Religious Myths and Rituals Midterm Review

RLST/ETST 012

Religion

The forum where people have developed aesthetic reactions

Myth

A story describing the unseen order of the universe, which can entail historical moments

Ritual

A behavior designed to help one feel the unseen order of the universe — often a reenactment of mythological time or sacred historical time to reconnect with the past by reliving it in the future

3 Parts of a Ritual

Pre-liminal, Liminal, Post-liminal

Pre-liminal Stage

Stage of a participant when they are still considered a child (e.g., coming of age ceremony)

Liminal Stage

Stage in a ritual where you are neither in the real world or holy realization; participant is in between child and adult

Post-liminal Stage

Stage after a ritual where the participant comes back as a different person

Feeling in Religion

Aesthetics, affect, and feeling; refers to somatic body experiences (e.g., color evokes feelings)

Therapeutic Religion

The way that myths and rituals in religion give therapeutic feelings by providing a connecting point for others

Oceanic Feeling

A sense of unity with the universe or something greater than oneself, usually described as therapeutic and felt when connecting with many others at once

The Englightenment

A cultural and intellectual movement that began in Europe in the 18th century characterized by a focus on reason, sciences, individualism, and a rejection of traditional authority, dogma, and superstition

Conscience

The human mind is capable of understanding moral truths through reason and individuals feel it is their duty to follow their conscience in making moral decisions

Church of England Bishop Controversy

Sparked conversations about religious freedom in colonies because the church was entangled with religious and political affairs in Britain; Church of England became official and only church in Virginia

Thomas Bradbury Chandler

A New Jersey Church of England clergyman who believed that bishops should reside in colonies as they were the only people who could let new converts into the church

William Livingston

Presbyterian who challenged Chandler’s appeal and argued against bringing bishops in 1768

Ezra Stiles

Against bishops with the argument that it violates religious liberty; also wrote the sermon “Progress Toward Perfection” which held an emphasis on America’s deserving nature as a way to conclude the American Revolution with a celebratory tone — created the colonist interpretation of the Exodus narrative as America fulfilling its destiny

Virginia Religious Freedom Bill

Thomas Jefferson establishes bill in 1777 declaring that religious freedom was more about the freedom of conscience and that true religion should not be enforced; this bill was a precursor to the First Amendment

First Amendment

Prohibits the government from establishing a national religion and protects individuals’ rights to practice their religion freely

Vision Quest

A Native American rite of passage in which an individual isolates themselves to receive spiritual guidance

Sun Dance

A Native American ceremony involving fasting, dancing, and physical endurance as a form of spiritual sacrifice

Earth Diver Myth

A Native American myth about the creation of the Earth where animals dove into the ocean to retrieve mud and build the world; Native American belief of the origins of the Ohio Fairgrounds circle

Grant’s Peace Policy

Gave power to Christian missions to work on reservations and force indigenous populations to assimilate and Christianize; opposite of the disestablishment of religion

Religious Crimes Codes

Laws that banned Native American religious practices

Dawes Act

A law that divided tribal land into individual allotments, aiming to assimilate Native Americans into American society; disrespected tribal communal land ownership and further eroded Native religious and social structures (a.k.a. General Allotment Act of 1887)

Ghost Dance

Originated from the myth that the world would turn over, plague all the colonists, and give a new world to Native Americans

Myth of the Ghost Dance

The prophecy that the Ghost Dance would bring back ancestors and make white settlers disappear

Wovoka

A Paiute prophet who founded the Ghost Dance and spread its myth, claiming that he saw it in his visions

Wounded Knee Massacre

The 1890 massacre of Lakota Sioux, largely in response to the Ghost Dance, marking the violent suppression of Native American religious movements

Exodus Narrative

One of the only Christian stories where God doesn’t side with the ruling class; Israelites, the enslaved, have a relationship to God, rather than Egypt

Colonist Interpretation of Exodus Narrative

Rhetoric of Exodus narrative changed in colonists’ perspective influenced by Ezra Stiles and other Puritans; colonists believed that America was the Promised Land and their rightful destiny to possess it, proven by their victory against Britain despite having a much smaller army with less resources.

Antebellum Era

Enslaved African Americans identified with the Exodus story, seeing themselves as the Israelites, which inspired slave revolts and gave them courage to persist

Post-Civil War

After emancipation, Black churches used the Exodus narrative to emphasize their struggle for equality in the Reconstruction era

Civil Rights

The use of religious morality to advocate for racial equality

Yakub’s Myth

A Nation of Islam story about the creation of different races, with white people being the last and inherently evil — promoted Black empowerment during the Civil Rights Movement

Elijah Mohammad

Officially started the Nation of Islam who carried on Wallace D. Fard’s teachings and taught Malcolm X NOI teachings

Malcolm X

Prominent figure in relation to the Nation of Islam; worked to merge civil rights with black nationalism because he rejected white values and opposed integration

Agape or Caritas

Described as a Christian love that represents love for everyone; used in the idea of “Disturb the Conscience” which said that love is a moral force that challenges injustice

Pan Africanism

Emphasized 3 matters: achievements of ancient African civilization, redemption of African in the present, glorious African future

National Religion

Religion that can only be understood through the respective group, entity, or race

Universal Religion

Religion for everyone; Message of this deity is for every person and not just a local group