Syncretism

A detailed Summary of Syncretism

All religions are very specific with the details which set that religion apart from others. However, when all the little details are melted away, there are only a mere handful that are different in essence. When looked at closely, even the religions which are perceived completely dissimilar at first glance are surprisingly similar. For example, the Voodoo religion, and that of early Christianity are stereotyped as extremely different, but with closer inspection, not only are these two religions are very obviously similar, but Voodooism stemmed, partly, out of Christianity. Both religions revolve around a mortal individual being used as a mouthpiece by a higher, being, be it spirit or god, to communicate with our mortal world. Yet at the same time, each religion has taken it's own path and although equivalent in essence, have very different aspects with respect to background (such as time and status), as well as publicity, and language.

In the Voodoo religion, a priestess hosts a number of different ceremonies each year. During these ceremonies, one of the people present (usually the priestess herself) is supposedly possessed by one or more spirit(s) who th

The details which create differences between these two religions, are extremely important to both religions. For example, the background of both religions consists mostly of the times each priestess practiced her prophetizing. While the Pythia lived in the 14th century BCE, Mama Lola is very modern and still lives and practices her religion today. Thus, even though the time eras are extremely different, the idea of prophetizing has lived long enough to still be alive in present times, although it is in it's own, Voodoo manner: as different a manner it may be which makes a large difference in the two religions. Secondly, status has a large effect on the difference of the two religions. Pythia, on one hand, was sought after by many, and people came from all over the Mediterranean to seek this precious advice, and often left a plethora of gifts. Her cave had a temple built around it, and she was extremely well known. In comparison, Mama Lola came from the extreme poverty of Haiti in the Dominican Republic. She held her ceremonies in the basement of her small apartment, and often had a hard time gathering enough people, or 'family members' for her services in a city which is jam packed with people everywhere you go. This aspect of the two religions creates a large gap of difference, though the core of both religions remains the same.

Yet one more aspect which exhibits the substantial difference between these two religions without effecting their core, is language. The Pythia at Delphi prophetized in tongues which needed to be interpreted by certain, trained people; the prophetic priests. Without these translators who rephrased Pythia's prophesies into nice and neat prophetic prose, the entire oracle itself, -regardless of which one, would be useless. What good is a prophet who cannot be understood? In opposition, when a spirit came to one of Mama Lola's ceremonies, it spoke in a known language so that it could be understood by anyone spoke it, or cared enou

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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion