ANTH 1155 Magic and Witchcraft Final Exam Content

What is religious conversion?

The process of changing one's religious beliefs, identity, or affiliation, often involving a personal transformation.

What is "witnessing" in Christianity (Harding)?

The act of sharing personal testimony about faith to persuade others, emphasizing lived experience and narrative rather than abstract doctrine.

What are the three main types of religious diffusion?

Hierarchical

Relocation

Contagious

Hierarchical

Spread through authority figures or institutions

Relocation

Spread through migration of people

Contagious

Rapid, person-to-person spread

What is a particularistic religion?

A religion tied to a specific ethnic group, place, or culture, and not actively seeking converts.

What is a universalist religion?

A religion that seeks converts and aims to be applicable to all people regardless of culture or location

What is syncretism?

The blending of elements from different religious traditions into a new form

What is secularism?

The principle of separating religion from political, social, and public life

How does American secularism differ from French laïcité?

American secularism: Allows public religious expression while keeping government neutral

French laïcité: Strict exclusion of religion from public spaces and institutions

What is secularization?

The process by which religion loses influence in society over time.

What is authenticity (in a religious context)?

The idea that beliefs or practices are genuine, original, and true to a tradition or self.

What is individualism in religion?

The emphasis on personal belief, choice, and spiritual experience over collective authority.

What are New Religious Movements (NRMs)?

Recently formed religious groups that often combine beliefs or respond to modern social conditions (e.g., Neo-Paganism, New Age).

What is the "invention of tradition"?

The process of constructing or reinterpreting traditions to appear ancient or authentic, often to legitimize beliefs or practices.

What is religious fundamentalism?

A movement that seeks to return to perceived original, pure religious principles, often resisting modernity and secularism

How do particularistic and universalist religions differ?

Particularistic: Ethnically/culturally bound, do not seek converts

Universalist: Open to all, actively seek conversion

What is the relationship between secularism and secularization?

Secularism: An idea or principle (separation of religion and public life)

Secularization: A social process where religion declines in influence

Who are self-described "non-believers" in American society? What are their characteristics?

They include atheists, agnostics, and the "nones."

They often:

Reject organized religion

May still hold spiritual or moral beliefs

Value individualism and personal meaning-making

Tend to support secularism

What are religious critiques of secularism?

It removes moral guidance from society

It marginalizes religion unfairly

It promotes moral relativism or loss of tradition

What are secular critiques of religion?

Religion can be irrational or unscientific

It can promote conflict or exclusion

It may limit individual freedom

Why do New Religious Movements and fundamentalists break with both mainline religions and secularism?

Both see mainstream religion as compromised

Both reject aspects of modern secular society

Both seek meaning, authority, or authenticity outside dominant systems

How do NRMs and fundamentalists use the "invention of tradition"?

NRMs: Create new or blended traditions that feel ancient or meaningful

Fundamentalists: Claim to restore an original, "pure" past that may be selectively interpreted

How do NRMs and fundamentalism differ?

NRMs: Often flexible, syncretic, and open to new ideas

Fundamentalists: Strict, literalist, and resistant to change

What is "witnessing" in fundamentalist Christianity according to Harding?

A rhetorical practice where believers share the gospel to actively transform the listener's identity and worldview—not just inform them

According to Harding, what is the main mechanism of conversion?

Language (rhetoric)—not ritual—is the primary tool that produces conversion.

How does witnessing function as both argument and method?

It explains why transformation is needed and simultaneously causes that transformation in the listener.

What happens to the listener during conversion (Harding)?

The listener begins to internalize the speaker's language, creating a "divided self" between old beliefs and new religious understanding.

What is "coming under conviction"?

A psychological/spiritual crisis where a person recognizes their sin and feels the need for transformation.

What role does the Holy Spirit play in conversion?

It works through language to reshape inner thought, becoming an internal "voice" guiding the believer.

What is the end result of conversion in Harding's analysis?

The listener becomes a speaker of the gospel, adopting a new identity and worldview.

Why is listening so important in conversion?

Simply listening seriously to the gospel begins the process of conversion by reshaping thought.

What does Harding mean by "conversion as acquiring a language"?

Conversion is learning to interpret reality through a new religious narrative and vocabulary.

What tension exists in Ache epistemology before conversion?

They value seeing (vision) over hearing (speech) as reliable evidence.

How does Christianity challenge Ache ideas of knowledge?

Christianity relies on hearing God's word, which conflicts with Ache emphasis on direct visual experience

What does "wenduare" mean among Ache Christians?

"Listeners of God's speech"—highlighting that belief comes through hearing.

What is the role of conversion narratives in the mission encounter?

They serve as evidence of genuine belief and demonstrate transformation.

Why did missionaries require Ache converts to give testimonies?

To verify sincerity and ensure they understood Christian teachings.

What does "ka" mean in Ache culture?

"Senseless/false talk" (including lies or incorrect knowledge)

How did conversion change the meaning of "ka"?

Pre-Christian beliefs (especially elders' knowledge) were redefined as false or senseless.

How did authority shift after conversion?

From elders (who had seen things) → to younger Christian converts (who knew God's word)

What is the significance of "God sees everything" in Ache conversion?

It replaces visual evidence—God's omniscient gaze becomes ultimate truth.

How do Ache reconcile not seeing God?

They accept that humans cannot see everything, but God can, making God's knowledge superior.

Did Ache fully adopt Christian ideas of confession and inner self?

No—while they accepted God's gaze, they resisted openly discussing personal intentions

What is hierarchical diffusion?

Conversion spreads from leaders to followers

What is relocation diffusion?

Religion spreads through migration of people.

What is contagious diffusion?

Religion spreads through person-to-person contact.

What is the most common way religions grow globally?

High birth rates, not conversion.

What is a particularistic religion?

Tied to a specific culture; not open to all.

What is a universalist religion?

Open to all people and often seeks converts.

What is the Great Commission?

A Christian command to spread the faith to all nations (basis for missionary work).

What is syncretism?

The blending of different religious traditions.

Can syncretism be unintentional?

Yes—religions mix unintentionally through cultural interaction

Example of syncretism from slides?

Christmas traditions linked to Roman Saturnalia.

What does the image of the NTM missionary with Ache family represent?

Direct contact between missionaries and indigenous people—illustrating relocation + contagious diffusion and mission encounter dynamics.

What does the Aweti village layout image suggest about religion?

Religion is embedded in social structure and space, shaping how it spreads within communities.

What does "Trobriand Cricket" illustrate?

Syncretism—non-religious practices can be transformed into culturally meaningful (even ritual-like) forms.

What does the Saturnalia example illustrate?

Many "modern" religious traditions are built from earlier cultural practices.

How do Harding and Thompson both explain conversion?

Harding: Conversion happens through language and rhetoric

Thompson: Conversion reshapes what counts as knowledge and evidence

What is the key tension in missionary encounters (Week theme)?

Conflict between local ways of knowing (e.g., seeing) and Christian belief (hearing/faith)

Why are conversion narratives so important?

They:

Prove belief

Teach others

Reshape identity

Establish authority

Key difference between secularization and secularism?

Secularization = descriptive (what is happening)

Secularism = normative (what should happen)

What does secularization involve? (3 main aspects)

Religion moves from public → private

Separation from institutions (politics, science, economy)

Decline in social importance of religion

What is the literal meaning of "secularization"?

"To make worldly" (e.g., transferring church property to non-religious control)

What question does Charles Taylor ask?

Why was belief in God almost unavoidable in 1500 but difficult in the modern West?

What explanation is rejected in lecture?

The simple idea that science replaced religion.

What is the complexity thesis?

Religion and science sometimes conflict, sometimes don't; their relationship depends on historical context.

What is the conflict thesis?

The idea that religion and science are inherently opposed.

What is one common indicator of secularization?

Declining religious participation (e.g., church attendance)

What are "nones"?

People with no religious affiliation.

Does secularization mean religion disappears?

No—it changes form and influence.

What did Durkheim argue about secular values?

They are still religious in structure.

Example of Durkheim's idea?

Human rights function like sacred beliefs.

What becomes "sacred" in modern society according to Durkheim?

The human person.

What is the U.S. model of secularism?

Freedom of religion (state neutrality + individual religious expression)

What is the French model (laïcité)?

Freedom from religion (religion kept private, excluded from public sphere)

Key difference between U.S. and French secularism?

U.S.: protects religious expression

France: restricts religion in public life

What does Talal Asad argue about secularism?

It is not neutral; it reflects Western history and culture.

What does Asad critique about public vs private religion?

It is not a universal distinction.

What historical claim does Asad make?

Secularism emerged in the West and was exported elsewhere.

Name countries that don't fully follow secularization trends.

United States, Ireland, Poland

Does secularization apply globally?

No—religion is growing in some regions.

What paradox can secularization create?

It can increase religious fundamentalism.

What does "God is dead" mean?

Religion no longer provides a shared cultural framework.

What changed according to Nietzsche?

Religion went from a public, shared system to a private choice.

What is disenchantment (Entzauberung)?

The loss of magic and meaning due to rationalization.

What causes disenchantment?

The rationalization of the modern world.

What is lost in disenchantment?

Ritual, mystery, and meaning.

Is secularization the same as secularism?

No—one is a process, the other is an ideology.

How are secularization and secularism related?

Secularism often develops out of secularization but is not identical to it.

Why is the relationship between them complicated?

Definitions of religion vary, and the separation is not clean or universal.

Does modernization automatically eliminate religion?

No

What is the main anthropological position?

The complexity thesis.

What is the biggest mistake to avoid on exams?

Saying "science replaced religion" as a full explanation

What is interpretatio graeca/romana?

The practice of identifying foreign gods with Greek or Roman gods (early form of syncretism)

What did James Frazer argue about world religions?

They are built from the combination of many earlier "pagan" practices.

What is an example of syncretism from the slides?

Saturnalia influencing Christmas traditions (gift-giving, decorations).

What does the example of jinn show?

Religious ideas can persist and adapt across different religious systems (pre-Islamic → Islamic).

What does the image of a church turned into a spa represent?

Secularization—the declining role of religious institutions and repurposing of religious spaces.