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their children are born without original sin. Furthermore, when these ‘‘Blessed Children’’ grow
up, they are expected to marry only other Blessed children. But Blessed children do marry non-
Unificationists; around 50 per cent of Jews marry non-Jews; and, although it may take time and
study, gentiles can convert into Judaism.
The Ethnic Location
While one may belong to an ethnic religion through birth, the boundary is not as sharp as it is for
the biological religion, either for the individual or for the religion itself. In Britain, a nice
challenge to boundaries was presented in a case involving discrimination against Sikhs at a time
when there was protection in law against racial, but not against religious, discrimination. The
solution was to define the Sikhs as an ethnic community, thereby protecting it from discrimination.
Here, it might seem, was an example of a religious identity being awarded an ethnic location
through manipulation of the law.
The Lineage
The concept of a religious or spiritual lineage is a familiar one in both Hinduism and Buddhism,
where a teacher, guru or Master can initiate devotees into a ‘‘divine line’’ which is the location for
instruction on the path to enlightenment. Anthropologists have used the concept of ‘‘fictive kin’’
to describe the creation of family relationships where blood ties do not exist. These can provide
individuals with support structures to replace conventional bonds that have been destroyed, one
instance being through the practice of slavery. Indeed, several African diasporic religions, such as
Voodoo, Santeria or Candomble´ , operate with a religious lineage. In such instances, crossing the
boundary requires considerable time and dedication. Other lineages, particularly those founded by
some Western Masters, offer almost instant enlightenment, with the crossing of the boundary
requiring remarkably little effort on the part of either teacher or novitiate, apart, perhaps, from
some pecuniary advance.
The Cultural Location
The cultural religion is located in a community of believers, and entry is commonly by birth.
There is, however, likely to be an additional rite of passage affirming one’s membership which
may occur without one’s concurrence shortly after birth, and/or one may be expected to make a
statement of faith when one is deemed to have reached an age of discretion. Conversion is
relatively easy for those who are happy to accept the cultural as well as the religious identity,
either of which may be more or less negotiable. Leaving a cultural religion may engender some
friction if one wishes to join another religion, but it may also be relatively easy to ‘‘lapse’’ or drift
away without effort if one does not make too strong a statement about changing one’s cultural
identity. Some boundaries will be stronger than others. More people ‘‘feel’’ they belong to the
Church of England than are offcial members. It would seem that the cultural identity is sufficient
to accord religious identity without the formal qualification being necessary. To be either a
Catholic or a Protestant in Northern Ireland is, on the other hand, almost like being a member of
an ethnic (or, in another way, a national) religion, and to negotiate one’s identity across the
religious boundaries, especially during ‘‘the Troubles’’,was no mean feat. Intermarriage in such a
situation would be unthinkable for many—although it has been estimated that 25 per cent of
Catholics in Northern Ireland marry outside their faith; however, 75 per cent of British Catholics
do so.
The Individual Location
The next type is one in which individuals’ religious identities are entirely up to them. They can (in
theory) enter or leave any religions they choose. Of course, others can erect boundaries to exclude
the individualist, but religions such as Unitarian Universalists or Quakers in the contemporary
West are likely (in theory) to celebrate as much permeability as the individual wants—possibly
even more than some want.
The Inner Location