Normally, when you read about the different types of religions, you’re presented with a list which is based around the number of deities worshipped. The list will usually go something like this: (1) monotheism, (2) polytheism, (3) pantheism, (4) atheism. And then you’ll get into different sub-types and variations of these styles. This approach is useful for a certain type of comparison and analysis, but it’s never been flexible or dynamic enough for me to gain a deeper understanding of what internal forces really give shape to religious traditions.

So I’m testing out my own model for looking at the different directions which religions move in. The terms I have chosen are Mystical, Orthodox & Syncretic, and I have laid them out at the points of a triangle. The way I understand religions is that each one consists of it’s own unique mixture of each of these three basic drives. Also, over their life span, religions will drift through various points in this model. So it’s not really a hard and fast map, but it can help provide orientation.

Orthodox - Another term for what I’ve been describing as religious fundamentalism. One of the primary drives in religion is to consistently maintain your tradition. Religions, like all stories, are easily modified when lots of people get involved. Orthodox religions are usually very focused on preserving the purity of the story-system upon which they are focused. When new elements threaten to enter or modify their tradition, their cultural immune system kicks in to nullify its effects.

Syncretic - Almost all religions on earth are syncretic in some sense. This means that they arise out of other religions, and build themselves from pieces of what came before. Sometimes this is a conscious process, but frequently it’s not. In some sense, I would consider religions which are more syncretic to be the opposite of fundamentalist or orthodox religions. The reason has to do with what each tradition does when confronted with new elements which try to enter or modify its story-system. As I described above, orthodox religions will try to protect their purity, nullify it, and carry on as before. Syncretic religions, on the other hand, allow these new elements inside and there is a fusion between the old and the new. While orthodoxy has more to do with maintaining things as they are, syncretism has more to do with allowing change to occur.

Central and South America produced a rich variety of syncretic religions in the form of Santeria, Voudun, Candomble and others, which are a dynamic synthesis of Native American, West African and Catholic religious beliefs, stories and practices. Even Christianity itself features a great many syncretic elements which can be traced to a variety of non-Christian religious traditions. While a lot of religions will start out with heavily syncretic roots, over time they may shift towards a more orthodox stance, where they try to maintain the purity of that particular niche which they have carved out for themselves.

Social Unity - Both syncretic and orthodox traditions are very social in their focus. They both seek to provide unity among a group of people. In orthodox religions, unity is provided by a uniformity or consistency of belief, so that everyone’s belief revolves around more or less the same thing. Syncretic religions usually arise when multiple orthodox groups find themselves in close proximity to one another. Rather than reject each other outright, they will seek unity through the fusion of their disparate systems, as best as possible.

Mystical - In addition to these two extraverted social drives in religion, there also exists a more introverted individualistic drive, that of mysticism. Mysticism may have outward stories and sets of symbols which are shared socially, but the emphasis is more on personal experience. This usually means delving inward, and finding your own unique path through the stories & traditions of the religion to the ultimate divine source which they are seen to stem from. Since each experience is personal and unique, it is ultimately ineffable; it can never be fully described or shared with anyone else. It’s interesting to note that many new religions have also sprung from the attempts of mystics and their followers to codify and explain ineffable experiences into socially-centered orthodoxies which other people may follow.

Again, none of the points on the triangle are exclusive of one another. All religions seem to have origins which are simultaneously mystical, orthodox & syncretic. Likewise, all religions must juggle these three drives as their traditions move through history and through the lives of people.