The people of Israel betrayed God shortly after settling in the Promised Land. They disobeyed his commands by behaving contrary to the requirement of the covenant relationship.

 

The Israelites turned to the Canaanite religion which was characterized by worshipping of other gods and idols among others. However, this was against their monotheistic faith.

The Israelites demanded to have an earthly king. This was against their theocratic background that showed they had rejected God's leadership over them.

The Israelites got involved in the practice of worshipping idols like the images of goddess Asherah.

The Israelites were involved in apostasy. They blindly copied and followed foreign cultures particularly that of the Canaanites. However, they were required to serve as examples to other nations.

The Israelites offered sacrifices to foreign and pagan gods including Baal, Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon and Chemosh, the god of Moab.

The people of Israel disobeyed God's command of destroying their enemies. King Saul spared King Agag of the Amalekites.

The Israelites were involved in sexual immorality. For example, the two sons of Eli used to have sexual intercourse with the women serving in the Tent of the Lord's presence at Shiloh. King David committed adultery with Bathsheba who was married to Uriah.

The people of Israel made foreign alliances with foreign nations like Assyria and Syria. This was with the aim of seeking for protection. However, it showed lack of trust in God's protection.

Some of the people of Israel became extravagant and drunkards that they ignored the fate of the poor, widows and orphans.

The Israelites built pagan altars in the land of God. King Ahab built an altar for the gods of his pagan wife, Jezebel. This defiled the purity of Israel's land.

There was grabbing of property among the Israelites. This was an act of greed which was against their covenant relationship like King Ahab grabbed the vineyard of Naboth.

The Israelites were involved in murder. King David plotted for the death of his faithful servant, Uriah but such an act was forbidden in Israel.

There was disunity among the people of Israel. Social class of the poor and the rich developed among the people. This was against the oneness of their God and their chosen status.

The people of Israel gave away some part of their land to other nations. King Solomon gave away twenty towns in the region of Galilee to the King Hiram of Tyre. However, their land belonged to God.

There was power struggle among the people of Israel. King Saul without success tried to kill David after he realized that the Lord had rejected him in his favour.

The people of Israel became unrepentant. They continued with their sinful ways despite God's warning through his prophets.

The Israelites got involved in temple prostitution and yet this was a Canaanite religious practice.

The Israelites abused, insulted and mistreated the prophets of GOG. For example, King Ahab persecuted Prophet Elijah.

There was corruption and bribery among the people of Israel especially in the court of law. During the prophetic ministry of Amos, the rich were favoured at the expense of the poor. This twisted justice in Israel.

The people of Israel practiced religious syncretism. They incorporated the religious practices of pagan nations with their own. This diluted and defiled their religion.

Religious syncretism refers to the tendency or an effort to reconcile, use or bring together various religious opinions, beliefs and practices.

In other words, it is the fusion of two or more religious ideas in practices. This became a common practice when the Israelites settled in Canaan. They incorporated some religious practices of the Canaanites in to their own.

CAUSES OF RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM IN ISRAEL

Religious syncretism was as a result of Israel's disobedience towards the act of Herem. They failed to destroy their enemies as God had commanded them through Moses while they were in the wilderness. King Saul spared the Amalekite king, Agag and King Ahab spared King Benhadad of Syria. This allowed the religious of such people especially that of the Canaanites to penetrate their own.

The invisible nature of Israel's God as compared to the visible Canaanites gods compelled them to practice religious syncretism. The Canaanites gods were represented by images and with time, the people of Israel worshipped those images.

The Absence of exemplary leaders in Israel made them to get involved in religious syncretism. This was especially after the death of Joshua. The successive leaders failed to guide the Israelites basing on the covenant faith. Priest Eli failed and watched helplessly as his sons indulged in the Canaanite practice of having sex with the women serving in the temple (1 Samuel 2:22-23).

The coincidence and similarity in the name of Israel's God with that of the Canaanites caused confusion among the people. The name "El" was used by Israel's forefathers to refer to Yahweh. However, the Canaanite chief god was also known by the same name. Consequently, whereas the Israelites thought they were worshipping their own God, they had already diverted into the Canaanite way of worship.

Religious syncretism was also caused by the change in occupation among the Israelites. They practiced pastoralism during the forty years they spent in the wilderness enroute to the Promised Land. However, they changed to agrarian life. This made them to begin worshipping the gods of nature like the one responsible for rain among the Canaanites.

Some of the Israelites became impatient with God whenever they were in need of anything. They got caught up with the feeling that God had abandoned them as he was taking long to respond to their prayer or needs. It was this feeling of being ignored that made the Israelites to turn to other gods and their religious practices.

The Israelites were involved in religious syncretism because of the hospitality given to them by some people as they reached Canaan. This could have made them to feel that all their ways of life were equally good. Consequently, they ended up copying their religious practices.

Religious syncretism was caused by Israel's alliances with pagan nations like Tyre and Sidon among others. This allowed foreign religious practices in Israel. It was for this reason that King Ahab built altars for the gods of his wife, Jezebel.

Religious syncretism was also caused by the absence of God's visions as the Israelites settled in the Promised Land. God's visions and messages became rare among the people of Israel because of their disobedience like before the call of Samuel and during the 2-3 years drought during the reign of King Ahab (1 Samuel 3: 1 and 1 Kings 17-18). This made the people to think that their God had abandoned them thereby making them to turn to other religious practices.

Some of the Israelites later ignored or forgot about the covenant requirement. Consequently, they found themselves behaving like their neigbours.

The influence of the new generation in Israel caused religious syncretism. These people did not have any experience with God as was the case with their ancestors especially during the exodus events. It was easier for this category of people to adopt the Canaanite religious practices.

Religious syncretism in Israel was attributed to the prosperity and strength of other nations like the Philistines. This could have made the Israelites to think that their gods were the ones responsible for their prosperity and strength. In the end, they turned to their gods in order to achieve such.

Religious syncretism in Israel was caused by human weakness. Their desires over shadowed them and robbed them off the sense of right and wrong. Such strong desires led King Solomon into places of worship for the gods of his foreign wives with the aim of pleasing them (1 Kings 11 :7).

The people of Israel suffered from general temptation. This was because those foreign religious practices appeared to be very attractive to them.

The excitement associated with foreign religious practices lured the people of Israel into religious syncretism. Baal worship recognized and accepted temple prostitution, which seemed pleasurable to them.

The influence of earthly kings forced Israel into religious syncretism. Kings like Solomon and Ahab behaved like their counter parts who worshipped gods.

The Israelites were misled by the similarity and nature of worship in their own religion with that of the neighbours. All of them involved the building of altars and offering of sacrifices thus they mistook the religious practices of their neighbours to be their own.

Religious syncretism in Israel was because some of the people lacked faith and trust in God especially for their own protection.

Religious syncretism was caused by the emergence and the influence of false prophets in Israel. These prophets gave hope to the people of Israel even when they were about to be punished because of their sinfulness thus they continued sinning.

Some of Israelites took God for granted and became unrepentant. They continued with their sinfulness because they thought that they were His chosen people meaning that He would spare them.

Revision Questions

1. Justify the practice of religious syncretism in ancient Israel

2. Account for the development of religious syncretism in Israel

HOW THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL PRACTICED RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM

They offered sacrifices to pagan gods alongside God

They worshipped both God and the idols of other gods

They practiced sexual rituals like temple prostitution alongside the Jewish rituals. They built a temple for both Yahweh and foreign gods

They built altars for worshipping both Yahweh and other gods like Baal They offered human sacrifices to God

The Israelites followed the Canaanite calendar and at the same time their own. They practiced divination and magic

They consulted mediums or fore tellers

Some parents named their children after Baal like Gideon being named Jerusbaal They worshipped God and other gods including Chemosh

They practiced the festivals of the Canaanites alongside their own like the new moon festivals.

Revision Questions

1. How did the people of Israel practice religious syncretism?

2. Examine the nature of religious syncretism that the Israelites practiced in Canaan

THE CONSEQUENCES OF ISRAEL'S DISOBEDIENCE, BETRAYAL OF GOD AND RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM

God withdrew his protection from the people of Israel. Consequently their enemies like Philistines defeated them.

The Israelites were subjected to exploitation by their own kings like King Solomon who practiced forced labour.

The Israelites suffered from disasters like drought and famine like during the reign of King Ahab there was drought that lasted for 2-3 years.

The Israelites became disunited. At its climax, the kingdom was divided into two parts. The Northern kingdom retained the name Israel and the Southern kingdom which became known as Judah.

There emerged class differences in Israel. There were social class of the rich and the poor in rural areas. This was particularly during the ministry of prophet Amos.

The city of Jerusalem was later destroyed by the enemies of Israel particularly the Babylonians.

The Jerusalem temple which was a source of their pride was also destroyed by the Babylonians as a punishment from God because of their sinfulness.

With time, the people of Israel were taken into exile in Babylonia where they were enslaved once again.

The people of Israel suffered from strange and incurable diseases like boils their disobedience.

Death became common in Israel. They started killing one another like David for the death of Uriah.

It led to active prophetic ministry in Israel. God sent spokes persons like Elijah and Jeremiah to call the people back to him through repentance.

However, there also emerged false prophets in Israel like Zedekiah during King Ahab.

There was power struggle in Israel particularly among the kings. King Saul unsuccessfully tried to kill David and there was counter assassination of the later ages.

HOW CHRISTIAN PRACTICE RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM TO GOD.

Christians name their children after traditional gods and maintain the Christi Some Christians are polygamous. However, this is a practice accepted in faith.

Some Christians wear protective charms especially around their waists and a common practice in African traditional religion.

Some Christians are involved in offering human sacrifice. However, this is murder according to their faith.

Some Christians believe in superstition. This is lack of trust in God.

Some Christians seek for help from diviners, seers and fortune tellers and at the same time pray to God. All these are important aspect of African traditional religion.

Some Christians have too much love for material things like money and' yet at the same time they believe in the heavenly treasures.

Some Christians segregate the social outcasts like prostitutes and still belie e in the gospel of Jesus Christ who died for everyone.

THE EFFECTS OF RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM AMONG CHRISTIANS

Negative

There is an increasing level of conflict among Christians especially among leaders who tend to accuse each other.

Some people have lost their lives through such practices like witchcraft and human sacrifices.

The number of false prophets is increasing among Christians. They tend to preach mostly what the congregation desires to listen to like riches.

Hypocrisy is common among Christians. Some preach what they themselves cannot fulfill.

Believers are being manipulated by some of the church leaders some of which are idol worshipers.

The practice of witchcraft and magic is on the increase especially among the religious leaders.

Some church activities have been commercialized. The religious leaders tend to over demand for donations from believers.

There is family instability in some cases especially when the members disagree on particular religious ideas.

Some Christians have gone ahead to reject taking medicine with the reason that they defile their holy bodies.

Some young people are dropping out of school in the name of being called to do God's service.

There is hatred among Christians as they tend to accuse each other of indulging in evil practices.

Positive

It has awakened the church leaders to a lot more in emphasizing core religious values and principles.

More church buildings are being built in order to meet and accommodate the ever growing spiritual demand of the people. .

Prayer meetings, seminars and conferences are always organized to address different issues among Christians.

Religious education is being encouraged and promoted as an important part of the curriculum to guide young ones.

Inter-religious organizations like Uganda Joint Christian Council have been formed to help create harmony and unity in diversity.