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Originally Posted by $5 submissions
A major reason why Catholicism grew so rapidly and swamped out earlier doctrinal rivals to become a monolithic institution was its eagerness to incorporate existing 'pagan' belief systems and philosophies. At its most obvious, whenever a new region was converted to Catholic christianity, the regions gods and deities were recast as local patron saints. At its most fundamental, Catholicism unhesitatingly swapped core beliefs for contemporary beliefs that were very prevalent and accepted--for example: the Greek idea of the duality of the soul and body and the permanence of the former.
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One example of that 'folk christianity" practice is the yearly festival held yearly in almost every catholic country including Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Philipines, and Venezuela.
Festivals honoring not just the Christian saints and patrons but also those Gods and Goddesses worshipped by these people long before Christianity came always get the support of the country's religious sector.