ch 15 religion

common elements of religion

• belief in powers or deities whose abilities transcend those of the natural world and cannot be measured by scientific tools

• myths and stories that reflect on the meaning and purpose of life, its origins, and humans’ place in the universe

• ritual activities that reinforce, recall, instill, and explore collective beliefs

• powerful symbols, often used in religious rituals, that represent key aspects of the religion for this follower

• specialists who help the average believer bridge everyday life experiences and the religion’s ideals and supernatural aspects

• organizations and institutions that preserve, explore, teach, ad implement the religion’s key beliefs

• a community of believers

religion

a set of beliefs and rituals based on a vision of how the world ought to be and how life ought to lived, often, though not always, forces on a supernatural power and lived out in community

martyr

a person who sacrifices their life for the sake of their religion

saint

an individual considered exceptionally close to God who is exalted after death

syncretic religion

the borrowing and border crossing of elements between two or more religions

Emile Durkheim

a sociologist who explored the ideas of sacred and the profane as well as the practical effects of religious ritual

saw religion as ultimately social

thought region play a crucial role in combating anomie and addressing social isolation

sacred

anything considered holy

profane

anything considered unholy

ritual

an act or series of acts regularly repeated over yers or generations that embodies the beliefs of a group of people and creates a sense of continuity and belonging

anomie

an alienation that individuals experience when faced with physical dislocation and the disruption of their social networks and group values

rite of passage

a ritual that enacts a change of status from one life stage to another, either for an individual or for a group

ex) birth, coming of age, marriage, and death

chisungu

a rite of passage ritual for the Bemba people of Zambia that is a ceremony for a young teenage women after her first period and in preparation for marriage

Victor Turner

anthropologist who theorized that the power of ritual comes from the drama contained within it and there are three primary stages to all rites of passage: separation, liminality, and reaggregation

separation

the first stage of rite of passage where the individuals feels physically, psychologically, or symbolically separation from normal, day-to-day activities of the group

liminality

the second stage of a rite of passage that involves a period of outsiderhood during which the ritual partcipant is set apart from normal society, existing on the margins of everyday life

allows the individual to gain a new perspective and experience a new relationship to the community

reaggregation/reicorporation

the final rite of passage stage where the individual returns to everyday life and reintergrates them into the ritual community, transformed by the experience of liminality and endowed with a deeper sense of meaning, purpose, and connection to the larger group

communitas

a sense of camaraderie, a common vision of what constitutes the good life, and a commitment to take social action toward achieving a vision

pilgrimage

a religious journey to a sacred place as a sign of devotion and in search of transformation and enlightenment

cultural materialism

believes that material conditions, including technology and the environment, determine patterns of social organization

Karl Marx and religion

believed the religion was like a drug that dulled people’s pain so they did not rise up against the those people and systems that kept them oppressed

Max Weber and Religion

explored the difference in belief and ethical systems shaped European and Asian economic systems and progress

believed there was an evolution of religious ideas and practices towards increased systematization

secular

without religious or spiritual basis

shamans

local religious practitioners with abilities to connect individuals with supernatural powers or beings to provide special knowledge and power for healing, guidance, and wisdom

magic

the use of spells, incantations, words, and actions in an attempt to compel supernatural forces to act in certain ways, whether for good or for evil

symbol

anything that represents something else

authorizing process

the complex historical and social developments through which symbols are given power and meaning