Buddhist-Christians in Cambodian America

Abstract

Former refugees from Cambodia, along with their American-born children, frequently travel between the two countries, thereby blurring the lines between ‘Cambodian’ and ‘American’ identities. At the same time, there exists an almost ubiquitous conception of Cambodian cultural heritage as inseparable from Buddhist religious affiliation. In this context, some Cambodian-Americans who have adopted Christianity maintain both religious identities. Engaging in religious activity at the temple and at the church, these Buddhist-Christians defy the widely held Western view of religions as mutually exclusive of one another. Honouring two or more religious traditions is far from unusual in Cambodia, where the royal coronation ceremony combines Buddhist and Hindu elements, and where Chinese or indigenous Cambodian religious practices often infuse daily Buddhist practice. In this article, I explore dual religious belonging in the Cambodian-American context and call attention to the ways in which it exemplifies a perspective, prevalent in the non-Western world, that religion is hybrid by default; often is driven by a desire to enhance faithfulness vis-à-vis one's primary religion, be it Buddhism or Christianity; and can be characterised by a longing to maintain Khmer cultural identity while also acquiring potential practical and spiritual benefits associated with Christianity.