Example Of Syncretism Research Articles

Pachamama Christianity: The Pan-Amazonian Synod and Indigenous Religious Identity

In the early hours of the morning of October 21, 2019, two right-wing Catholic men broke into the church of Santa Maria in Traspontina, Rome. They stole four carved wooden statues of a naked pregnant woman that had been on display and used in a papal ceremony during the Pan-Amazonian Synod that was nearing its conclusion and threw them into the Tiber River. What was the meaning of these statues and the ceremony in the presence of the pope in which they appeared? Was this an example of syncretism, of dual religious belonging, or an exercise in what Pope Francis called “daring prudence” in terms of inculturation of the gospel? This article, the 2022 Louis J. Luzbetak Lecture at Catholic Theological Union, takes the incident of the theft of the statues and the controversy that followed as an opportunity to propose a more creative and bolder approach to the relationship between mission and culture.

ORIGINALITY AND DISTINCTNESS OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF HRIHORIY SKOVORODA

The article analyzes the assessment of the philosophy of Hrihoriy Skovoroda, which does not fit into the traditional historical and philosophical image, based on the method of philosophizing of the Western European philosophy of the New Age. The reasons for different, often mutually exclusive, versions of the interpretation of the Ukrainian thinker's philosophy are determined. It is proved that the philosophy of H. Skovoroda is a unique example of syncretism of the original philosophical system and his own life position in. At the core of H. Skovoroda’s of world understanding is "eternal philosophy" as wisdom. The aspiration of G. Skovoroda was not the discovery of some new principles or the creation of an original and in some ways significantly different from all other philosophical system, but familiarization with the higher truths of being for their practical implementation in everyday lifeIt is shown that the philosophy of H. Skovoroda opens before us a holistic vision and perception of everything that exists, which is lacking not only for modern people, but also for modern "professional philosophy". The power and significance of the original creative heritage of the thinker for Ukrainian philosophy is revealed in the context of the ideas of antheism, cordocentrism and deep existential motives.

Iconografías angélicas de los siglos XIX y XX en el Cimitero Acattolico de Roma: psicopompos, triunfantes, dolientes y seductores

Tradicionalmente se ha considerado que la naturaleza dual de los ángeles, a medio camino entre la divinidad y la humanidad, los convertía en las representaciones iconográficas más adecuadas dentro del contexto funerario. Herederas de las esculturas de mármol que desde el Renacimiento adornaban las sepulturas, en el siglo xix estas efigies experimentaron una serie de cambios en su aspecto físico que las fueron acercando cada vez más a la imagen que hoy en día tenemos asociada a los cementerios contemporáneos. Esa nueva iconografía contaba con un amplio abanico de posibilidades: ángeles psicopompos, ángeles triunfantes, ángeles dolientes... En el presente estudio nos proponemos trazar una panorámica de las iconografías presentes en el Cimitero Acattolico de Roma, uno de los lugares más peculiares de la Ciudad Eterna por la convivencia que se dio en él entre las tradiciones de las distintas sociedades protestantes y el sustrato católico en el que se encontraban inmersas. Los ángeles que adornan sus sepulturas también acusan esta doble influencia, y sirven como un ejemplo perfecto de sincretismo no solamente entre religiones, sino también entre mentalidades.

Otra vez sobre el sincretismo

Este texto es una nueva reflexión sobre el sentido del sincretismo entre pueblos indígenas de América. Frente a la opinión extendida de que estos pueblos son el ejemplo más claro de sincretismo, se defiende la idea de que las sociedades indígenas no han formado culturas sincréticas sino que las distintas tradiciones presentes en ellas (la cristiana y la «pagana») están claramente diferenciadas y cumplen funciones distintas.

Syncretism and Surrogacy in Modern Times: Two Models of Assimilation

Levenson argues that syncretism (blending) and surrogacy (replacing) constitute two distinct, prevalent, radical, yet largely overlooked forms of assimilation in the modern era. As examples of syncretism, he offers Jewish-Christianity and Jewish-Buddhism; as examples of surrogacy, secular Zionism and psychoanalysis. He distinguishes these two modes of assimilation both from older forms of inward acculturation which wittingly or unwittingly incorporated outside influences into an agreed-upon Jewish culture, and from more moderate forms of modern assimilation, such as the formation of Jewish subcultures or the transformation of Jewish identities into functional replacements for a religiously oriented civilization. Recognizing that older concepts of essentialism have been discredited by the academy, the author explores the nature of syncretism and surrogacy as an encouragement to greater reflection on the radical implications of these changes for modern Jewry.

Desirable people: Identifying social values through celebrity news

In this article, we define the notion of ‘celebrity news’, emphasizing the fact that the portrayal of film stars embodies the imitable and the inimitable and, consequently, points towards values. In that context, we discuss the results of a thematic content analysis of a wide corpus of the daily and weekly European, French-speaking printed media to reveal which values are highlighted in celebrity news; we also compare these results with the contemporary values which emerge from recent European and global surveys of values. We then compare the various types of printed media. Finally, we focus on a specific aspect emerging from the main content analysis: the ‘meltdown’ or ‘fall from grace’, which records the decline of a star figure. Such narratives are good examples of syncretism in values, in which very contradictory attributes in celebrities are made to coexist, yet in which the subversive aspect of such a confrontation is passed over. We conclude by showing that the widespread negotiation of different values perceptible in reporting on celebrity figures is a sign of an era of change and re-evaluation, and therefore deserving of study.

The Somatics of Syncretism: Tying Body and Soul in Haitian Religion

The convergence of African religion and Christianity in the Atlantic world has inspired some of the most significant and most analyzed examples of syncretism in the study of religion. Scholarly discussions of these phenomena, however, tend to portray religions like Vodou in Haiti and Candomblé in Brazil as mergers of various Euro-Christian and ‘‘traditional’’ African elements that chiefly result from processes of cognitive ideation, thereby blurring the integrative somatic dimensions of religious syncretism. Modes of embodying knowledge, power, and morality are thus largely absent from the discussion of religious syncretism in Haitian Vodou and Catholicism, as well as other contact-cultural religions, whose congregational and performance spaces now span national boundaries. Drawing upon the historiography of Kongolese and Haitian religion, and on our multi-site ethnographic research among religious communities in Haiti, to think about religious syncretism in the African diaspora, this paper focuses on two key metaphors of mimetic knowledge and embodiment, mare and pwen (tying and point), arguing that they are both fundamental processes in Haitian religious syncretism and essential tropes for understanding Haitian Vodou and Catholicism, processes that are of predominantly Central African, and especially Kongolese, origin.

Habitus et hybridité: une interprétation du syncrétisme dans la religion afro-catholique d’après Bourdieu

The meeting of traditional African religion and Catholicism in the Americas has produced some of the most significant and most analyzed examples of syncretism in the history of religions. Much scholarly discussion of this phenomenon, however, tends to portray religions such as Candomblé in Brazil and Voodou in Haiti as formalistic conglomerations of Euro-Catholic ‘‘items’’ and African ‘‘survivals’’, thereby blurring the integrative theological creativity of Africans and their New World progeny. Employing Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘‘habitus’’ and ‘‘capital’’ to theorize specific historical and contemporary examples of Kongolese influences on Haitian religion, the author aims to help clarify the epistemological role of African agency in Afro-Catholic syncretism.

The crux of the cross: Mahikari’s core symbol

This article discusses the cross as a central symbol in the two sects of Mahikari-Siikyo Mahikari and Sekai Mahikari Bunmei Kyodan. An analysis of the use of this symbol leads to a discussion of other aspects of Mahikari's cosmology, particularly its emphasis on Japan's role in the plan of salvation. Okada K6tama, recognized as founder by both groups, offers an explanation of the faith based on the special significance of certain sounds and numbers, and the esoteric relationship of concepts based on the Japanese idea of kotodama. Mahikari's doctrine, as explained by Okada, presents a critique of modern materialism and promises a transformation to a spiritual age, a transformation in which Japan will presumably play a central role. IT WOULD RAISE FEW EYEBROWS to point out that the symbol of the cross is neither a Christian invention nor a Christian monopoly. Most Christians, nevertheless, would probably feel rather ambivalent if they encountered in the main sanctuary of a Japanese New Religion not only the cross but other familiar symbols, such as the Star of David and the swastika. This quite natural reaction says much about how deeply we associate certain symbols with certain interpretations. No interpretation, however, can so appropriate a particular symbol-not even the cross-to the extent that it renders all other interpretations spurious. One way to view the New Religions' use of the symbols of other religions is as yet another example of syncretism. The New Religions, however, might respond by asking, 'Whose syncretism? From their perspective the original interpretation of the symbols could well be theirs, and that of the other religions syncretistic. Fascinating (and * I would like to thank my former student, Ohashi Masako, for producing the fine drawings of the figures, and Professor Kondo Hitoshi, Trustee of the Nanzan Academic Society, for granting permission to use these figures, first published in KNECHT 1993.

Kayokyoku: An Example of Syncretism Involving Scale and Mode

fortissimo, lasting for several measures which may be followed by an instrumental solo with other instruments providing harmony and rhythm. This is followed by a second tutti lasting again several measures. After this introductory passage by the orchestra, a vocal solo begins and the orchestra plays the accompaniment. In spite of these obvious similarities to Western popular music, anyone who is familiar with European music and unfamiliar with kayokyoku would immediately recognize, upon first hearing, that kayokyoku is distinctly different from any form of music in the Western world. This is because it contains some elements derived from traditional Japanese popular music. The vocal tech,lique in kayokyoku songs ranges from that typical of Western art music to the kind of vocalization used in traditional folk and popular music in Japan. In the latter case, the voice is more nasal, the range of vibrato is narrower, and the frequency of the vibrato per second is often higher than in European music. This is most clearly seen in melismatic songs which make up the majority of all Japanese vocal music. The melodic