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This is a book based essay, based on the book A brief History of Humankind. If you choose religion, you need to defend or critique Harari's claim on page 223. If you wish to go to tthe history route, your task is to choose one of the three approaches to history that Harari explains on page 242-243.
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Syncretism the Greatest Religion
Syncretism entails the unification of two or more religious beliefs from unrelated
traditions. Religious syncretism occurs in places where several religious traditions coexist and
play significant roles in the culture. It can also occur when the conquerors impose their religious
beliefs on their new territories but do not succeed to outdo the traditional beliefs and practices. In
religious syncretism, when two cultures interact, there are likely to interchange religious ideas
(Harari 210). During the interaction, the dominant culture tends to prevalent in the exchange.
The newly established heterogeneous religion is often unique. The impact on syncretism can be
understood through the analysis of religious faiths such as Christianity, Hinduism, and
Buddhism. For instance, it is difficult to identify most Christian sects in Korea due to the
dominant syncretic impact of Buddhism and the traditional Korean belief. These religious faiths
continue to integrate various belief systems (Singh, 21). The religions also continue to evolve as
the philosophies of humankind increase and decline in popularity. Although the majority of
Asian religious faiths embrace a monotheistic origin, analysis of all religions reveals that it is
challenging to sustain religious practices without incorporating syncretism.
The analysis of Buddhism can support the assertion that syncretism is the greatest
religion as one of the religions that have been impacted by syncretism. Initially, the majority of
the merchant class practiced the Buddhist faith. In the course of their merchant activities, they
interacted with people from different cultural backgrounds (Harari 213). As such, Buddhism
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managed to move along the Silk Road to other regions such as China and Central Asia. As
Buddhism continued to spread, those who embraced did so based on the settings of their
respective cultures. For instance, Mahayana Buddhism became more prevailing in China than in
India. Unlike in India, the Chinese version of Buddhism did not place great emphasis on strict
practices or meditation. Mahayana Buddhism was more accessible to ordinary people because
they could get involved in acts of devotion to receive salvation. The more approachable version
of religion spread by the missionaries, together with merchants, enabled Buddhism to gain a
significant portion in Asian regions such as China (Vuong 2). Moreove...