Genealogy of Religion

Exploring the Origins, History and Future of Religion

Entries Tagged as 'syncretism'

Volcano Spirit Not Appeased

October 29th, 2010 · No Comments · Magic, Ritual, Shamanism

Mount Merapi in Indonesia sadly claimed its spiritual “keeper” on Tuesday.  As The Australian reports: “The body of Mbah Maridjan, one of Indonesia’s most admired mystics, was found yesterday morning in his house in ash-blasted Umbulharjo village, prostrated as if in prayer, according to searchers. Maridjan, 83, was entrusted with interpreting and placating Mount [...]

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Dolphins, Chimps & Japanese Religions

September 3rd, 2010 · No Comments · Classifications, Cultural Evolution, Definitions, History, Magic

After recently watching “The Cove” and a Mad Men episode titled “The Chrysanthemum and the Sword” — a clever allusion to Ruth Benedict’s justly famous cultural study of Japan, I decided it was time to bone up on Japanese religions.  Japan is a multi-faceted nation and getting your head around its history, culture and people [...]

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Gallo-Roman Temple Complex Discovered

August 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Archaeology, History, Pagans, Ritual

Over at The Guardian, Pierre Le Hir reports on the discovery of an “enormous religious site” or temple complex in the French countryside near Le Mans, which during the first through third centuries common era (C.E.) was known as Vindunum.  As viewers of HBO’s spectacular but short-lived series “Rome” and readers of Julius Caesar’s Commentarii [...]

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Is “Hinduism” Science Friendly?

July 8th, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age, Classifications, Definitions, Globalization, History, New Religions, Power

In yesterday’s post, I discussed Philip Goldberg’s contention that “Eastern religions” (i.e., Hinduism and Buddhism) are science friendly.  To support his argument, Goldberg relies on a very specific — and Westernized — understanding of these traditions.  Yesterday’s post was devoted to the Western construction and consumption of Buddhism; today’s post will cover the highly problematic [...]

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Sunday Sundries — Contested Faiths, Syncretic Possibilities, Morality and Sick Police Behavior

May 9th, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age, Classifications, Definitions, Morality

A quick roundup today because I am leaving town tomorrow and will be blogging irregularly this coming week.  We will begin with an examination of a theme from my earlier post on Fractured Faiths — The Myth of Unified Religious Traditions.
In this article, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche over at HuffPo Religon discusses what it means to [...]

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Religious Syncretism — Christian Yoga and Tantric Sex

May 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Classifications, Cultural Evolution, Evolutionary Adaptation, History, Pagans, Ritual

Based on keyword searches leading people to this blog, it appears that many are interested in religious syncretism.  With this in mind, I thought some comments would be in order.  To kick things off let’s take note of two recent articles, each of which sheds some minor light on syncretism.
In the first, Lois Solomon of [...]

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