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syncretism

Assimilation of two or more originally discrete traditions

EntityQ172904

Subclass of: belief system

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Syncretism is the combining or merging of various distinct beliefs or schools of thought, particularly religious ones. For instance, features and components of one religion are incorporated and absorbed into another. It can include assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in theology and mythology, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to multiple faiths. While syncretism in art and culture is sometimes likened to eclecticism, in the realm of religion, it specifically denotes a more integrated merging of beliefs into a unified system, distinct from eclecticism, which implies a selective adoption of elements from different traditions without necessarily blending them into a new, cohesive belief system.

Overview

All data

29 statements · 28% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Has characteristic: eclecticism

On other databases

25 identifiers linking syncretism across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

28%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 25, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). syncretism (Q172904). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/syncretism-Q172904