Celtic Anabaptist Ministries
Dual Affiliation
The CAC, in the spirit of Christian unity and charity,
allows its members to have dual affiliations with
other Christian communions; however, the CAC does
not permit dual affiliation with those communions
with principles diametrically opposed to those of the
CAC.
Further, the CAC affirms that any such appelation as "Christian Hindu", etc., is a misunderstanding of the Christian faith. The monotheism of Christianity is incompatible with such things as the polytheism of Hinduism.
However, the CAC does affirm that anything good in a religion, and in general the religious impulse in humans, represents God's reaching out to people and people's responding to God with the light they have been given. This is fully in accord with Quakerism, Wesleyanism, Arminianism, and Celtic Christianity. For instance, Native American spirituality and Celtic spirituality share some common emphases, such as a reverence for the earth as God's creation.
For those who would criticize the belief of the CAC that the good in any religion is a reflection of God and accuse us of syncretism, they should examine their own practices. Do they allow their children to trick-or-treat on Halloween? Do they celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, knowing that Jesus was not born on this date, but that this was incorporated from the Winter Solstice celebrations of all the world's religions which commemmorated the return of the sun god? Do they allow their children to have toy bunny rabbits and hunt "Easter" eggs -- and on church property -- mingling symbols of an ancient fertility rite with a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ? Now the CAC does not condemn these things; they are done in innocence by Christians of goodwill. Further, this shows a certain commonality between all cultures. These things are mentioned here just to show how some can become fanatical about anything.
The CAC will always affirm the Quaker and Wesleyan view of John 1:9, but this in no way supports the idea that all religions are one and the same, or that Christianity is compatible with them. The CAC opposes dual affiliation with non-Christian religions.
The CAC is opposed to syncretism --the attempted blending of irreconcilable principles. The CAC is a "middle way" between theological extremes, and we seek to be eclectic within the Celtic and Anabaptist heritage, but in no way are we in favor of syncretism. This is the surest path to a one-world religion which we explicitly disavow.
Therefore, the CAC will seek to assure that all its members are in agreement with and fully supportive of the stated CAC Principles, regardless of any dual affiliation.
The CAC, in the spirit of Christian unity and charity,
allows its members to have dual affiliations with
other Christian communions; however, the CAC does
not permit dual affiliation with those communions
with principles diametrically opposed to those of the
CAC.
Further, the CAC affirms that any such appelation as "Christian Hindu", etc., is a misunderstanding of the Christian faith. The monotheism of Christianity is incompatible with such things as the polytheism of Hinduism.
However, the CAC does affirm that anything good in a religion, and in general the religious impulse in humans, represents God's reaching out to people and people's responding to God with the light they have been given. This is fully in accord with Quakerism, Wesleyanism, Arminianism, and Celtic Christianity. For instance, Native American spirituality and Celtic spirituality share some common emphases, such as a reverence for the earth as God's creation.
For those who would criticize the belief of the CAC that the good in any religion is a reflection of God and accuse us of syncretism, they should examine their own practices. Do they allow their children to trick-or-treat on Halloween? Do they celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, knowing that Jesus was not born on this date, but that this was incorporated from the Winter Solstice celebrations of all the world's religions which commemmorated the return of the sun god? Do they allow their children to have toy bunny rabbits and hunt "Easter" eggs -- and on church property -- mingling symbols of an ancient fertility rite with a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ? Now the CAC does not condemn these things; they are done in innocence by Christians of goodwill. Further, this shows a certain commonality between all cultures. These things are mentioned here just to show how some can become fanatical about anything.
The CAC will always affirm the Quaker and Wesleyan view of John 1:9, but this in no way supports the idea that all religions are one and the same, or that Christianity is compatible with them. The CAC opposes dual affiliation with non-Christian religions.
The CAC is opposed to syncretism --the attempted blending of irreconcilable principles. The CAC is a "middle way" between theological extremes, and we seek to be eclectic within the Celtic and Anabaptist heritage, but in no way are we in favor of syncretism. This is the surest path to a one-world religion which we explicitly disavow.
Therefore, the CAC will seek to assure that all its members are in agreement with and fully supportive of the stated CAC Principles, regardless of any dual affiliation.
