Burning in the Melting Pot

Globalisation, cultural imperialism, and the osmosis of individuals and groups from one nation to another allow the permeation of thoughts, ideas, and the subsequent evolution of religion. Whether it is the now lapsed Catholic tradition of eating fish rather than meat on Fridays which was aimed towards garnering more funds for the church, or the gradual transformation of Buddhism away from being a theistic religion, religions and all other sets of ideas change drastically over time. Part of this is due to the fact that each new culture adopts and changes religion to suit their individual needs, as evidenced throughout history by the Visigoths adopting Christianity, but only in an Arian theological framework. However, it cannot be ignored that even without any outside influence, religions and cultures change over time; this is not to say that outside influences do not speed up the process, but that outside influences cannot be solely burdened with the responsibility for religious and philosophical evolution. It is certain that in our current state of globalisation, where thoughts and ideas can travel the globe faster than we can speak them aloud, the cultural melting pot of the world will flourish and the intermingled nature of systems of thought will constantly challenge and sometimes change what is conventional thinking for some and revolutionary thinking for others.

Callum Dunphy