When I think about the dichotomy between traditionalism vs. modernism in any religion, I try to examine how we use each approach to determine the ways we should go about living our lives according to our religious beliefs.
A traditional approach tells us that all of the answers can be found in the scriptures. Followers of a religion need to base their lives on their scriptures, but there can be a risk of using individual scriptures to answer a question, instead of considering the entire body of work to determine the intent of the higher power for one’s life and behavior.
A modern approach can focus more on the individual’s application of the scripture to his own life and behavior. This more often includes a consideration of the entire body of the scripture, but can leave the believer open to misinterpretation of the intent of the scripture.
According to most religions, scripture covers everything, but I believe that it needs to be critically applied. Context is very important, and I think that approaching religion from a purely traditional viewpoint often causes us to miss out on what the faith itself stands for. My own religious beliefs, and the beliefs of many others, are based around the concept that we should love God and love one another. However, I think that the concept of loving one’s neighbor often gets lost in the translation when we read scriptures for their face value and forget to apply the concept of love to the principles of our faiths. (See 1 Corinthians 13.) A lot of times, traditionalists and modernists alike can get bogged down by judgment and “straining gnats while swallowing camels.” Following a combination of both forms can help believers stay true to the overall concept of love for one another.
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