Syncretism
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Syncretism is a form of religion that involves combining different beliefs from other
faiths and combining them to form a new religion. This incorporation of different religions
mainly occurs when different beliefs from other countries are brought into a country, blending in
with the indigenous religion's existing beliefs.1 Religions like Christianity, Buddhism, and
Judaism have experienced syncretism based on which region of the world the religion is foreign.
This type of transformation of different religions promotes the mutual enrichment of diverse
religious traditions.
Chinese shrines are a better example of how syncretism is experienced in China. Three
different religions in China, including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism, have blended and
formed most of the Chinese shrines.2 These three religions have come together to form a new
religion which Chinese people worship. Confucianism is a religion that represents virtues,
including righteousness and loyalty. Daoism signifies Guan Yin, on the other hand, shows how
passionate believers should be towards their religion. Lastly, the last religion described in
Buddhism shows a female figure, usually representing Guan Yin, the Buddhist bodhisattva of
compassion. These three religions have indicated how the form of syncretism combines different
beliefs of regions to form a common belief, such as Chinese shrines for the people of China to
worship.
In class, we also discussed other religions formed from syncretism's actions. For instance,
we discussed Gnosticism in Greek, which was influenced by the actions of Judaism and
Christianity in the region. 3This type of religion emerged as a combination of beliefs from
Christianity and Judaism. The religion emphasizes the supreme being known to have created the
whole world. This belief is found in both the Christian and Judaism religions. Also, the believers
1 DeMarinis Valerie, “Syncretism. “
2 Vermeersch Sem, "Buddhism and Confucianism, "231.
3 Shahbazi Hossein and Mohammad Abedi, “Gnosticism, ” 20.
of the religion believe that the world is characterized by evil doings, which is also explained in
both religions and faiths. Syncretism has influenced many religions and resulted in the
emergence of new religions. Chinese shrines have emerged from a combination of Buddhism,
Daoism and Confucianism. Gnosticism in Greece resulted from the incorporation of Christian
and Judaist beliefs.
Bibliography
DeMarinis, Valerie. "Syncretism." In Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion, pp. 2324-2327.
Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2020.
Shahbazi, Hossein, and Mohammad Reza Abedi. "Gnosticism from Thought to Religion."
Religious Inquiries 9, no. 18 (2020): 5-24.
Vermeersch, Sem. "Syncretism, harmonization, and mutual appropriation between
Buddhism and Confucianism in pre-Joseon Korea." Religions 11, no. 5 (2020): 231.
