Criticism on Religious Syncretism

Following Fisher and Ubah, Luc de Heusc believes that both scholars should combine social structural and intellectualist theories together. In doing his research on Haitian voodoo, Luc de Heusc argues that any religion, including Christianity, was ultimately a syncretic phenomenon. In approaching to it, “historical and structural interpretations have to be brought together within the scope of the anthropology of religion.”  Instead of choosing between two opposed explanations,” Luc de Heusc thinks scholars need to show how both work together, because they want a full understanding of syncretism.     

As a pioneer in the field of African religious study, John Thornton also questions traditional approaches on religious conversion. As he notices, most approaches to cultural amalgamation assume that the process took place in the Americas, with slaves arriving directly from Africa, carrying with them memories of their own religion, meeting a society which insisted with greater or less determination on converting them to Christianity. Thus, their traditional African beliefs could not survive and they would be assimilated into American society when they encountered Americans and integrated themselves into the American society. Moreover, their religious views would be conversed by Christian doctrines. This perspective is useful in helping us to understand religious encounters between Africans and Americans in the new world, but it ignores African variant of Christianity before they arrived in the New World.