While
it would seem that understanding the religious cultural characteristics of Fiji
is complicated by the different cultures that exist within Fiji the reality is
that by and large Fijians are culturally Dionysian. The culture of the heart -
emotional, passional and experiential describes the dominant cultural patterns
of Fijian culture across diverse ethnicities. However there is a complication
to this description when it comes to the traditional religious culture and the
arrival of new religious movements.
The
three main religions in Fiji are Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. These three
religions have taken on cultural characteristics that are Apollon – rational,
logical, analytical and intellectual. Christianity was not just introduced as a
religion in Fiji but as part of European (specifically British) expansion into
the Pacific (religious, followed by political). Christianity was introduced to
the native Fijians by missionaries but through their chiefs. When the chief
converted, the people converted. As a result the tradition of Christianity (predominantly
protestant – Methodist) that has embedded itself in Fijian culture was Apollon
based on the rational intellectualism of the Victorian age, even though the
indigenous archaic religion of Fiji was Dionysian. Similarly as organised
religion was reestablished among Indians brought to Fiji, under the British
neo-slavery of the indenture system of the late 19th and early 20th
century, the trend shifted. As Hindu and Muslim priests were sent from India to
regularize religious practice in Fiji there was a reform from Dionysian to
Apollon.
This
has resulted in what I term, religious-cultural schizophrenia. The Fijian
people are culturally Dionysian but religiously Apollon. Hinduism has over
time, through its rituals reverted to being Dionysian in culture. Islamic
tradition in Fiji remains firmly Apollon as was evidenced by the removal of a
number of clerics who were attempting to create a more emotional and extreme
form of Islam post-9/11. Christianity has struggled with this schizophrenia as
the traditional Christian denominations, especially Methodism have been used to
maintain social control of members. Emotional, passional and experiential
patterns of religion are not accepted within the boundary of the Christian
community, but celebrated outside in traditional life. This has also led to an
increase in frustration of members of these churches. As a result with the
influx of Pentecostal, charismatic and other new religious movements, many
Christians who can no longer cope with this cultural schizophrenia have joined
these churches which are culturally Dionysian. In the past two decades there
has also been a number of breakaways from the Methodist Church in Fiji (the
dominant religious group in the country) which have made the shift to Dionysian
type of religious culture, but wish to hold on to some aspects of the Methodist
tradition.
The
influx of new religious movements in Fiji has also had an impact on theodicy in
Fiji. Hinduism and Islam maintain their theodicy. In Hinduism takes the form of
karma-samsara, ones present life’s position and situation is the result of
their actions in a previous life and the actions in the present life will
determine the position and situation in the next life. However, while Weber
had, on the basis of the caste system, defined Hinduism as other-worldly
mysticism, the fact that as a result of the indenture system Indian culture in
Fiji has no traditional caste system has affected the method of seeking
salvation for Fijian Hindus to the extent that economic activity has become
important as a means for improving the quality of life, which is possible. This
would suggest that Hinduism in Fiji now has the characteristic of inner-worldly
asceticism.
Theodicy
in Islam can be seen to have a number of similarities to Christianity – there
is a reward in the next life for the suffering in this life, (other-worldly),
there is a conflict between God and Satan (dualism) and the “Messiah” will come
to destroy evil (millenarianism) – with the exception of soteriology. Salvation
in Islam is through ascetic training expressed through the five pillars of
confession of faith, worship, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. This gives it
the quality of inner-worldly asceticism.
In
terms of Christianity, mainline churches view evil as conditional and able to
be sanctified through God’s grace. They are soteriological in their theodicy,
based on the doctrine of the atonement. However the theodicy many of new
religious movements differ in their understanding of God’s justice and unjust
situations and thus place greater emphasis on different types of theodicy. There
is predominance among Pentecostal sects to focus on eschatology and hold a
millenarianism perspective in the belief that we are living in the end times
and that Jesus is coming very soon to destroy all evil powers and will reign
for a thousand years. A precondition given by a number of groups is that total
evangelism must occur for this to happen. Some smaller sects practice a type of
syncretism in which mysticism is practiced and traditional Fijian
religious-cultural rituals are used. God’s justice in this case is a mystery.
In
terms of the social location of religion, Fiji has been characterized by shifts
based on the socio-political situation. For many years we enjoyed a period in
which the culture was religiously inclusive and socially tolerant. However in
the twenty five years since the first political crisis there was a major swing
in the pendulum to religiously exclusive and socially intolerant. This was
reflective of the emergence of Christian fundamentalism and ethnocentrism among
the dominant ethnic group of indigenous Fijians. Recently we have settled for a
social location that is religiously exclusive and socially tolerant. However in
the current military led regime that is purporting to be working towards unity
in diversity, efforts are being made to shift towards being religiously
inclusive and socially tolerant once again.
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