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Religion in the 21st Century is complex and varied. In addition to Abrahamic religions there appears to be a growth in tailor-made beliefs.
The trend of made-to-measure belief systems is not new; in fact so-called religious syncretism has roots dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. The importation of religious practices, and deities, has been a well established practice throughout the ancient world. For instance, the Romans imported the Greek God Dionysus into Rome as Bacchus and there is evidence that many Roman spiritual traditions have roots in Celtic beliefs amongst others. New World Syncretism The slave trade and the discovery of the new world ushered in a number of new belief systems. For example, slaves and natives faced with new and enforced beliefs found innovative ways to follow their traditional beliefs. In Latin America, for instance, elements of Roman Catholicism were integrated with a number of slave cultures; religions such as Candomble, Voodoo and Santeria are examples of what emerged. Mark Fineman’s article that ‘Parallel Faiths of Jesus and African Deities Meld in Cuba’ which was published in on the 25th January 1998 in the Los Angeles Times, considered how animistic religions were adapted into Roman Catholic teachings. He described how Catholic iconography plays a double role to those following syncretic beliefs, to the extent that many church attendees are actually coming to worship these icons. Natalia Bolivar, a Cuban anthropologist, in her interview with Fineman argued, however, that this may not necessarily be described as religious syncretism because the adoption of Catholic icons was used to mask animistic gods and was not in fact a melding of belief systems. 21st Century African Religious SyncretismIn Africa, syncretism is alive and well. Many so-called indigenous churches have sprung up which allow followers to adhere to the Christian faith and follow some their indigenous customs; an example is the Zion Christian Church (ZCC). According to a December 2007 Financial Mail article by Nicky Smith and Larry Claasen, ‘Religious Institutions - Zion Christian Church’, the ZCC is the largest church in South Africa with an estimated 5 million members. There are a number of similar Africanized churches that are gaining popularity throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As Christian and Islamic proselytizing increases we are seeing more Africanized versions of the either belief system, or both are emerging. In his 2006 article ‘In Africa, Islam and Christianity are growing - and blending’, which was published in the January edition of the Christian Science Monitor, Abraham McLaughlin, described the apparent merging of Christianity and Islam in a new religion called Chrislam. McLaughlin interviewed a number of worshipers at the Chrislam or "The True Message of God Mission" who described their belief that both religions are compatible. According to McLaughlin’s research the group was in the beginning called "Chris-lam-herb" owing to its utilization of elements of Christianity, Islam and traditional medicine. In a time of increasing religious intolerance, it may be argued that religious syncretism is key to developing cultural tolerance. On the other hand, it could be argued that syncretism, in the form that is practiced largely in Africa and Latin America, actually erodes the integrity of the original belief systems. No matter which argument is used, the question must be asked ‘if religious beliefs are mixed and matched, what is the value of the ultimate belief?’
The copyright of the article Religious Syncretism in Alternative Spirituality is owned by Odilile Ayodele. Permission to republish Religious Syncretism in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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