Religious Connections

"It was in the fervid stirrings of heart religion in the Great-Awakening that the crucial transition from the "Puritan" to what is sometimes called the "Methodist" or "Evangelical Age" in American religious history occurred. The Methodist Age, inaugurated in the 1730s and 40s and continuing through most of the 19th century, was a time when "vivid feelings" often took precedence over ideas, new or old, and when modes of religion spawned by the Awakening came to prevail.”[1] The broader themes that lie within the Baptist tradition and also fall into Julia's personal beliefs can be found within moralism and combination. Moralism refers to codes of conduct put forward by societal groups, for example religious groups and is accepted by an individual for his or her own behavior. Among those who use morality, all hold that it refers to a code of conduct that applies to all who can understand it and can govern their behavior by it. On the other hand combination religion is viewed as the mixing of multiple practices taken from different branches of religion. Sometimes the beliefs seem contradictory while others mend well together. There are many reasons for the combination of traditional beliefs and unrelated traditions. This occurs for many reasons such that "where multiple religious traditions exist in proximity and function actively in the culture, or when a culture is conquered, and the conquerors bring their religious beliefs with them, but do not succeed in entirely eradicating the old beliefs or, especially, practices.”[2]

In Herskovits's words, "the conclusion that we reach is that in Africa, as in the New World, the cultural processes that will be operative will be those of addition and synthesis to achieve congruence with older forms, rather than of subtraction and substitution, with their resulting fragmentation."[3] Historically, there has been this advocacy for the combination of different practices in order to keep old traditions along side new traditions. My friend's personal practices reflect this idea of combination. She attends a Baptist church where much of the emphasis is on evangelism. However, her practices combine with other branches of Christianity. For example, she believes in the usage of sacred images, worship, and transubstantiation used in Catholicism. She also incorporates a few of their sacraments into her practices. 

Historically, "the genealogy of syncretism (combination) directs attention to larger, governments and Churches, that can shape the evaluation, indeed the very perception, of religious mixture. These institutions are themselves capable of reversing themselves and changing the rules in order to maintain control. Likewise, New World nationalisms did not form their positive views of mixture solely on aesthetic grounds, but in subversive resistance to the colonial metropolitan arrogation of purity and out of practical need to assemble numbers."[4]

The history of "moralism has become aggressive and culture affirming. During recent decades the heirs of colonial establishment-- the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Episcopal denominations; of frontier achievement-- the Northern Baptist, Methodist, and Disciples of Christ denominations; and of continental immigration-- the Lutheran and Reformed denominations-- ironically came to be called "mainline" at precisely the moment when their place was being challenged. They had long been custodians of the cultural lore, had had access to power all the way to the White House, and had occupied a privileged status in the national ethos, although not in law.”[5]

Julia's practices of morality are all self-reflective. She makes up the rules she wants to abide by. For example, her rejection of the excessive party scene is viewed as immoral while others see this as solely having a good time. When talking to her, it is clear that she sets up these standards for herself that pressure her into living by a strict code of what appears to be old-fashioned societal views on morality and immorality. Overall, she leads a life where she strives to do well, helps those around her, and develops her own personal relationship with God. She attends a Baptist church that seems to work for her but she also combines different practices from outside religions. In many ways her beliefs are somewhat individualistic.

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[1] LeRoy Moore, Jr. “The Spiritual: Soul of Black Religion.” American Quarterly, Vol. 23, No. 5 pp 658-676. (The Johns Hopkins University Press), 658-659.

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism

[3] Charles Stewart. “Syncretism and Its Synonyms: Reflections on Cultural Mixture.” Diacritics, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 40-62. (The John Hopkins University Press), 50.

[4] Stewart, 54.

[5] Martin E. Marty, “Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.” Vol. 480, Religion in America Today, pp 11-23. (Sage Publications, Inc.), 13.