The goddess and Mary the mother of Jesus

Type :

Term papers

Pages :

7 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

05/13/2009

Category :

Political science

Sub category :

Social sciences

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Summary :

Introduction
Mary the Mother of Jesus
Attributes of the goddess
1. The virgin
2. The mother
3. The crone
4. Queen of heaven
5. The vegetation goddess
Replacement
Conclusion

Abstract

Syncretism means the merging of different forms of belief or practice. The word comes from the description of the fusion of Cretan cities, and is often used in the religious context to describe how new religious and spiritual ideas moving into a culture merge with the ideas that already exist in that culture.We see this illustrated today by looking at the differences between European Catholicism and South and Central American Catholicism. The saints honored and the rituals practiced in Central and South America are heavily influenced by the traditions and rituals that existed there before European Catholicism was introduced. Another example of syncretism in action is Zen Buddhism in the United States, which has taken on a different flavor than Zen practiced in Japan, particularly in the position and role of women in the tradition.In antiquity, the mergers that occurred were even more significant.

When Roman conquerors invaded a new area, they would adopt the Gods and Goddesses of the people there, sometimes identifying those Gods and Goddesses as different names for deities already existing in Rome. For example, a local goddess would be declared an aspect of Isis or Diana. When Christians took over new territory, either by force or by conversion, they used similar tactics. However, because the Christians believed in a single male God, they did not incorporate the local Gods and Goddesses as deities. They did bring them into Christianity, though, either by identifying them with important Christian figures, sometimes canonizing them as saints, or by turning them into evil demons who were enemies of the Christian figures.