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Navybearcat2/Inuit religion
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How Technological Advances Over Time Altered Inuit Religion
Catholic and Christian missionaries had a tremendous influence on modern Inuit religion. Before Christian missionaries arrived, the Inuit religion placed heavy emphasis on everything in existence having a soul. They believed that everything in nature was alive and that they should live in balance with nature. Since the early 1900s and henceforth, missionaries of the Christian faith began to regularly visit the Inuit tribes; often times, these missionaries would also bring new pharmaceutical cures as well as modern technology much to the Inuit's delight. This missionary process, accompanied by cures for sickness and new technology, influenced the Inuit tribes to slowly, yet surely, slide away from their regular traditions and begin to incorporate the newer Christian faith. Today, the bulk of the Inuit tribes prescribe to the Christian belief, however, some more elder tribesman still hold onto old traditions or mix aspects of their old faith with their newer Christian doctrine to create a hybrid between the two. Through introducing trade routes to building new schools and churches on Inuit land, the Inuit chose to blend their beliefs with that of Christianity. Today, the majority of the Inuit practice the Christian faith.
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