Syncretic Religion
Syncretic - fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices
Cao Dai: a nationalistic Vietnamese sect, officially established in 1926, that draws practices and
precepts from Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Catholicism.
Chondogyo: or the religion of the Heavenly Way, is based on Korean shamanism, Buddhism, and Korean
folk traditions, with some elements drawn from Christianity. Formulated in the 1860s, it
holds that God lives in all of us and strives to convert society into a paradise on earth,
populated by believers transformed into intelligent moral beings with a high social conscience.
Kimbanguist: a puritan form of the Baptist denomination founded by Simon Kimbangu in the 1920s
in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Adherents believe that salvation comes
through Jesus' death and resurrection, like Christianity, but additionally that living a
spiritually pure life following strict codes of conduct is required for salvation.
Modekngei: a hybrid of Christianity and ancient Palauan culture and oral traditions founded
around 1915 on the island of Babeldaob. Adherents simultaneously worship Jesus Christ
and Palauan goddesses.
Rastafarian: an afro-centrist ideology and movement based on Christianity that arose in
Jamaica in the 1930s; it believes that Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-74,
was the incarnation of the second coming of Jesus.
Santeria: practiced in Cuba, the merging of the Yoruba religion of Nigeria with Roman
Catholicism and native Indian traditions. Its practitioners believe that each person
has a destiny and eventually transcends to merge with the divine creator and source
of all energy, Olorun.
Voodoo/Vodun: a form of spirit and ancestor worship combined with some Christian faiths,
especially Catholicism. Haitian and Louisiana Voodoo, which have included more Catholic practices,
are separate from West African Vodun, which has retained a focus on spirit worship.
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