Caribbean

Because of strong European colonial and missionary influence, the predominant form of religion in the islands of the Caribbean Ocean is Christianity. During the period of slavery, the British imparted their Protestant culture and the French and Spanish, their Catholic forms of worship to the enslaved [Page 186]Africans who had been brought to the islands. Over time, Christianity was combined with the Amerindian and African elements through a process known as syncretism. Although there is debate about whether such syncretism produced new forms of religious creations or simply a grafting of European elements onto African practices, it is evident that all three world cultural complexes are present: Amerindian, African, and European. Both views have merit; historically, religion played a revolutionary role in combating slavery and ...