Overview of World Religions: Syncretism

By S.G.D.

Hybridity is a common result of cultural interaction and often leads to rich diversity and innovation: witness North America's smorgasbord of foods-Chinese, Indian, Italian, French, Thai, and more-or the influence of Latin, African, European, and Asian musical traditions on our popular music.

Syncretism, however, is the mixing and matching of religions, a blending of gods, loyalties, and rituals. It is not a religion unto itself, but the result of intermixture of cultures. In Western culture, people are often swift to reject the concepts of sin and absolute truth in favor of "designer" spirituality, blurring Native American with Eastern religions, and suggesting that Islam and Christianity are equal. The fusion of Christianity with other religions is sinful-syncretism denies the authority of Christ's claim to the cross.

In the Bible

God commanded the Israelites, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," yet the Old Testament shows the Israelites dabbling in syncretism over and over again. As they adopted the agricultural customs of the Canaanites, they also adopted the Canaanite gods of rain, Baal and Asherah. Their encounters with other cultures not only brought them new knowledge, but often tempted them to acquire idols to replace Yahweh, their one true God.

On the Mission Field

Syncretism poses cultural challenges to missionaries. In countries like Ghana, where almost every shop sign in the city of Accra seems to somehow work in a reference to Christianity-the Cheap Barbershop of Divine Love, the God's Love Is Great Snack Shop, Jesus is the Cooling Spot-it is tempting to believe that the gospel message is startlingly universal. However, these apparent signs of Christianity often do not signify salvation, but rather the syncretistic mixture of vaguely Christian terminology with pagan, animist, or folk religionist beliefs.

Missionaries strive to discern whether religious activity is the result of syncretism or true heart-change by asking questions like these:

Is the believer praying to God or to former idols and spiritual ancestors or saints?
Do they insist on words, props, postures, or other actions that must accompany prayer?
Do they believe prayer should be at a certain time, place, or frequency?
Do they believe that following these conditions increases their ability to "coerce" God?

In the animist's worldview, material gain is achieved by performing the proper rituals and ceremonies, and Christian prayer is perceived as just another ritual, rather than the clear sacrifice of self and dependence on God.

Missionaries must understand the myths and value-systems of cultures in order to communicate the transcendence of the gospel and interpret the motives of nationals, who may be swift to make syncretistic professions of faith while still performing old rituals.