Christianity monument at the
Texas State Capitol. Although traditionally Christianity is seen as primarily orthodoxical (as in the
Nicene Creed's "I believe in ..."), some
Christian denominations and leaders today, from
Catholic to
Evangelical Christians, have started to describe their religions as both orthodoxical and orthopraxic. The premise is correct belief compels correct action, and incorrect action is caused by incorrect beliefs. Taking this combination of "correct belief" and "correct action" a step further,
prosperity theology, found in charismatic and Pentecostal traditions, teaches correct religious belief and behavior receives material reward and physical healing, in addition to being a necessary component for accepting God's
grace. Prosperity theology is a concept known as reciprocity when discussing traditional or ethnic religions such as that in
Ancient Greece, but is limited to correct behavior over any one theological idea. The applicability of
biblical law in Christianity is disputed. Most Christians believe that some or all of the
Ten Commandments are still binding or have been reinstituted in the
law of Christ. A minority of Christians are
Torah-observant and at the other extreme are
antinomian and
Christian anarchistic views.
Eastern Christianity Praxis is a key to understanding the
Byzantine tradition, which is observed by the
Eastern Orthodox Church and some
Eastern Catholic Churches. This is because praxis is the basis of the understanding of faith and works as conjoint, without separating the two. The importance of praxis, in the sense of action, is indicated in the dictum of Saint
Maximus the Confessor: "Theology without action is the theology of demons." Union with
God, to which Christians hold that
Jesus invited man, requires not just
faith, but correct practice of faith. This idea is found in the
Scriptures (
1 Corinthians 11:2,
2 Thessalonians 2:14) and the
Church Fathers, and is linked with the term
praxis in Byzantine
theology and vocabulary. In the context of Orthodoxy, praxis is mentioned opposite theology, in the sense of 'theory and practice'. Rather, it is a word that means, globally, all that Orthodox do. Praxis is 'living Orthodoxy'. Praxis is perhaps most strongly associated with
worship. "Orthopraxis" is said to mean "right glory" or "right worship"; only correct (or proper) practice, particularly correct worship, is understood as establishing the fulness glory given to God. This is one of the primary purposes of
liturgy (divine labor), the work of the people. Some Byzantine sources maintain that in the
West, Christianity has been reduced "to intellectual, ethical or social categories," whereas right worship is fundamentally important in our relationship to God, forming the faithful into the
Body of Christ and providing the path to "true religious education". A "symbiosis of worship and work" is considered to be inherent in Byzantine praxis.
Hinduism Hinduism places an emphasis on orthopraxy in that it is concerned with sanātana dharma (everlasting dharma, with dharma meaning, roughly, appropriate ways to live). In the case of
Hinduism orthopraxy and ritualism are conflated. Emphasis on ritual vs. personal salvation (
moksha) was a major division in classical
Hindu philosophy, epitomized by
Purva Mimamsa vs.
Uttara Mimamsa (Vedanta). Ritual (
puja) continues to play a central role in contemporary
Hinduism, but the enormous complexity of ancient ritual (
yajna) only survives in a tiny minority of
Shrauta practitioners. Even Hindus who diligently practice a subset of prescribed rituals are called orthoprax, to contrast them with other Hindus who insist on the importance of correct belief or understanding. The correctness of one's interpretation of the scripture is then considered less important than following traditions. For example,
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a well-known example of an orthoprax Hindu. In terms of "proper conduct" and other ethical precepts within the Hindu framework, the core belief involves the divinity of each individual soul (
jivatma). Each person harbors this "indwelling God (divinity)"; thus, conduct which unifies society and facilitates progress is emphasized. Moreover,
Maimonides codifies his
13 principles of faith as a binding theological dogma, and according to Maimonides some laws of the
Torah require the acceptance of certain basic beliefs, such as the first and second positive commandments in Maimonides'
Sefer Hamitzvot, which mandate the belief in God and his indivisible unity, or the recitation of the
Shema. Maimonides' codification of
Jewish law even contains a section entitled
Yesodei HaTorah, which delineates the required beliefs of Judaism.
Neopaganism British Traditional Wicca British Traditional Wicca is highly orthopraxic, with "traditions" (as denominations are called) being precisely that — defined by what is traditionally done, rather than shared beliefs. Other
Neopagans may or may not share this quality, as noted by
James R. Lewis, who draws a distinction between "Religious Neo-Pagans" and "God/dess Celebrants." Lewis states the majority of the neopagan movement is strongly opposed to religionist traditions that incorporate any form of orthopraxy or orthodoxy. In fact, many Neopagan organizations, when discussing orthopraxy, limit themselves solely to ritualism.
Kemetism Kemetism is the revival of
Ancient Egyptian religious practices. They honor and follow their own selection of
neter (
Ancient Egyptian Deities;
Egyptian Language:
nṯr,
nTr). They may choose to incorporate
Ancient Egyptian philosophies in their daily lives.
Polytheistic reconstructionism Reconstructionist religions make full use of orthopraxy, defining their practices as a lifestyle, and identifying correct action as living life in accord with specific ideals and principles, rather than focusing solely on ritual or promoting a single cosmology, metaphysical idea, or theological theory as absolute truth.
Taoism Taoism understands the right way of living as one that is in alignment with the Tao, "The Way", referring to the way of the universe - the patterns of existence around us, which are constantly being explored, understood, and re-interpreted. If you are living in accordance with the pattern of the Tao - the source, the universe, the pattern of everything - you are living rightly. ==See also==