ANTH Chapter 12 + Religion part 1/2

what are anthropologists concerned about in terms of religion?

not concerned with truths, but the “facts” of religion in context (emic)

how is religion viewed?

holistically (interconnected with other dimensions of culture such as gender, kinship, economics, etc.)

explain Tylor’s belief on religion

re. first midterm. Tylor is evolutionism SO religion followed the three stages of most simple to most advanced

i.e., animism to polytheism to monotheism

what is animism?

the belief that animals, plants, and inanimate objects are animated by spirits

what is pre-animism?

before posited existence of supernatural beings, natural phenomena struck awe in people

what is mana?

 an impersonal and powerful supernatural force that can reside in people, animals, plants, and objects

what is polytheism?

the belief in many gods (evolved from animism)

what is monotheism?

the belief in a single all-powerful god (evolved from polytheism)

what is magic?

the manipulation of nature using supernatural techniques to accomplish specific aims

what are rituals?

a set of behaviours using words, gestures, and objects, performed in a prescribed sequence and manner

what are the two basic types of magic?

imitative and contagious

what is imitative magic?

performing a magical ritual on the likeness of someone or event to influence the real person or event (e.g., voodoo doll)

what is contagious magic?

performing a magical ritual on something that has been in contact with someone to influence that person (e.g., performing a spell on a lock of hair)

what is totemism?

a mystical or spiritual relationship between an animal or plant (the totem) and a group of people or kinship group (practiced in the Australian Aborigines)

what are the two ideal societal categories?

sacred and profane

what is the sacred?

 the aspects of such things as places, times, objects, and people that is beyond sensation that makes them special and thus worthy of great respect

what is the profane?

the utilitarian and secular world of work and routine experience

what are purification rituals?

* a ritual performed to remove uncleanliness before worship or coming in contact with something sacred (e.g., crossing with holy water before entering a church)
* Helps keep the sacred and profane separate
* E.g., wudu: the Islamic purification ritual of washing parts of the body before prayer of before handling the Qur’an

what is religion?

* a system of beliefs and practices involving supernatural beings and forces that functions to provide meaning, peace of mind, and a sense of control over unexplainable phenomena
* Belief in the supernatural is the most essential characteristic

explain the importance of the Shoshone water babies example from class.

* The Shoshone water babies, for example, would be supernatural for Westerners, but not for them. Water babies are just as natural as snakes or mountain lions
* Water babies: creatures that lure mothers to the riverside with their baby-like crying, and when the mothers start to nurse them, the baby sucks all the blood out of the mothers and kills them

i.e.,

* Defining religion in terms of “supernatural” value implies that there is a distinction between natural and supernatural
* This isn’t necessarily true for all religions

what are the social functions of religion?

social control, conflict resolution, and reinforcement of group solidarity

how does religion enforce social control?

religion maintains social order by encouraging socially acceptable behaviour and discouraging socially inappropriate behaviour

how does religion enforce conflict resolution?

reduces stress and frustrations that often lead to social conflict

how does religion reinforce group solidarity?

enables people to express their common identity in an emotionally charged environment

what are the psychological functions of religion?

cognitive and emotional

what are cognitive functions of religion?

religion provides a cognitive framework for explaining parts of our world that we do not understand

what is worldview?

a society’s knowledge, beliefs, and perspective on the world

what are emotional functions of religion?

 religion helps to reduce anxiety by prescribing some straightforward ways of coping with stress

what is the difference between religion and magic?

* Religion deals with major issues of human existence
* Uses prayer and sacrifice to appeal or petition supernatural assistance 
* Group activity 
* Usually practiced at a specific time
* Usually involves recognized functionaries such as priests, imams, rabbis, etc.
* Magic is directed toward specific, immediate problems
* Magicians believe they can control or manipulate nature or other people by their own efforts
* Individual activity 
* Practiced irregularly 
* Performed by a wide variety of practitioners who may or may not be recognized within the community as having supernatural powers

what is sorcery?

* the performance of certain magical rites for the purpose of harming other people
* Often involves the use of materials, potions, and medicines

what is witchcraft?

*  the inherent power of people to cause misfortune or death by supernatural means
* Relies solely on thoughts and emotions (psychic power)

who is accused of witchcraft?

tend to be the powerless (women, children, elderly, poor, disabled, etc.)

who is NOT accused of witchcraft?

a witchdoctor (a person who detects witches and heals the harm done by witchcraft), the pastor, the police chief, or the headman

what is a myth?

a religious or sacred story that explains how the world, people, or some event, phenomenon, or practice came to be

what is Wallace’s definition of a cult?

a religious group that has its own set of beliefs, practices, and rituals (not to be confused with the more popular definition of antisocial religious groups that brainwashes its members)

what are the four types of cults?

individualistic, shamanistic, communal, and ecclesiastical

what are individualistic cults?

the least complex type of religious organization in which each person is his or her own religious specialist

what are shamanistic cults?

a type of religious organization in which part-time religious specialists called shamans intervene with the deities on behalf of their clients

who are shamans?

a part-time religious specialist who is thought to have supernatural powers by virtue of birth, training, or inspiration

what are communal cults?

a type of religious organization in which groups of ordinary people conduct religious ceremonies for the well-being of the total community

what are ecclesiastical cults?

a highly complex religious organization in which full-time clergy are employed

what are the three major aspects of religion?

* Ideological (beliefs, values, feelings)
* Behavioural
* Social

who was Louis Van Zelst?

*  good luck charm for the Philadelphia Athletics
* Was a fetish object
* Also created a ritual → rub his hump for a hit

what was the “Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande” (1937) film about?

* On beliefs and rites relating to magic and witchcraft
* Shows how mystical beliefs and rites form an “ideational system”

what were some rituals mentioned in class?

* Bathing in the Ganges
* Purna Kumbh Mela in India
* The Hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca)

what are the five categories of rituals?

technological, therapy and anti-therapy, ideological, salvation, and revitalization

what are technological rituals?

* – control nature
* Divination
* Protective rites
* Rites of intensification

what are therapy and anti-therapy rituals?

* – control health
* Curative rites
* Anti-Therapy

what are ideological rituals?

* – control hearts and minds
* Rites of passage
* Taboos
* Rites of intensification
* Rites of rebellion

what are salvation rituals?

* – control individual destiny
* Possession
* Pilgrimage
* Mystic experience

what are revitalization rituals?

– control communal destiny

what are the ten characteristics of rituals?

* Religious – involves magic / the supernatural
* Highly formalized patterns of behaviour
* Could be the reliving of an important event or reenacting a myth or story
* Belief in action – meaningful
* Out of the ordinary i.e., sacred
* Usually performed in a sequestered (sacred) space
* Have a goal or aim, or function
* Provides a sense of solidarity
* Symbolic
* Multivocalic – has many different meanings, interpretations, or values

what are rites of passage?

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* a ritual that celebrates the transition of a person from one social status to another (e.g., quinceanera)
* Include naming ceremonies, initiation rites, marriage ceremonies, funerals, etc.

what are the three phases of rites of passage? (Arnold van Gennep)

separation, liminal, incorporation

what is the separation phase of rites of passage?

stripping away the old status and may employ symbols that represent a death to the previous state

what is the liminal phase of rites of passage?

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transitional phase where initiates are prepared for a new social status or role

what is communitas (liminal phase)?

the situation during the liminal phase of a rite of passage characterized by equality and fellowship

what is the incorporation phase of rites of passage?

often involves a ceremony where the initiate may receive a new set of clothes or be physically marked in some way

what are rites of solidarity?

a ceremony performed for the sake of enhancing social integration among a group of people (e.g., ancestral cults continue to interact with a person's souls after a person dies. This fosters group solidarity.)

what are revitalization movements?

a religious movement designed to bring about a new way of life within a society (e.g., Handsome Lake, The Ghost Dance Religion)

what are some qualities of revitalization movements?

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* Political-religious movement
* Promising deliverance from deprivation
* The elimination of foreign domination
* New interpretation of the human condition
* Common in societies undergoing severe stress

what are cargo cults?

a Melanesian revitalization movement characterized by rituals intended to bring material goods, that is, cargo