There are two coloured pieces of paper on the table at the front. Please pick up both colours. Thanks! Can something be religious and NOT religious at the same time? How can sports be seen as religious, or similar to religious traditions? If it is so difficult to define religion, what do scholars of religion actually study? 1 2 There are two coloured pieces of paper on the table at the front. Please pick up both colours. Thanks! When you leave: Please return the coloured pieces of paper back to the table at the front. Thanks! 3 4
Course Stuff 10. Definitions Last tutorial! Info on WordPress site Laptops + talking 5 6 Today Indigenous Traditions ( Baskets + Masks ) Definitions: Indigenous Is it religious?" Religions vs Religion The study of religion Indigenous Traditions What you see what you get Context: cultural symbolism, usage, visions, etc. Ritual destruction: Navajo sand paintings, Malagan death rituals (sculptures) Alive: cloth, baskets, masks, totem poles, buildings Connection to rituals and stories/texts Relations b/t people, and with other-thanhumans (ancestors, spirits, gods, etc.) 7 8
Maori Poi Ritual Pondo Rite of Passage 9 10 Malagan funeral sculpture Sand Painting (Navajo) 11 12
Moko (Maori) 13 14 15 16
17 18 Dogon antelope mask (Mali) Dogon antelope mask (Mali) 19 20
A stunning styled old Dogon Walu antelope mask from my own collection. This previously was in an old gentleman s collection in France to which he owned it for over 50 years. This piece is very aged to look at and worn beautifully, especially where the original netting has worn the wood. The certificate and the custom made stainless steel stand are also part of the sale. 21 22 What is a pizza? 23 24
Definitions Definitions are: Created by people Interpretations Subject to change Don t always fit all the data Powerful Indigenous Who is Indigenous? Who gets to say? Why does this matter? 25 26 Indigenous Impact of definitions on people s lives: Treaty rights (e.g., land claims) Indigenous people viewed by colonizers as less than human (not civilized ) Residential schools; not allowed to vote (until 1960) Religion Impact of definitions on people s lives: Categorize items as artifacts (okay to take them and put them in museums) Make religious practices illegal Potlatch ban in Canada (1884-1951): how did Indigenous people resist? 27 28
Québec Ban Québec Ban 29 30 Is it religious? green = yes red = no 31 32
I fell down on my knees and thanked Heaven from an overflowing heart. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf Have witnesses when you barter. The Qur an (Islam) 33 34 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! Paul, The New Testament (Christianity) No person shall threaten any other person with damage to such person's property. UTM Academic Calendar 35 36
Fart, fart. Eight Winds (Chan Buddhism) When it was cooked, he ate and ate. But he ate too much and very soon suffered the runs. Red Willows (Anishinaubae) 37 38 Is it religious? What determines if something is seen as religious or not? 1. Context / information 2. Definition How can something be religious and NOT religious at the same time? Different definitions of religion! (some might apply but others not) 39 40
Religion is the state of being ultimately concerned. (Paul Tillich) Religion is a feeling of absolute dependence. (Friedrich Schleiermacher) Religion is a system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things, uniting people into a community. (Émile Durkheim) Definitions Religion is anything that involves nonfalsifiable realities. (James Cox) Religion involves supernatural beings. (Antoine Vergote) Red Willows Fart, fart. Definitions Have witnesses when you barter. 41 42 Religion is about meaning and value beyond self-centredness. (Huston Smith) Red Willows Fart, fart. Definitions Have witnesses when you barter. How can something be religious and NOT religious at the same time? Fart, fart. Definitions This is NOT religious according to Vergote s definition This IS religious according to Smith s definition 43 44
Definitions Merriam-Webster Dictionary: An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. (similar to Vergote) An interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group. (similar to Smith) Song Say Amen by Panic! at the Disco (2018) 45 46 Say Amen I pray for the wicked on the weekend Mama, can I get another amen? Swear to God, I ain t ever gonna repent Mama, can I get another amen? If every night I go to sleep knowing That I gave everything that I had to give Then it s all I could ve asked for I ve been standing up beside everything I ve ever said What does Nye mean when he states that nothing is intrinsically religious? (p. 19) 47 48
Definitions ANYTHING can potentially be considered religious by someone Depends on definition and context Examples: witnesses, handwriting, diarrhea Also: punching! 49 50 Definitions Change the question: Not: IS something religious? Instead: In what ways might something be considered religious, and to whom? Questions of definition and context Religions vs. Religion Religions Specific traditions (e.g., Buddhism, Judaism, etc.) Religion General / universal (e.g., meaning, value, etc.) 51 52
Religions vs. Religion Religion Merriam-Webster Dictionary: An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. Religions An interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group. Religion 53 54 Religions vs. Religion When it was cooked, he ate and ate. But he ate too much and very soon suffered the runs. No person shall threaten any other person with damage to such person's property. Fart, fart. 55 Sports and Religion/s Merriam-Webster Dictionary: An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods. Religions An interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group. 56 Religion
Sports and Religion/s I m studying to be a rabbi. I m a little worried that I ll be out of a job because less and less people seem to find religion meaningful. I even think that loving a baseball team can be a religious experience. I was here in 2012 when Santana pitched his no hitter. Everyone in this stadium was holding their breath at the exact same time. And when the game ended, everyone screamed with the same joy. We all felt so connected at that moment. And I think that was holy. Religion 57 58 Sports and Religion/s Nye p. 15-16 Athletes as cult heroes Worship teams Sacred space Mysticism and magic Ways in which sports is similar to religions 59 60
Ritual! Text! 61 62 World Religions World religions approach (p. 9-14): The study of major traditions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism Separate, distinct Classifications: texts, ideas, founders, histories, rituals, etc. Useful starting point 63 World Religions Problems with world religions approach? 1. Treats traditions as singular, ignores huge diversity within each (Nye: we should refer to Christianities, Islams, etc.) 2. Treats traditions as entirely separate and distinct (ignores hybridity, effect of local cultures on traditions, etc.) 3. Ignores minority religions (e.g., Indigenous traditions) 64
World Religions Problems with world religions approach? 4. Focuses on big things (e.g., major rituals, founders, sacred texts, etc.) Men 5. Marginalizes/ignores small things (e.g., personal experiences, letters, ordinary participants, etc.) Everyone! 65 Study of Religion Religion is complicated! Many many (MANY!!) definitions Enormous diversity (between traditions AND within traditions) Social AND individual Transcendent (abstract) AND concrete (day to day) Religion and Religions 66 67 68