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In the constantly shifting cultural world that students now live in, even within the Christian world the style of church is changing, and nontraditional churches are growing rapidly among the American population.
One church within the Christian faith, Mosaic, meets in four different places each Sunday, including a Los Angeles night club and a Beverly Hills high school. For Michele Pinkham, a resident director at Pepperdine, finding an atypical church felt like a relief.
“I grew up in church, and I hated it,” Pinkham said. “I felt like we kept hearing the same message over and over again: ‘You're a sinner, repent. You're a sinner, repent.’”
Pinkham was also interested in the unique format of the church, which utilizes video, dancing and a worship band that plays songs with a harder edge.
“Everything we do at Mosaic exists because somebody wants to serve Jesus with his or her talents,” she said.
Pepperdine Sophomore Michelle Pena had a similar encounter with the community of believers at Mosaic.
“Mosaic is passionate about God, people and about people discovering their earthly purpose,” Pena said. “When you are there, you don’t feel like you are with a lot of ‘fake’ people but with people who know they are broken and who are sincerely pursuing God.”
Christianity is changing as society changes, and new trends are springing up in a culture that is more accepting of alternative views.
Whether society calls them religious fads or permanent traditions, many religions and practices that were previously unheard of are now becoming a part of the philosophical landscape.
Hollywood’s recent fascination with Kabbalah, a sect that emphasizes the divine law of Light that can affect people of all faiths more so than a specific religion. In fact, many who practice Kabbalah believe it to be the fundamental truth of all religious teachings like Christianity or Islam.
“There are aspects of Kabbalah that predate Judaism, but you can not separate the two,” said Max Wieman, director of Kabbalah Made Easy. “The Creator is the whole point of everything that Kabbalah teaches; the Infinite Being that created all that we know of. This being is without limit and definition.”
Those who practice Kabbalah say they are in good company, declaring that some notable historical figures have been Kabbalists. This list includes Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad and Plato. Kabbalah doesn’t rest on faith, but on absolute knowledge. In fact, a main doctrine of Kabbalah is not to believe anything read or heard without personally testing its accuracy. Kabbalah, meaning “to receive,” is based on a text called the Zohar, which believers claim will bring fulfillment and peace to the lives of its followers.
“The Kabbalah includes all mystical wisdom contained in Judaism. The main compendium of that wisdom is the Zohar,” Wieman said. “The Bible is a holy book. The Koran is a holy book. The Zohar is not holy as a book; its ideas are holy. It’s a record of the oral transmission of these ideas.”
The Church of Scientology, which has also gained recent notoriety, was formed in the 1950s by L. Ron Hubbard. This sect believes in a relative truth called “the ARC triangle,” according to Steve Jacobson, executive director at the Church of Scientology, Mission of the West Valley. Scientology uses a triangular method for spiritual awareness of affinity, reality and communication. People of any faith can adopt the creeds of Scientology, as it does not ask a person to discount what he or she has learned in other faith studies.
“What I felt in the past was that religion was vague,” says Jacobson. “With Scientology, the underlying truths are what you’ve observed to be true. That’s what we hold most dear and most strongly.”
Scientology is based on a creed created by L. Ron Hubbard, which consists of a description of man’s inalienable rights such as the right to defense, sanity, and free thinking as well as ideas dealing with the soul of man and the laws of God. Jacobson said the teachings and practices in Scientology, although sometimes misunderstood, are very practical and have transformed the way he lives.
“People criticize what they don’t understand,” he says. “I am so much better at what I do because of the technology I’ve learned in Scientology.”
Many students driving through Malibu Canyon find it difficult to miss the Malibu Hindu Temple, part of the Hindu Society of Southern California. Hinduism, the third largest religion in the world, worships the god Brahman.
“Brahman is comparable to the term ‘infinity,’” said Prasun Kumar De, a member of the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. “He is complete. There is nothing that needs to be added. Brahman can never be defined, but something you cannot conceive of, something you cannot think of, can still exist.”
Although Hindus worship other gods, De said they are only manifestations of the ultimate power, Brahman, as is every aspect of reality, including each person.
“Brahman wished to be manifest through human beings,” he said. “He takes a shape which human beings can understand. Brahman wished I would take this shape of mine. I am a part of Brahman. You are a part of Brahman. One of the main objectives of Hindu life is to realize that [we are] a part of Brahman.”
Hinduism, which was not founded by a specific prophet, evolved from Veda scriptures thousands of years ago.
“Our tradition is intact,” De said. “The chanting people use is the same chanting done 4,000 years ago.”
Although Hindus believe Brahman is the ultimate truth, they also believe that other people can still attain wisdom, peace, and wholeness through their own study of faith.
“We believe that truth is one but that people describe it in different ways,” De said.
The religious landscape is changing; as with many parts of culture, religious traditions have evolved over time.
The various sects emphasize the diversity of the United States and its inhabitants. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 800,000 immigrants enter the United States annually. As immigration continues to increase steadily, it is likely that religious beliefs will continue to become more diverse.
Submitted 02-16-2006
MALIBU, CA
