religious experience

what is something that is sacred?

things that are set apart as items of worship (UGA arch)

what is something that is profane?

things that are pieces of everyday life with no important meaning (million dollar staircase)

what is sacredness built off of?

a quasi divine principle shown in certain categories of men and things

what do sacred totems represent and generate?

divinity and collective community, generate moral authority

what is mana?

an energy that is generated and reaffirmed through the collective action and thought it can inspire (not inherited to its nature)

what are some examples of mana?

communion, the ashes in ash wednesday, the pope

how does mana move through a crowd?

it’s a force of action that stimulates society

helps community generate and reaffirm sacred things

inspires collective thought or consciences

does not rely on individual beliefs

what is collective effervescence?

an experience where a group comes together to celebrate or become the sacred

what does collective effervescence do?

creates a feeling of collective excitement or ecstasy/high energy

causes people to experience themselves and their group as grander than at ordinary times

communicates and enhances a society’s collective consciousness

and sometimes extends its effects after the assembly has dispersed

what is an example of a mere belief? what is an example of collective effervescence?

a church preaching about easter and holy week

a church actually reenacting jesus’s death