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Cultral Syncretism

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Submitted By marihotti
Words 668
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We have previously discussed syncretism and its definition and meaning. However, what legacies have the differences in types of encounters and degrees of cultural change left today? If we consider syncretism within the arenas of philosophy and religion, we can see that the melding of earlier cultures has had a lasting effect, even today. As cultures recombine with one another, they often create a new blend of teaching and belief systems from the two different cultures. However, some western religious syncretism occurred in China during the mid-late 1800s, its hybrid form not only refashioned a new belief system but also coauthored a massive rebellion known as the Taiping rebellion. While Hung Hsiu-ch'üan and his cousin baptized themselves in a well and Hung Hsiu-ch'üan called himself the other son of God, they called upon (Hooker, 1996) gender equality and sobriety, absolutism in the government and hierarchy established and even in worship during the Opium wars and rebelled not only against the foreigners and the despots then arising in opposition to foreign extraterritoriality but also to the Manchu rulers they blamed for the burgeoning group of people in the poorest class. More importantly, perhaps, this syncretism combined with the numerous cultural forces and western religions in the land, became militarized and regrettably eventually took between 30-50 million lives (Hooker, 1996). Syncretism is a fascinating amalgam of different cultures that exist at various times. We can see this in the Catholic Church looking to transform the natives of Africa. Colonization, post-colonization, and Roman Catholic attempts to spread their own good news to a society of native peoples contributed to the growth of both religions over time. Perhaps, the most famous and well-known accounts include the Spanish colonization and its Roman Catholic Church's proselytizing of

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