Word of the Month: Syncretism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism

Syncretism in Christianity

Nascent Christianity appears to have incorporated many European Pagan cultural elements, "baptizing" or "Christianizing" them to conform with Christian belief and principles, at least partially, through discarding theologically or morally incompatible elements. One example of this is the strong connection between the thought of St. Augustine and Neoplatonic thought, and St. Thomas Aquinas' many citations of "The Philosopher" by Aristotle. Many scholars agree to this syncretism in principle, though any specific example is likely to be labeled "controversial". Open Theists (a subset of Protestant Evangelicals) assert that Christianity by the 3rd and 4th centuries had incorporated Greek Philosophy into its understanding of God.

"Syncretism" was not on the table when Christianity split into eastern and western rites during the Great Schism. It was invoked however with the rifts of the Protestant Reformation, with Desiderius Erasmus's readings of Plutarch. In 1615 David Pareus of Heidelberg urged Christians to a "pious syncretism"^{[citation needed]} in opposing the Antichrist, but few 17th century Protestants discussed the compromises that might affect a reconciliation with the Catholic Church: the Lutheran Georg Calisen "Calixtus" (1586-1656) of Helmstedt School was opposed by Johann Hülsemann, Johann Georg Dorsche and Abraham Calovius (1612-1685) for his "syncretism".[1] (See: Syncretistic Strife)

The modern celebrations of Christmas (as celebrated in the northern European tradition, originating from Pagan Yule holidays), Easter and Halloween are examples of relatively late Christian syncretism. Earlier, the elevation of Christmas as an important holiday largely grew out of a need to replace the Saturnalia, a popular December festival of the Roman Empire. Roman Catholicism in Central and South America has also integrated a number of elements derived from indigenous and slave cultures in those areas (see the Caribbean and modern sections); while many African Initiated Churches demonstrate an integration of Christian and traditional African beliefs. In Asia the revolutionary movements of Taiping (19th-century China) and God's Army (Karen in the 1990s) have blended Christianity and traditional beliefs.