Syncretism Revisited

syncretize: tr. v. to reconcile and unite differing elements or beliefs, especially with partial success or a heterogeneous result.

This blog is about the synthesis of ideas and the search for truth and meaning in many sources, along with an attempt to unite and reconcile the differing elements. I hope for partial success and welcome results that contain paradoxes. Life is complex and mysterious. I am a generalist and have a divergent learning style. That means I like to start with a general idea and seek specific examples, often branching in unexpected ways to discover new connections. My faith is deeply grounded in liberal religion, which recognizes that revelation is an on-going process and is never sealed. Truth is an evolving phenomenon. The task of making meaning from our experiences of life is never complete.

I want to rescue syncretism from the bad rap it's been given. Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, the last week of Lent. What better example of Christian syncretism than the celebration of the rites of spring — of fertility and resurrection — the rituals of Easter? Stories of the death and resurrection of a hero were common themes in mythology long before Jesus was crucified. The shared meal, breaking of bread and passing a common cup were signs of fellowship and community long before the Last Supper. Bunnies and eggs represented fertility along with the spring flowers in pagan celebrations of spring. Seems to me that every modern world religion has been based on something that came before — and often combined practices from several sources with partial success and heterogeneous results in order to repackage and 'market' a new world view within an existing cultural context. So rather than dis those who practice syncretism, I'm all for embracing and celebrating the syncretors — after all, we have met them, and they are us.

I want to be clear that what I post here represents my personal opinions, not necessarily those of the congregation I serve nor of Unitarian Universalism. And of course I've been deeply influenced by both in the course of my ministry.