Ethnocentrism is Not Necessary

In this week's reading (Chapter 4 of Glimpses), some statements raised "red flags" for me:

"Every group assumes their way (is) the proper, correct, natural way for humans to live.  This called is ethnocentrism, i.e., the tendency for each group to assume the superiority of its beliefs and practices."
"Some degree of ethnocentrism is necessary for group cohesion and self-respect."
"In their eagerness to leave ethnocentrism behind, some religious liberals have moved so far from narrowness that they have become wishy-washy..."
 "At what point does tolerance become lack of commitment?"
"If your faith is as true as mine, why follow any?"

I think that it is indeed quite possible to have a clear set of beliefs and not necessarily think that one's beliefs are necessarily "the" proper and correct way to live, nor to think they are superior.  I think it is possible to simply live by a set of beliefs because they resonate with one's soul, mind, body and entire being.  There can be a middle ground, a middle path, between thinking one's beliefs are "superior" and being so open-minded that we are "wishy-washy, or "suffer from a "lack of commitment."  This middle ground can simply be an understanding that one's beliefs work for oneself to produce peace and happiness, and yet, are simply one particular path to God, not better, or worse than other paths.  I think this is a goal that we can strive toward.  In certain cases, it is already a reality for me. 

Group coheasion can still exist without ethnocentrism.  One can have a successful, clearly- defined group that does not think of itself as superior to other groups, and yet knows that the practices of that group work well for those who are involved in that group at this particular time.  For instance, I practice a form of meditation called kriya yoga which stems from the Hindu tradition.  However, vipassana meditation in the Buddhist tradition is not inferior to kriya yoga, and kriya yoga is not superior to vipassana.  Both lead to illumined states of consciousness.  Spirit has simply guided me to practice this technique.  It works better for me, however, I do not think that the technique itself is inherently superior, or that Hinduism is superior to Buddhism.  If vipassana meditation and Buddhist practices resonate with others, then I would say that they should practice what feels right to them.  I don't think
e needs to be any feeling of superiority in order to have a well-defined individual and group practice and to have cohesion as a group. 
I think that superiority creates some degree of negativity between spiritual groups, and is really unnecessary.  I think we can be more mature than this and still retain our cohesion as a group.

The question "If your faith is as true as mine, why follow any?" is simply answered: because my faith resonates with me and yours resonates with you.  The forms and practices of kriya yoga resonate with me.  I am open to analyzing, evaluating, re-adjusting them, etc. as all good theologists do, and I do this frequently.  I also continue to learn more about other spiritual practices. 
I don't agree with all the practices of the religions on our planet, and so there may be certain ways in which I am ethnocentric.  I don't think that one religion should verbally attack members of another religion simply because they have differing beliefs for instance, and this occurs in our world.  However, I am loathe to say that I am "superior" in my spiritual beliefs because I choose not to do this.  I would simply say that in my experience, discussion rather than verbally attacks, creates more peace and love, and allows for constructive results.  Is this superior and ethnocentric?  Perhaps, but maybe we can think in terms that don't use the word "superior."  I think there is a respectful way in which we can dialogue with people of differing beliefs without being ethnocentric, respecting another tradition, and yet not choosing it as one's own practice.  Having a feeling of superiority puts the other group in a defensive stance before the dialogue has even begun, and deep listening and loving communication are much more difficult to achieve.  It is healthy to find things that one disagrees with, but to think that one is superior because of this, I feel, is a mistake.  I think we can avoid these labels, and simply try to find what works for us.  This will always vary from group to group, but we can at least take the judgments of superiority and inferiority out of the equations. 

I think that all religious paths can be practiced with such integrity and beauty that eventually we will be able to look around at all of them with deep love and respect.  We will be able to practice our path, with our concepts and forms, knowing that it resonates with us, and yet have a deep sense of reverence and respect for other religious paths, not seeing them in any way as inferior and ours as superior, yet still practicing and being true to our own method because it resonates with our being.