jesus on the high dive board, or so...

… i misspoke earlier, suggesting that we had left jesus behind when we left the jaffna area.  while the balance definitely started to shift as we left the north, trinco’ is still part of the swath of the country (encompassing both the north and the east coasts) that was embroiled in the civil war. it seems that in predominantly tamil regions there is more room for christianity, but i suspect this might be a postwar phenomenon, insomuch as missionary and humanitarian efforts often go hand in hand. the presence of muslim enclaves must have another story,, an uneasy one at that.
it seems to me that the country as a whole might best be described as syncretist, if i’m correct in my understanding of syncretism being a mix-&-match of varied religious practices. even in areas where buddhism is clearly the dominant religion, it seems most people’s beliefs are a melange of whatever suits them best - buddhist dinesh with his ganesha altar in the jeep, for example. historically, i know that temples were often constructed and shared by both buddhist and hindu communities, but that was long ago. the war was largely the business of fanatics and profiteers, as it always is; the general population, for the most part, respectfully co-exists.