of history.
The concept of sin has always interested me. How Christians treat sin and bad behavior is a fascinating thing. In many church groups it seems that proper Christian apparel is any code of dress which is 20 years out of date. Modesty - sweaters buttoned up to the neck, white shirts and ties - are all signs of Christian faith.
I followed a young couple down Cannery row one day (just going the same way) who were members of a Central California Christian denomination that dresses very specifically, nearly a pseudo-Amish fashion. The women all wear dresses reminiscent of turn-of-the-century peasant dresses, all with varying paisley and flowered patterns, and wear bonnets on their heads. Men, interestingly enough, wear plain clothes and black pants that largely are inappropriately tight - tight around the legs the way pants fit in the 70’s. In another time, another place, this would be everyday attire yet removed from it’s original era it becomes un-flattering and without any style whatsoever. In other words, religious.
This same phenomena exists in Buddhism of course. Many Americans who have taken Buddhist vows wear robes. Not merely at their temples during service, rather everyday throughout their normal working lives. Buddhist robes are a source of curiosity for me as well. Exotic, other-worldly, Robes of Buddhist priests are more an unusual fashion curiosity than the uniform of the deeply committed and faithful, as they would be in their country of origin.
All these uniforms of faith are tribal identification rather than statements of deep faith in one’s religion. It’s a way to state to the world “I belong, you do not”.
In it’s primordial origins religion emerged as a method of understanding that which could not be explained. The Earth, the natural cycles of weather, draught, storms, disease, all these natural cycles could only be explained to early man through belief, superstition and ritual. Tribalism in religion in it’s earlier form was a default since man himself is a highly tribal animal.
More important than prayer and devout faith in one’s creator is that sense of belonging or tribal membership. As many cultures have grown more and more tribal and warlike throughout history religions become merely a banner of the national tribe rather than a system of faith.
The true test I imagine would be to take a test culture, or even a test world, and suddenly remove all historical references to, and all memory of religion with the push of a button. I wonder how long it would be before religion would be reinvented? In fact I believe that religion is the symptom, not the cause, of much of what we see going on today.
Sin plays heavily in Christianity. That Jesus Christ died for our sins and then more importantly was reborn thus setting the example and hope for all mankind creates a model in which sin is in fact the root of our salvation. Yet I often ponder sin’s real relationship to Christian faith.
When I speak of sin, I am not talking about flipping someone off, speeding through a stoplight, or using the Lord’s name in vain. Rather I am referring to abhorrent behavior. Hate, anger and jealousy, murder, theft, malicious deception are a few that come to mind. These are the kinds of acts that are universally known to be wrong. This is the sort of “right and wrong” that is clearly apparent to anyone of sound mind and body. Of course from a quantum perspective “sound mind and body” is a highly subjective concept in itself.
Christian doctrine is clear about what is considered sinful. The Catholic Church even maintains official lists of what is sin and what is not while struggling over conflicts in time and culture such as birth control. But real sin, hateful and destructive behavior to one’s self and others, this is born from self-hatred and self-loathing. Self-loathing is also a primordial reality of being human. This is the roots of true sin and not some ancient mythology of a garden, a snake and an apple.
Christianity is a relatively new religion as is the Bible. Many religious systems pre-date both the Bible and the Church by a considerable margin yet even in this there is little validation. The Bible, like most religious source documents, has been altered, edited, changed and manipulated by politicians through the ages.
Other denominations such as the Mormons, the Later Day Saints, simply created (or discovered if you will) their own completely separate gospel. It’s origin is HIGHLY dubious and in saying that I am being very forgiving, but that doesn’t matter. The Mormon Church is a tremendously successful tribe, politically and financially.
Tribalism is at the heart of religion, not faith. Faith is secondary, more a prerequisite to tribal membership than a product.
Soka Gakkai International has definitely put the “tribal” into Nichiren Buddhism in my opinion. I state this as an observation rather than a judgment. In my early years attending Nichiren Shu services I could sense my own tribal identity as an SGI member (NSA back then). Other members tread carefully around me, not sure what I would do next. For one to test the waters of their own tribalism one needs only to visit another tribe.
The question is “does tribalism negate religious faith?”. The answer is simply “that is not a valid question”. The two are inseparable. Mankind has survived by way of tribalism. Unfortunately men have been unable thus far to bridge the gap between national tribalism and global tribalism. The current state of planetary war is proof of that.
I suggest only that we take some time out of our religious life to consider what our faith would look and feel like if we were not a tribe member. Tribes are safe and comfortable entities, but can also be very limiting. SGI is tribal - yes, but there are much more tribal Nichiren groups in this Country. There are Nichiren “sects” utterly hidden away from view, existing by internet only. These groups strongly rationalize their own superiority by manipulating the Gosho, and claiming supremacy in faith. It’s easy to do when you have SGI’s basic propagation efforts to build upon, or deconstruct. Blow back the fur, find the flaws and claim to have corrected them. All you need then is a cool website, a highly exclusive e-mail list (never a discussion forum, discussion is too risky) and you’re in business.
The fact is that there is a ready minority audience for any high and mighty SGI break-away which promises correctness in faith without demanding actual attendance at meetings or other uncomfortable face-to-face interaction. Can true Buddhism truly exist in this fashion? I personally believe it cannot. Relationships and dialog are the basic building blocks of self-discovery and human revolution, but I know there are plenty out there that are happy to be assured of the opposite.
Perhaps in this way tribalism is the key to true religious faith. It doesn’t really matter what I believe anyway, there are primordial functions at work throughout human life that have been unalterable and unstoppable since we first came down from the trees….
Perhaps something to ponder - perhaps not.
Rev. Greg Dilley