Christianisation of Polabia and Pomerania (tenth–twelfth centuries). An outline of the process, the missionary strategy and practice. Part II

This paper seeks to explore the processes of Christianisation occurring between the tenth and twelfth centuries in Polabia and Pomerania. It looks at a large number of sources, which can be re-analysed to yield fresh data. The issue is particularly important for the research on the conversion of Slavic peoples.

Christianisation of Polabia and Pomerania (tenth–twelfth centuries). An outline of the process, the missionary strategy and practice. Part I 

This paper seeks to explore the processes of Christianisation occurring between the tenth and twelfth centuries in Polabia and Pomerania. It looks at a large number of sources, which can be re-analysed to yield fresh data. The issue is particularly important for the research on the conversion of Slavic peoples.

Japanese religious syncretism

Syncretism is a conceptual model that signifies the alliance, amalgamation, or combination of the assumptions of different religious, philosophical and cultural systems that are objects of interest in cultural, religious and social studies. Nevertheless, less attention has been paid to this process as an educational phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the issues related to Japanese religious syncretism. It comprises the presentation of the main religious currents and spiritual traditions present in contemporary Japanese culture, as well as the idiosyncrasies associated with their peculiarities that carry the potential for informal cross-cultural education. This translates into some peculiar features of the cultural identity of the Japanese with their eclectic and inclusive qualities. In contrast to the negative connotations associated with syncretism in the context of the European cultural milieu and Christian dynamics, Japanese syncretism in this regard has positive connotations because it implies reconciliation between religious traditions and communities that would otherwise be considered as competing with each other. Insights into the nature of religious syncretism in contemporary Japan as a process of heterogeneous fusion of faiths and beliefs (and the resulting traditions, rituals and symbols) present in the public space and sacred architecture, and identified in cultural discourse, will specify the capital for cross-cultural learning and cross-religious tolerance.

The Japanese realm of the sacred in its historical form has, since the dawn of time, been imbued with animistic, indigenous beliefs in supernatural deities, which subsequently evolved into the constitution of Shintō. With the arrival of Buddhism in the Japanese archipelago in the sixth century, a peculiar amalgam emerged, permanently defining Japanese culture, its syncretism, permeability, and openness to influences, particularly from China. Enriching the religious landscape with Confucianism, Daoist teachings as well as the phenomenon of sects (new religious movements), Japanese religiosity exemplifies an unusual fusion of philosophical and spiritual elements. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the peculiarities of Japan’s religious mosaic, the dynamics of the intermingling of various philosophical currents and, and to demonstrate the idiographic nature of the religious landscape of contemporary Japan. The latter, as it turns out, is a fractious example of East Asian multiculturalism, open to religious eclecticism, syncretism, and mutual borrowing. A theoretical grasp of the above will be complemented by a presentation of two syncretic strands, namely shinbutsu-shūgo and shugendō.