TRADITION AND TRADITIONALISM

   “A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka , you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask 'Why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!” (Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof)
   Yes, but Tevye was more wrong than right. For the most part the reason why they did what they did was traditionalism. There is a difference between the two and a very important one at that. The great religious historian Jaroslav Peilkan distinguishes the two thus: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” When we do what we are doing because it is part of us, part of our past, we do it because it is a tradition. When we do what we do because we always do it – “we always do it this way” – even though it has lost its meaning, we are succumbing to traditionalism.

   Both tradition and traditionalism die hard. I think traditionalism dies a slower death. Traditions are wonderful. But when they no longer have any meaning for us, even though they might have had once, and certainly did for our forefathers and mothers, then we will allow such traditions to die. Traditionalism, on the other hand, seems to die kicking and screaming. We are reluctant to let go of what is because we want to hold on to the past even though we do not live there nor ever want to go back there.

   For some reason we are not afraid to let go of traditions, even very long-standing ones. Perhaps the reason is that we understand they no longer have any real meaning for us and certainly no longer make any sense. Traditional family gatherings are like that. Where once they were very important – everyone comes together for Christmas, and we wish they still were, now everyone is scattered around the country and keeping such a tradition is well nigh impossible. And so we reluctantly allow the tradition to die.

   Traditionalism, on the other hand, seems to grab hold of us and won’t let go. We find reasons to keep on doing what we are doing because we think if we let go, we will never be the same again. We even convince ourselves that the traditionalism we want to preserve is akin to dogma. If someone can make a case why it is not, we still refuse to give up and give in because now it has become dogma for us.

   As Anglicans we claim that the basis for our faith is scripture, reason and tradition with a strong helping of experience, scripture being primary, however. We believe that everything necessary for salvation is found in scripture but also add the corollary that not everything we find in scripture is necessary for salvation. Tradition helps us determine which is which. But so do reason and experience. Even scriptural mandates are not immune to such determining and, perhaps, letting go; but more on that later.

   Much of which masquerades as tradition is really traditionalism. The problem is that it is not always easy to determine the difference. But we must. As long as the traditions we hold dear are living, breathing reminders of our faith and aids in keeping it alive and relevant and our lives in balance, we should maintain them. But when they fall into the realm of traditionalism, when we hold on to them because we are afraid to let them go, perhaps even claiming all hell will break lose if we do, then we are trying to maintain something that has already died.                        WJP