Conversion
and Accommodation in the Spread of
World Religions
•Great
civilizations and world religions have been closely associated throughout world history.
•World
religions, belief structures that flourish in many differing cultures, have to possess a spiritual core
rich enough to appeal to
potential converts.
•They have to
possess core beliefs that allow new members
to maintain a sense of common identity, but also must be flexible enough to allow retention of important parts of their local culture.
•The capacity
for accommodation allowed Islam, and later
Christianity, to spread successfully into many differing communities.