Perspectives on Religious Syncretism By Griffin Willins A Battle of Good and Evil The study of religious syncretism is a divisive one. Scholars and anthropologists have long debated the ethics of the term. Some scholars believe it to describe a natural blending of different cultural ideas and practices. Others feel it describes the violation and suppression of existing religious practices, where peoples were forced to pick one system over another. There is no victor in this debate. Both sides make a valid case for whether the term should or shouldn't still apply in scholarly anthropological contexts . For some cultures, such as those found in the Americas, syncretism is an overtly positive concept. It describes their acceptance of faiths and practices both indigenous and foreign to the region. This is the case with the Quechua peoples of the Andes who practice a mixture of local traditions infused with Spanish-wrought Catholicism. For some, such as in certain African
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