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Syncretism is the combining of beliefs from different and sometimes contradictory schools of thought. Many religions, including Christianity, have practiced syncretism. It can also occur in other areas, such as music, art, and politics. Failure to create syncretism can lead to tension in society, as seen in racism. However, some suggest that complete agreement may hinder growth and progress.
Syncretism is the attempt to bring together beliefs from several different and often contradictory schools of thought. Many modern theologians argue that most religions have practiced some degree of syncretism today or in the past. Traditional Christianity, for example, incorporated a lot of Judaic thinking and also picked up practices along the way that weren’t part of early Christianity. When we celebrate Christmas with Christmas trees and feasts, we revert to the pagan rites that have been swept up and incorporated into Christianity in an attempt to convert non-Christians. If you hunt Easter eggs at Easter, you are not only celebrating the resurrection of Christ but also adding pagan Greek and Roman rituals to your beliefs as Christians.
While you can find syncretism in almost any modern religion, and you will certainly find many examples in newly formed religions such as Scientology or Bahá’í, religion is not the only area where the reconciliation of disparate beliefs can occur. When you look at a country with a high influx of immigrants from various countries, such as the United States, you will see numerous ways that a number of traditions and belief systems have blended together to create unity among the people as one country. This unity may not be entirely complete, and there certainly exist discrete belief systems in the United States that are not syncretic. The Amish, for example, while living in the United States, tend to keep their spiritual practices and way of life extremely separate from American life.
The failure to create syncretism within a society of people from many different backgrounds can lead to significant attraction and tension in a society. Racism in the United States, for example, is a position that resists syncretism because it resists seeing all people in the United States as essentially equal. Until the Constitution received amendments banning the practice of slavery and offering civil rights to all, it was not fully syncretic, and remains incompletely syncretic due to the breadth and variety of thought.
In other forms of cultural expression, syncretism has blended more easily. Rock music, for example, is the amalgamation of so many different forms of music that it’s hard to keep track of them. The art of a current period can blend the ideas of previous artistic periods, and philosophy can also approach syncretism in various ways.
Even in the political landscape, there is a constant attempt by some politicians to reach a compromise, find common ground or move towards a more syncretic vision of the country. As President Lincoln once said, “A house divided against it cannot stand” which references the book of Matthew and how countries can destroy themselves if contradictory thinking is too great.
But it is difficult to know whether truly syncretic purpose and faith are possible on a small or large scale, especially in a culturally mixed society like the United States. Some even suggest that if everyone agreed there could be no growth or progress and we would evolve into a non-thinking world. Sometimes disparate beliefs bring about a change, even though this change may not always be comfortable.
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