“I offer descriptions of three ways of being with sameness that vary in their means of approaching differences:
1. Syncretism: the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought…. This blending of the belief systems and practices of two or more religions, such that a whole new religion (or at least a distinctly new sect of one of them) emerges, recognizes differences but incorporates them into a type of sameness.
2. Appropriation: the act of taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission.
3. Appreciation: the recognition and enjoyment of the qualities of someone or something. This is where I hope we can all come to rest together, finding ourselves in asking questions about one another’s traditions, rituals, practices, and faiths with respect, curiosity, and humility."
