Editing Syncretism (section)

== Religious syncretism ==
{{main|Religious syncretism}}

{{Further|Hellenistic religion|Hellenistic Judaism|Christian influences in Islam|Iranian religions#Medieval period}}
{{seealso|New religious movements}}
[[File:Statue of the god Anubis.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The god [[Hermanubis]], an example of [[Ancient Greek religion|Greco]]-[[Ancient Egyptian religion|Egyptian]] syncretism]]
[[File:Taranis Jupiter with wheel and thunderbolt Le Chatelet Gourzon Haute Marne.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|left|The god [[Taranis]]-[[Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter]], an example of [[Ancient Roman religion|Romano]]-[[Ancient Celtic religion|Celtic]] syncretism]]
Religious syncretism is the blending of two or more religious [[Belief#Collective belief|belief systems]] into a new system, or the incorporation into a religious tradition of beliefs from unrelated traditions. This can occur for many reasons, and the latter scenario happens quite commonly in areas where multiple religious traditions exist in proximity and function actively in a culture, or when a culture is conquered, and the conquerors bring their religious beliefs with them, but do not succeed in entirely eradicating the old beliefs or (especially) practices.

Religions may have syncretic elements to their beliefs or history, but adherents of so-labeled systems often frown on applying the label, especially adherents who belong to "revealed" religious systems, such as the [[Abrahamic religions]], or any system that exhibits an [[exclusivism|exclusivist]] approach. Such adherents sometimes see syncretism as a betrayal of their pure truth. By this reasoning, adding an incompatible belief corrupts the original religion, rendering it no longer true. Indeed, critics of a syncretistic trend may use the word or its variants as a disparaging epithet, as a charge implying that those who seek to incorporate a new view, belief, or practice into a religious system pervert the original faith. Non-exclusivist systems of belief, on the other hand, may feel quite free to incorporate other traditions into their own. Keith Ferdinando notes that the term "syncretism" is an elusive one,<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url= http://www.missiology.org.uk/pdf/cotterell-fs/15_ferdinando.pdf|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=BlqxOQAACAAJ|chapter= Sickness and Syncretism in the African Context|author= Ferdinando, K.|title= Mission and Meaning: Essays Presented to Peter Cotterell|editor1= Antony Billington|editor2= Tony Lane|editor3= Max Turner|publisher= Paternoster Press|year= 1995|isbn=978-0853646761}}</ref> and can refer to substitution or modification of the central elements of a religion by beliefs or practices introduced from elsewhere. The consequence under such a definition, according to Ferdinando, can lead to a fatal "compromise" of the original religion's "integrity".<ref>
{{cite book
| last1 = Ferdinando
| first1 = Keith
| chapter = Sickness and Syncretism in the African Context
| editor1-last = Billington
| editor1-first = Antony
| editor2-last = Turner
| editor2-first = Max
| editor2-link = Max Turner (theologian)
| title = Mission and Meaning: Essays Presented to Peter Cotterell
| year = 1995
| url = https://missiology.org.uk/pdf/cotterell-fs/15_ferdinando.pdf
| publisher = Paternoster Press
| publication-date = 1995
| page = 272
| isbn = 978-0853646761
| access-date = 2018-06-30
| quote = The Christian faith is inevitably assimilated in terms of the existing structures of thought of its adherents, whatever their culture. Nevertheless, there are points at which the worldview of any people will be found to be incompatible with central elements of the gospel; if conversion to Christianity is to be more than purely nominal, it will necessarily entail the substantial modification of the traditional worldview at such points. Where this does not occur it is the Christian faith which is modified and thus relativised by the worldview, and the consequence is syncretism. [...] The term 'syncretism' [...] is employed here of the substitution or modification of central elements of Christianity by beliefs of practices introduced from elsewhere. The consequence of such a process is fatally to compromise its integrity.
}}
</ref>

In modern [[secularism|secular]] society, religious innovators sometimes construct new faiths or key tenets syncretically, with the added benefit or aim of reducing inter-religious discord. Such chapters often have a side-effect of arousing jealousy and suspicion among authorities and ardent adherents of the pre-existing religion. Such religions tend to inherently appeal to an inclusive, diverse audience. Sometimes the state itself sponsored such new movements, such as the [[Living Church]] founded in [[Soviet Russia]] and the [[German Evangelical Church]] in [[Nazi Germany]], chiefly to stem all outside influences.