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Psychology of Syncretistic Practices within the Church
(A Paper Presented at the 3rd Synod of the Catholic Diocese of Enugu)
Mary Gloria C. Njoku, DDL, PhD., FPPR.
Godfrey Okoye University
Introduction
Syncretism in anthropology, sociology and religious studies reflects the meeting, mixing and
blending of components of different religious traditions or systems (Smith, 1974). Psychologists,
anthropologists and other related professional disciplines view religious syncretism as an eclectic
principle that may aid the process of acculturation, where individuals are able to integrate ideas
and behaviours of belief systems that are relevant to them. Syncretism takes place in a psycho-
cultural and socio-political context.
According to Twumasi-Ankrah (1994), affiliation of people with multiple belief systems in sub-
saharan regions of Africa can be attributed to the influence of African Traditional Religion
(ATR) existing side by side with Muslims and varied Christian groups and oriental religions. In
terms of the syncretistic practices noticed among various Christian groups, Twumasi-Ankrah
describing the anomie expressed the view that new Christian groups arose as a result of the need
to manage ambiguities and uncertainties associated with traditional Christian churches like the
Roman Catholic, Methodist and Anglican Churches. The notion is that the ambiguities and
uncertainties experienced by people affected their mental states and adaptation in the African
context. This was particularly difficult for those who had experienced western cultures. These
people had contact with both the mental world of the modern western society and that of African
traditional religion (Peel, 1968). In this context, these individuals sought ways to manage their
ambiguous experiences. Since religion provides new values and new satisfactory social
groupings, in an environment where the old ATR had been demonized, individuals searching for
affiliation with communities found syncretistic practices appealing and helpful for dealing with
their uncertainties. Churches that mix elements of Christianity and ATR were perceived as the
new moral order replacing ATR (Twumasi-Ankrah, 1994).
As I reflect on this notion of ambiguity and uncertainty, I imagine how psychologically upsetting
and stressful life might be for many individuals who previously practiced ATR and witnessed the
manner in which gods delivered judgments for challenges of their time. When they had a
problem with ascertaining who has committed evil in their land, they turned to the god of
thunder or used "ofor". They witnessed the vengeance of the gods. When they wanted to manage
certain challenges, they consulted the fortune tellers and "dibias" who recommended sacrifices or
actions that they engaged in and thus found solace from their difficulty. With the advent of
Christianity, they were exposed to a new religion which, although it sounded meaningful, did not
always provide such quick intervention as they experienced in ATR. As Ward (1956) found in
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her studies of the Ashantis of Ghana, it is possible that the presence of a new religion,
Christianity, created psychological and emotional upheavels, tensions, conflicts, anxieties,
uncertainties and other traumatic conditions among those who practiced ATR. These challenges
might have lead to a psychological need for the religions they previously experienced. The
practice of syncretism fed this psychological need. This understanding is consistent with
Twumasi-Ankrah's (1994) position that syncretism like acculturation requires a selective and
deliberate procedure that combines elements of different belief systems especially those that
meet the spiritual, social and psychological needs of the people. The purpose of this paper is to
review the syncretistic practices within the Church and the psychology of this behaviour.
Christian practices as discussed in this paper is with particular reference to the Roman Catholic
Church. The exposition of the practices of other Christian denominations is beyond the scope of
this paper.
Acculturation and Syncretism
The Church’s approach to any tradition or culture is to take what is good (e.g., use of musical
instrument), purify what is not essentially evil (e.g., moderate dancing accompanying songs
during the offertory) and reject what is essentially evil (e.g., ritual killing, making sacrifices to
idols, making and keeping charms etc.). From the Church’s stand on acculturation, syncretism
can be described as the mixing up of elements of beliefs contrary to the Church’s teaching with
the Christian belief or message. Such beliefs include idol worshiping, witchcraft, ritual killing,
focus on only the joyful mysteries of life, shopping for prophecies, miracles, power and wealth,
and engagement in occult practices.
The Church's expectation is that individuals who embrace its belief system must adhere to its
rules and express their belief in the one true God through faithfulness to the teachings of the
Church. Unfortunately, as Assimeng (1971) noted, when the new religion came to Africa, the
whole of Christianity was perceived as "an additional dimension in the African's explanation of,
and adjustment to, the exigencies of his natural and social environment." Africans may have seen
Christianity and Western culture as one and the same thing, so that when they accepted the
Christian religion without deep thoughts about the intricacies of theological exegesis of
interpretation they thought they were "becoming the recipients of a wide-ranging cornucopia of
Western goods" such as education, clothes, food, money, affluence etc (Assimeng, 1971).
Probably because of the Africans' focus on material things and the existing organization of ATR,
they showed tolerance for other religions that appear to possess similar benefits (Peel, 1968). In
addition, Christian and Western influence did not uproot Africans from their traditional
cosmological ideas which Ebigbo and colleagues (1995) described as endocosmic (intrapersonal
level), mesocosmic (individual and others) and exocosmic (individual and laws) ideologies. This
suggests that, for Africans to achieve a stable or harmonious mental state, they still needed a
balance of the cosmos. In ATR practice, making sacrifices to a variety of deities (such as deities
for health, wealth, rain, children etc.) were common. Therefore, the shifting of African Christians
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from one church to another and the practice of mixing elements of a variety of churches and
religions could be a reflection of the polytheistic experience of the efficacy of having several
spiritual agents for various needs. Thus, syncretistic practices could be perceived as a medium
through which Africans shop for their physical, spiritual, social and psychological needs.
In the face of challenges experienced by people in our country, Nigeria, in this modern society
where impersonal bureaucratic methods of social control has become the dominant factor,
religion might appear to be an exotic consumer item that is subject to personal style. Shoppers
now choose from arrays of spiritual products. According to Wilson (1975), the modern world has
spawned "a supermarket of faiths; received, jazzed-up, homespun, restored, imported and exotic.
But all of them co-exist because of the tendency of the society towards secularisation." Our
secular world seem to have normalized the idea of combining or shifting through religious
practices.
Kirsch (2004) captured the shifting in his story of a pastor of the Spirit Apostolic Church in
Zambia who was perceived by his congregation as having spiritual abilities which he displays
either by stretching out of the limb of the sick, laying on of hands or singing of specific songs.
Despite his prowess in his church, he secretly visits other denominations whose practices
contradicted those of his church (e.g., the use of herbal remedies for healing the sick) and when
asked why, he explained that he was unsure of the efficacy of the practices of his own church.
This pastor also participated in a traditional cult treatment of his sister and visited a traditional
herbalist, all of which contradicted the belief system of his church (Kirsch, 2004). In this pastor's
case, his shifting through varied belief systems seems to have been motivated by a lack of
confidence in his church. It appears that he was uncertain about the primary healer, God, and the
process of healing.
In our own country, Nigeria, we have many similar stories of pastors who either self-proclaim or
are acclaimed by their adherents as healers, witchcraft expellers or root-problem solvers. During
the day in their churches they carry the bible, and at night they visit occult, herbal, traditional
healers, fortune tellers etc. to get power. Similarly, some church adherents now commonly visit
any place (Christian or non-christian) where things are reported to be "happening". They go to
their primary church by day and secretly (or sometimes publicly) attend to the other religion or
belief system. Some have even decided to term it "giving to God what belongs to him and to
Caesar that which belongs to him". It is no longer unusual to visit a Christian home and find
effigies of both their Christianity and those of the ATR.
As previously stated, Christianity did not wipe away the ATR belief system. The initial
missionaries attempted to spread the Christian faith by keying into what people already knew,
indirectly creating a syncretistic platform which may have lead to integration of the practices that
are contrary to the Christian faith into Church practices. A current example of syncretistic
practice in the Church is the perception and understanding of the Holy Spirit as a destructive part
of God that is intended to give out immediate punishment to offenders. In the real sense and as
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presented in the New Testament of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is never destructive but rather the
comforter and the advocate who teaches the truth. The way we are now using "Holy Ghost Fire"
reflects the concept of Amadioha, the God of thunder and lightning, who is invoked when there
is a need to destroy an offender.
Other Examples of Syncretistic Practices
A brief list of some syncretistic practices give a sense of their variety:
Ezeagu Story- When parishioners brought cases of family quarrels, business challenges and
illnesses, the priest referred them to the town river to offer goats and cocks or to native doctors
for solution or direction.
The Prayer Warrior’s Story - A charismatic prayer warrior sends people who come for
consultation to the town’s crossroad to leave some kola nuts and palm fronds sprinkled with
Holy water as a way of reconciling with spiritual forces disturbing them.
Quest for miracles
Visiting fortune-tellers (prophets and prophetesses)
Visiting churches and quasi-churches in search of prosperity, fruit of the womb etc. – this
shifting through churches represents the ATR mode of constantly seeking for the more potent
god
Pastors and priests mimicking the pagan style of entering people’s houses backwards
Quest for an avenging and terror-striking god
Using sacramentals as charms
Burying of crucifixes
Believing that voodoo, charms and their like are responsible for all misfortunes
Differentiating grades of blessings as a factor of the priest giving the blessing. This behaviour
represents the ATR assumption that the priest is as powerful as the shrine he serves and some
shrines are more powerful than others
Fear of witchcraft and "evil" people
Perceiving the Mass or the Church just as a place to appease God for wrongdoings so as to avoid
hell fire
Songs and prayer contents such as Anam aju onye ji oke ahu rurum aka..., Onye n’achom
achuzilam onweghi ihe mere gi ……., back to sender and Holy Ghost fire
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A priest going to other Catholic prayer grounds to consult with more powerful priests and
returning with more power for the Wednesday healing ministry
A sister going to a Catholic prayer ground because she is suspicious that her fellow sisters are
using charms on her. She sprays Holy Water and olive oil from the prayer ground and believes
that she has vanquished the devil.
Psychology of Syncretism within the Nigerian Church
In terms of attribution for deviant behaviours and failures, Nigerians often exhibit an external
locus of control, which is the tendency to attribute failures and weaknesses to such outside forces
as voodoo, charms and witchcraft. For example, I taught my students the process of memory and
its relationship to studying, retaining information and retrieving the information during tests and
examinations. Instead of understanding the impact of the forgetting curve as posited by Hermann
Ebinghaus and appropriate methods of studying to enhance retention and retrieval, several of the
students demonstrated that they believed that "wicked" people use voodoo to "zap" what they
learn. They were apt to assure me that some people in their families, clans and villages were
"evil" people. The sad part of this story is that attributing challenges like reading and
remembering information to pass examinations to juju, witchcraft and their like take away
responsibility from people and make them to become less focused on positive things they can do
to improve their life outcomes. This attitude demonstrates a syncretistic belief system.
Worthy of note here is that the Church recognizes that there are evil forces in the world and for
this reason established exorcism section to manage such problems. The Church in its wisdom,
however, expects that efforts should be made to exclude the manifestation of physical,
psychological and social symptoms before consideration of exorcism. This implies that it is only
after a careful examination has revealed that the presenting problem is evil forces-oriented that
exorcism can be performed by the designated exorcist. The problem in Nigeria is that most
Christians tend to ascribe to spiritual or evil forces issues that can be understood and solved
medically, psychologically or socially.
The other psychological phenomenon that seems to explain the syncretistic practices in the
church is the need for achievement. This is a concept that suggests that all human persons have a
need to achieve. Most people generally reach their target goal through gradual authentic effort. A
typical Nigerian displays "a get rich quick" syndrome. It is possible that the civil war affected the
ability of Nigerians to plan and manage long-term goals, hence the get-rich-quick mentality.
Many Nigerians appear willing to do anything to become rich. Stories of ritualistic killings, visits
to spiritual churches and their like that contradict authentic Christian belief abound in every nook
and cranny of our country. Nigerians seem to prefer outward to inward reward system. Outward
reward system is associated with extrinsic motivation, which reflects engagement in tasks for
money, recognition, or other material reward. In contrast, for the inward reward system
connected to intrinsic motivation, people perform activities because of the challenge, the interest
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they have in the task and or feelings of satisfaction or joy they derive from the task (Brehm,
Kassin & Fein, 1999). This outward reward orientation might explain why the gospel of
prosperity is more attractive than the holistic gospel that presents joyful, sorrowful, glorious and
luminous moments. Some individuals have normalized practices that support the get-rich-quick
mentality. There is currently an insinuation that certain church group members who are supposed
to be defenders of the faith consist of people in cults. Could this be true?
In addition, the culture focusing more on shame (external) instead of guilt (internal) makes it
easier for Nigerians to tend towards appeasing God for their wrong doings. So the perception of
the Mass or the Church just as a place to appease God for wrongdoings in order to avoid hell fire
becomes more appealing than making effort to do good things because of intrinsic motivation.
Further, most Nigerians seem to believe that the problems they have are enormous and need
special intervention. Whereas the truth is that life is challenging. When we accept the challenges
of life, we can work towards overcoming them. Most people fail to see this truth about life being
challenging and therefore they spend most of their life and time groaning and bemoaning the
enormity of the problems they are facing. But knowing that just about everyone on our planet
earth, is experiencing problems of varying degrees, one should be drawn to note that challenges
and problems are part of the package that goes with life. Some of us go as far as insinuating that
the problems have been uniquely designed and meted out upon them, their family, village, town,
state or nation. In this way, they make the challenges look like something that is not meant for
everyone and thus justify their need for shifting through a variety of belief systems in search of
the one that will take away their problems.
Linked to the above is the psychology of fear which can also be described as the
paranoid/addiction pathway to syncretism. Most Nigerians display a fearful disposition (Ebigbo,
2010). Prayer houses and traditional healers tap into the fear psychology and exert great
influence on them. Due to this fear, some people turn to whatever belief system that can give
them assurance of safety despite the fear the feel. So it is not unusual to see people who know
nothing about the rosary wearing it as a protective charm around their neck and hands. Some will
go as far as wearing both the finger rosary and another ring they received from a spiritual or
traditional healer. The bigger issue with facing fear through the use of charms is the addictive
impact this can create. Because the charm does not directly ameliorate fear, once a person begins
the practice of making charms for protection, the tendency is to acquire more charms as the fear
heightens. For example, Obioha acquires a charm to deal with fear of illness. As the fear
increases or diversifies, he gets more supposedly potent charms to protect himself.
An important aspect of the psychology of syncretism has to do with the feelings of uncertainty
associated with the Christian belief system and the need to fill the gap creating the uncertainty.
In an effort to manage the psychological disharmony, Christians may turn to other religions they
believe would solve their problems. Also, someone's view of the world can lead to syncretistic
practices. For example, someone who sees the world as a fearful and hostile place, is more likely
to approach the world with behaviours intended to confirm their worldview. Adlerian theory tells
us that we “construct” our reality according to our own way of looking at the world (Myers,
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2007). The basic mistakes most people make include avoidance of others, seeking power, a
desperate need for security and faulty values. These are behaviours and values that more likely to
lead to church or religious "prostitution."
Further, everyone on earth has a need to achieve balance or harmony. For the Nigerian, harmony
is achieved when all the cosmic levels, namely, endocosmic (intrapersonal level), mesocosmic
(individual and others) and exocosmic (individual and laws) are duly maintained (Ebigbo et al.,
2010). Some Christians resort to a mixture of belief systems to attain this harmony.
The social learning theory posited by Albert Bandura could also explain the lure for syncretistic
practices within the Church. According to social learning theory, we learn by observing and
imitating and by being rewarded or punished (Myers, 2007). Some Christians might initially
practice syncretistic behaviour because of the examples of their social network and then maintain
the behaviour if they appraise its actions as rewarding.
Some psychologists, however, posit that the quest for survival makes syncretism attractive to
Christians, especially when the combination of elements of varied belief systems seems to
provide solutions for their needs (Ezenwa, personal communication, 6 November 2013). Lastly,
the Gestalt and Existential principles of wholeness and the search for meaning may lead the
Nigerian to mix elements of varied churches and religions.
Put together, a variety of constellations could make syncretism appealing to the Christian as
shown in the diagram below. The diagram proposes that a variety of factors representing a
biopsychosocial model contribute to individual outcomes. In this model, for example, given a
family culture of syncretism, a poor self-understanding, poor Christian foundation and a
dysfunctional environment such as family and friends who support poor Christian behaviour and
stressors, an individual is more likely to engage in syncretistic practices. Thus, two individuals
may have a similar familial culture but if they have divergent life experiences and family
dynamics, they are more likely to have different religious outcomes.
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Figure 1: Biopsychosocial Model of Syncretism
The Way Forward
If we truly want to inculcate Christian practices, we must teach people the authentic practice of
our belief system in our Churches. Just as efforts have been made during this year of faith to
revisit catechesis and faith instructions, conscientious attempts should be made to educate
Christians on appropriate practices of the Church.
Secondly, we need to demystify the evidence for efficacy of syncretism through education and
on-going formation for all. Christians need to know the secrets of the purported efficacy of
certain visionary and fortune tellers. The first technique as described in Myers (2007) is the
"stock spiel" (p. 616) which is premised on the notion that we are unique in many ways and alike
in other ways. The fact that certain life issues are the same for all of us enables the seers to make
statements that seem accurate. They often start with this general true statements and aided by
further information they get from us, they make pronouncements that appear accurate about our
problems. In Nigeria today, because of our tendency to believe in witchcraft and unseen enemies,
most of the contents of seers' information centre on people pursuing us, holding our destiny or
Poor Christian
Foundation
Stressors
Antecedents
Outcome
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killing us. The second technique used by seers is to study our physical features, clothing,
nonverbal signs and reactions to their statements to make certain accurate assumptions about us
(Myers, 2007). Clearly, most of the messages we receive from seers are drawn from common
behaviours and verbal and nonverbal information we provide.
Thirdly, the clergy and consecrated men and women need to work towards understanding the
Christian belief systems and accompanying practices. Because of the spectacular roles of the
clergy and consecrated men and women in the Church, any misguided behaviour can mislead
other Christians. Persons in authority in the Church must be individuals who are solidly rooted in
Christian practice and they should strive to guide those placed under them in matters of faith and
observance of the Christian belief system. Where there is evidence that a clergy or consecrated
person is practicing syncretism, those in authority should take seriously their responsibility for
calling the individual to order; and guiding him/her towards better understanding both for the
person's own sake and so that they can better serve others.
Fourthly, it might be helpful to educate Christians to understand the psychological, social and
biological basis of certain challenges they attribute to spiritual things. For example, Christian
women who are entering menopause should know that they could experience symptoms of
migraine headache, hot flashes and a constellation of emotions as a result of the physiological
changes associated with menopause. Christians should also know that their personal worldview
can affect their life outcomes. Issues of dreams and their interpretations should be managed
appropriately to assist Christians towards an adequate understanding of levels of consciousness
and dreams. It might also be worthwhile to ensure that Christians get basic knowledge of other
specific developmental milestones and issues to help them to be better prepared to manage life
challenges and thus avert the lure for the search for their spiritual meaning and consequent
syncretistic practices.
Lastly, the Church might need to provide opportunities for the Church community to share their
worries, uncertainties and questions about the efficacy of our Christian belief. We must also
work on reducing the tendency to be secretive about many things, especially illnesses and
difficult family conditions. I recall that a priest at St. Cajetan Chicago who suffered from
depression after recovery shared his experience with parishioners through the Sunday bulletin
and encouraged them to share their own challenges and seek help (Burke, 1998). Within six
month 50 parishioners also shared their experiences with the disorder and those who needed
psychological help reached out for treatment.
Conclusion
The Nigerian is predisposed to syncretistic practices because of the ATR context of our society
where it was considered normal and appropriate to have many "gods" for a variety of human
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needs. This socio-cultural context cannot be erased easily. We would need to actively
deconstruct some of our faulty worldviews in order to learn and live authentic Christian life.
I encourage us to learn our collective and individual psychology to facilitate our ability to
manage certain challenges we encounter in our daily living. One thing that impresses me about
psychology and learning is the fact that a good understanding of our strengths and weaknesses
can lead us to specific and targeted learning. Learning differentiates us from other forms of life
that have genetic predisposition for all their activities. I am encouraged by the fact that we can
unlearn maladaptive behaviours and learn new information. Syncretistic practices are
maladaptive. Therefore, we need to enroll ourselves in the school of the Holy Spirit and the
physical Church to be taught authentic Christian practices.
My Lord Bishop, revered Very Rev. Monsignors, Rev. Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Mothers and
Fathers I thank you from my heart for participating in this presentation. God bless you.
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