When One Religion Isn't Enough: The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People

by Duane R. Bidwell

An exploration into the lives of people who embrace two or more religious traditions, and what this growing community tells us about change in our society

Named a best book of 2018 by Library Journal

In the United States, we often assume religious and spiritual identity are pure, static, and singular. But some people regularly cross religious boundaries. These “spiritually fluid” people celebrate complex religious bonds, and in the process they blur social categories, evoke prejudice, and complicate religious communities. Their presence sparks How and why do people become spiritually fluid? Are they just confused or unable to commit? How do we make sense of them?

When One Religion Isn’t Enough explores the lives of spiritually fluid people, revealing that while some chose multiple religious belonging, many more inherit it. For many North Americans, the complicated legacies of colonialism are part of their family story, and they may consider themselves both Christian and Hindu, or Buddhist, or Yoruban, or one of the many other religions native to colonized lands.

For some Asian Americans, singular religious identity may seem an alien concept, as many East Asian nations freely mix Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, and other traditions. Some African American Christians are consciously seeking to reconnect with ancestral spiritualities. And still other people are born into religiously mixed families. Jewish-Christian intermarriage led the way in the US, but religious diversity here is only almost four in ten Americans (39 percent) who have married since 2010 have a spouse who is in a different religious group.

Through in-depth conversations with spiritually fluid people, renowned scholar Duane Bidwell explores how people come to claim and be claimed by multiple religious traditions, how spiritually fluid people engage radically opposed truth claims, and what this growing population tells us about change within our communities.

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Theology

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 2018

About the author

Duane Bidwell explores the intersection of spirituality, mental health and social justice as a teacher-scholar-clinician in Southern California, where he lives with his wife and son.

In addition to the books shown here, Duane edited "Spirituality, Social Construction, and Relational Processes: Essays and Reflections" (Worldshare Books, 2016).

Professionally, Duane spends his time teaching, researching, writing, and providing spiritually integrative psychotherapy and spiritual direction at Claremont School of Theology and The Clinebell Institute for Pastoral Counseling and Psychotherapy. He is a clinical Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and a minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

In his day job, Duane has three formal titles: professor of practical theology, spiritual care, and counseling at Claremont School of Theology; accreditation liaison officer at Claremont School of Theology; and senior staff clinician and supervisor at The Clinebell Institute for Pastoral Counseling and Psychotherapy.

From 2008-2013, he co-edited "The Journal of Pastoral Theology." He also co-directed "Beyond Apologetics: Sexual Identity, Pastoral Theology, and Pastoral Practice," a research project of 13 scholars constructing the next generation of thought and practice for spiritual care with the GLBTQI community.

In his off time, Duane hikes the San Gabriel mountains with his family and friends, grows native California plants, and eats and reads voraciously. He volunteers as a fire lookout in the San Bernardino Mountains.

From 2007-2009, he served on the faculty of Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, and from 2002-2007 he directed the Pastoral Care and Training Center, an accredited pastoral counseling center at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth. He has served as a parish pastor, pastoral counselor, spiritual director, hospital chaplain, and director of an interfaith HIV/AIDS agency.

Reviews

[Jason Comely · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a disciple of Christ first and foremost, but Buddhism (Zen , Mahayana) clarify a lot for me, much like studying Spanish helps me better understand English grammar. Buddhism makes me a better Christian. I need both.

If you are a multi-religious person, either by birth or by choice (as in my case), you should read this.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of theorising and personal experience makes this reflective book both a good read and a useful resource. I wouldn't have minded something more academic (in the sense of digging deeper in the theory and giving more detail about the case studies and research mentioned), but this stands well as an introduction to a complex and developing area. I did wonder, especially towards the end, whether the author should have addressed the Steve Bruce type critique (i.e., this is all just decoration on the edge of the real trend - secularisation). On the other hand, as a reader who is herself a practitioner of multiple religious belonging as well as someone who researches complex spiritualities, I found it a pleasure to read something unapologetically positive and careful in naming the benefits of spiritual fluidity.

[Eglizard · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a favorable book about my kind of people. Under Religion on my hospital patient profile is listed “Unknown,” since I would not be forced into a one-box category. Bidwell interviews people who are multifaith in practice because of migration, mixed marriages, colonialism/mission activity, or choice. It’s a matter of both/and, not either/or, in tending Mystery. Spiritually fluid people bring gifts of tolerance, collaboration, seeing the bigger picture, and shouldn’t be put on the defensive or caused to hide their tendencies.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a bit repetitive by the end, but also loved getting some insight into what it looks like to practice religious multiplicity in a world that expects and values religious singularity.
The book would have benefitted from less defending the idea of spiritual fluidity and more personal accounts of it in practice, but I am glad I read this.

[Jeremy Garber · Rating 5 out of 5]

In honor of Dr. Bidwell’s honest and compassionate book, I am officially “coming out” as a spiritually fluid person. I am a Mennonite Christian theologian who has been practicing Kriya Yoga for two years after my initiation into the lineage of Guruji Paramahamsa Yogananda. Bidwell, a pastor of practical theology and pastoral care at Claremont School of Theology, is both a PCUSA minister and a dharma practitioner. The goal of his book is to investigate and describe the spiritual lives of people like him and myself – those whose practice includes two seemingly irreconcilable worlds.

Bidwell has done extensive qualitative research on the stories of spiritually fluid people. He examines what he calls “normative” spirituality (the norm in Western society, to believe one value system as exclusive) and “exceptional” spirituality (not as in elite, but as in an exception to the norm). Bidwell writes, Exceptional spirituality values religion as a choral performance. It celebrates multiple religious voices in one person despite (what others see as) conflicting beliefs and doctrines.” He also carefully examines appropriation, which he defines as when a powerful person takes a resource and uses it to gain more power or privilege – which most spiritually fluid people do not. Bidwell also observes that there are spiritually fluid people who grow up in multiple religious contexts (as in most of Asia) and those who choose other paths because they are curious (like myself), or because they have a spiritual experience that leads to another tradition.

This collection of stories and data particularly illuminates the growing trend of the Spiritual but not Religious (SBNR). Bidwell also says, “SBNRs reject religious exclusivism, dogmatism, judgment, and the concept of sin; advocate internal spiritual authority; make pragmatic and therapeutic use of spiritual practices to achieve liberation; and see nature as a source or mediator of spirituality. They have a strong commitment to a universal truth that underlies all religions, and they see internal happiness and peace as the ultimate goals of spirituality.” As we move into a new era of global knowledge and transmission, it is important to understand the new realities of hybridity, fluidity, and resistance to hierarchy. And most of all, as Bidwell also winsomely writes, it is important for all of ourselves to humble our brains and our pride in the face of God’s Mystery – and try to experience it rather than just believe.

[Noach · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an intentionally multireligious person, I was eager to read this book. I enjoyed the author's non-scholarly approach to a topic that is often handled by academics. Personal interviews by an insider rather than grounded theory generated by curious outsiders. As is my wont with books that strongly grab my interest, I spoke my arguments to the author's categories right out loud, and i am inspired to create a blog post as a counter narrative. That's not to say i objected in major ways to the book; I did not. I really enjoyed Bidwell's rudimentary nomenclature. I feel tgat he's staked a good claim in a rich and open terrain filled with hidden treasures. Read and enjoy!

[Jim Razinha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested a pre-publication review copy of this book some time ago but was denied, and as I had some time available while recuperating from surgery, read it now. As I am still trying to understand why people have one religion, I thought perhaps Mr. Bidwell might have some insight on that line as he explains why people have more than one religion.

Well...he seemed to explain the "how", but I didn't find out anything new as to the "why". I think that's because despite being "spiritually fluid", possessing "religious multiplicity", having "multiple or complex religious bonds", Bidwell is still trapped by perspective. Oh, he does think outside the box, obviously, given his unconventional subject, but ... there is always a box. The edges of his (admittedly large) box are religion and he does not address what is outside it.

Bidwell, in addition to being a Buddhist, is "a minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA), part of the Reformed tradition of Christianity. [he is] authorized to represent that tradition, and [he is] accountable to it." I rather liked that he called it a tradition, as it tacitly acknowledges that other interpretations of his Christianity hold different views than his chosen one. This is further cemented when he says "I do not believe that God is one or that all paths reach the same mountain. Religions are not different descriptions of a single reality; they describe different (and sometimes related) realities." He earns points with this astute observation:

It’s dangerous to reduce everything to a “logic of the One,” because the qualities of the ultimate “one” usually look suspiciously like the ultimate reality proposed by the tradition of the person making the claim to unity.

Really good observation; gods are formed in our image. He also leveled up when he recounted during his Presbyterian discernment, answering the question, “Mr. Bidwell, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to achieve salvation and spend eternity in heaven with God?” with “No,” I said. “I don’t believe that.”, and then the next question, “Mr. Bidwell. Have you heard the phrase ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me’?” with

I nodded. “Of course,” I said. “But remember that Jesus in the Gospel of John is speaking as the Logos, the ruling principle of the universe, a concept Christians adopted from Hellenistic philosophy. And we don’t know that Jesus ever said those words; the writers of John had their own purposes for including them. Those words have a context we have to consider.”
I should have stopped with “of course.”

How many people do you know who speak with some authority on a religion who actually talk about context? That John paints a considerably different picture of Jesus than the synoptic gospels is often either not understood, or a distinction that is avoided.

More telltales of his box, he relates a story of "Marie Romo" (he changes names and details to protect the identities of his examples) who suffered abuses and was able to divorce, becoming "a single mom with three children and no driver’s license, no diploma, no job, no work history, and no prospects" who "out of instinct, [...] turned to God" (italics mine). No. Out of culture. Marie also practices Hinduism in her particular duality. Instinct may or may not have anything to do with it - I'm still processing Pascal Boyer on that account - but clearly, Marie's Mexican culture was her "instinct".

Still another revelation of the box in which he operates here, when discussing the problems spiritually fluid people suffer, whether to hide of disclose, he says

Disclosing multiplicity carries enormous risk. Spiritually fluid people often feel anxious when deciding whether to hide or disclose their religious multiplicity. Hiding it can protect them from judgment, conflict with others, and the need to justify themselves. But concealing multiplicity also compromises their honesty and authenticity; they’re unable to be vulnerable with people they care about, especially family and religious leaders.

Imagine a world where declaring no religion places someone in the 'least liked" category. Multiple religions surely to be better than, ... shudder..., none!

In wrapping up, Bidwell looks at W.E.B. Du Bois, who used "double consciousness" as a term to describe living between two social realities. Bidwell says

Yet double consciousness also empowers, bestowing what Du Bois called the “gift of second sight.” Because you live in two realities, you see things with more complexity. You are always aware of context and the ways that larger social systems shape how others perceive and receive you. You know the psyche of the dominant group as its members cannot. At the same time, you learn to decode and understand how others are seeing you. You anticipate their criticisms and micro-aggressions. You know how and when they consider you a problem. The gift of double consciousness allows you to trace the invisible commitments and values that collude to keep you in your place (as defined by more powerful people and communities). This knowledge makes it easier to resist and subvert attempts to devalue you, to keep you at the margin, and to convince you and others that you are illegitimate.

Bidwell's thesis is spiritual fluidity, multiple religions, give someone this double consciousness. I offer something far less complex: Simple awareness of other cultures, traditions, belief systems... Humanism ... is a greater "double".

So, the most important lesson of this book is for fluids in hiding to know that they are not alone. One wishes this good on them. Meanwhile, I still search for "why".

[Lauren Chase · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent enough book, just not what I was expecting - rather dry and academic which is fine if that's what you are looking for. I was looking for something that spoke directly *to* "spiritually fluid" people rather than *about* "spiritually fluid" people, if that makes sense.

[Nora Alshareef · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have SO much to say about this book. I think the idea is absolutely fascinating. It caught my attention immediately and I was so excited to read it. I started in January but I finished in May. I read about 10 books in between. Why? Here starts my critique😂:
The topic is absolutely intriguing. Religion is one of my favorite topics and the idea of spiritual fluidity intuitively made sense to me on a subconscious level. This book, however, was incredibly over-saturated with what I viewed to be insignificant details about nomenclature and identification. If I could sum up the entire book into one word, I would use “belabored”. Rather than writing about the different lifestyles of spiritually fluid people and how they reconcile multiple religions (the part I found most important yet wasn’t mentioned at all), the author spends a painfully long time describing different identifications. Should we use “spiritual fluidity” or “religious multiplicity”? Should we use “looking through different lenses” or “running multiple operating systems”? I know this is harsh but who cares? I hate seeing books with so much potential lose all the magic but here we are. Still worth a read if you don’t mind being inundated with absolutely mundane discourse.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I found of value in this book could have filled a pamphlet. If I hadn't been reading it for a book club I would have abandoned it halfway through the introduction. The title is misleading. I was hoping for stories about the lives of spiritually fluid people. Instead the author only touched on those stories in order to support his repetitious message that it's okay to practice more than one religion at a time. I got that from the way toooooo long introduction.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at my library because I'm interested in this topic. When I did my Masters dissertation I looked at the religious identities of people who grew up in interfaith homes. I found that a lot of the individuals follow two (or more) religions not because they find comfort in both faiths, but because they don't want to choose one religion and upset their other parent. I agree with the author that the subject should be examined because there is increasingly more interfaith families and more diversity in America. However, I was rather disappointed that the author only interviewed five people. I would love to see a more in depth study that also looks at different angles, such as religious leaders performing interfaith weddings and funerals or employers deciding if they should give a worker time off for different religious holidays.

[Brian Hutzell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea behind this book, but I had a hard time getting into it. There are an abundance of religious memoirs floating about these days—to the point where I sometimes find them tiresome—but I think Bidwell’s writing might have felt more centered if he’d injected more of his own autobiography into When One Religion Isn’t Enough. Instead, we get an assortment of study results, various third person biographical snippets, some theological musings, and the whole thing never really gels. By far my favorite part of the book comes at the very end. In the final three pages, in a section called “Provocations,” Bidwell sums up his thinking in a series of thought-provoking questions.
For a related article on this topic, check out Christian Century magazine, January 25, 2011, pp. 20-23.

[Jess Tress · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a bad book. I think a lot of the ideas explored here are well worth the read, but I did not consistently enjoy it. Some chapters were overly wordy and repetitious, while others were engaging and inspired.

My greatest criticism of the book is this: it jumps back and forth between an almost scientific exploration of complex spirituality, and anecdotes from the lives of spiritually fluid people. I wanted it to be one or the other.

I can only hope that this book enlightens and inspires others to research this topic, and maybe in the future, we’ll get a solid, scientific text on multiple religious bonds, and another book which collects the stories and experiences of spiritually fluid people (in their own words!)

[Malia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually never finished the book. I appreciated what the author was trying to do but since I am not the author’s intended audience, I found the book to be too repetitive and not terribly nuanced.

The book was written for people who want to understand how someone can believe in and practice multiple religions at the same time. As someone who falls in the Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR) realm, I was more interested in personal stories and ideas for practicing spirituality.

The book definitely has stories but I felt they were offered more from an explanatory point of view rather than an inspirational point of view.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting sociological examination of people Bidwell refers to as "spiritually fluid" individuals. They are people for whom, as he puts it, one religion isn't enough. He is talking about people who identify with and practice more than one religious approach to life. Buddhist-Christians, Muslim-Hindus, etc. He does a good job of explaining and exploring their histories and how they view themselves. The book will challenge those who are "monoreligious" (have the idea that we can only be one religion) or who have the idea that whatever their religion is is the only way. Worth the read.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While the author has a personal interest in a person having multiple religions/spiritualities, he is unable to generate any real information or enthusiasm in this reader...there is no major research within the pages...a lot of anecdotal/biographical points, but there is no arrow pointing to how and why people engage in multiple religions/spiritualities, especially ordinary people of any faith.

There is a lot concerning people (including the author) who indulge both Buddhism and Christianity, but little other combinations....

And no mention of Mirabai Starr??? Why not??

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I might classify myself as a religious skeptic, curious about religions other than the one I have been a part of throughout my life. I have often thought that religion is an accident of birth. I, sometimes, do what is expected, but, unfortunately have not experienced that intensive faith that I think others may have. So, I may not be the target audience for this book; going into it, I wasn't even sure what the author meant by "spiritually fluid." I learned that, among other interesting things.

Perhaps it was intentional, I thought the book read like a text book. This made reading a bit difficult for me. There also seemed to be some repetition, perhaps this was also intentional, but to me it was annoying. I most enjoyed the stories of the spiritually fluid and how they arrived at that point.

Some ideas that resonated with me, or I found thought-provoking:

"Religions are public expressions of a community's values, practices, and understandings. Spirituality overlaps with religion but tends to be local and idiosyncratic. It expresses a person's way of relating to Mystery through rituals, prayers, physical movements and postures, spiritual disciplines, beliefs, values, commitments, relationships, and other ways of connecting to the sacred while running errands, raising a family, and figuring out the meaning of life." (5)

"Our spirits have both genealogy and geology: the resources of our past traditions provide structure, support, and, often, sustenance for our spirituality throughout life." (52)

"Our religious and spiritual experiences - the times when we sense the active presence of Mystery- are made real through relationships. They are related and made concrete in new ways when we share them with one another." (83) (I am not sure about this idea; I think religious experience is very personal and does not necessarily need to be shared. A few pages later, as shown by the following quote, the author sees my point.)

"Putting human relationships at the center of how we form our spiritual lives minimizes the power of individual choice and fails to account for the role of ultimate realities-Mystery- in persuading people to nurture complex religious bonds." (87)

"Salvation, however, isn't a concern for most religions." (120) (I guess that I hadn't realized this; the salvation/afterlife thing is something that really bothers me.)

"...religious traditions are maps of particular territories rather than pathways to a goal." (127)

My conclusion: I am likely a "nightstand philosopher" or less.

[Robert Tansey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic but I thought there were too many repetitive descriptions as to why/how people practice or combine multiple religions. I was surprised as to how many people practice a combination of Christianity and other religions such as Buddhism, but the reasons they do are what I consider obvious - being brought up in a family where the parents practice different religions, searching for answers when one religion seems to be insufficient, etc. I found it a bit boring.

[Claire Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book as a resource while writing my own book, “The Practical Seeker: A Down-to-Earth Guide For Finding Your Spiritual Home.” “When One Religion Isn’t Enough” was a helpful exploration of the problems and potential of following two or more religions at the same time. This is an issue for those of us living in our modern, multi-cultural world, where we have more choices than ever as far as the spiritual traditions go.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t a lot of the language choices in this book, like the equation of “religiously multiple” with “spiritually fluid”. Also, I feel that the author places value judgments through language choices, which felt inappropriate for this book.

BUT overall, it was an engaging recounting of stories and experiences, and it brought light to a misunderstood and misrepresented topic, and made compelling arguments for inclusion and the future of religiosity.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book about contemporary religious life. It's full of interesting insight and it's an engagin and fascinating read.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Beacon Press and Edelweiss for this ARC

[David DeBoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. Bidwell provides insight into how a spiritual fluid person thinks and feels. I am one who chose spiritual fluidity. I grew up in a single religion family and most of my friends tend to be mono-religious. Bidwell's book gave voice to what I have felt for years.

[Jaime Oakeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, more anecdotal than I was expecting/hoping for.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Interesting, but very repetitive and dry. Would’ve preferred more stories about spiritually fluid people and less academic theory.

[Greg Soden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Jane De vries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this for my presentation on two religions in the home.

Brought out some interesting points but tended to be repetitive.

[Fred Whitlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am insight on people who expand their religious views and how its helped their spiritual life. Very interesting.

[Amy Finley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting. Great examples. However, I think it was quite repetitive.

[Ellen Keener · Rating 4 out of 5]

A subject near and dear to my own life experience. Found it more compelling and insightful in the last third of the book.

[shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Wasn’t what I was expecting, I guess. Also seemed repetitive across chapters.