Goals: What is Religion?! What is Religion? The term religion developed in the West, and not all societies have a concept of religion as such. Though all peoples have something we would call religion, this may or may not include the worship of or belief in a God or gods. The best definitions of religion are polythetic: that is, they say there is not one thing all religions have in common, but rather a collection of beliefs and practices that together are suggestive of religion. Whether a religion is focused on God, the sacred, or some other Ultimate Reality, it is typically expressed in three ways: theoretical, practical, and sociological. Religions are virtually always syncretistic: they are made up of beliefs and practices that come from multiple sources, including other cultures and competing religions. 1 2 What is religion The term religion is a Western idea. It is not a concept that is found universally. Many societies have no specific word to refer to that part of their lives that we would call religion One reality or Many? Can there be one thing, called religion by us, that exists everywhere, even where there is no word to describe it? Theory: all societies distinguish between the sacred and the profane. Example: sacred times- such as Christmas, Yom Kippur Example: Sacred places: temple, church 3 4
Origins of the Term Religion The English word religion comes from a Latin word, religio, which referred to the experience of worshiping a god or goddess, to the feeling of being in the presence of something divine. There is still a tendency today to regard religion as having something to do with God or other supernatural beings. But for over a century now, scholars have been struggling to define religion in a way that is not dependent on the existence of a supernatural being. Defining Religion What s the big whoop? Why bother to find a way to understand religion that does not identify God as the defining characteristic of religion? For the simple reason that some things that look like religion to us (for example, Buddhism) insist that there is no God. Possible definition that doesn t use the word God : religion is that which is of ultimate importance for a person or group of people. Problem! Does this make hockey a religion, since for some people it is the most important thing in the universe. 5 6 A Polythetic Definition Characteristics of Religion A list of elements typically found under the broad heading of religion would include: We still need a definition of religion! We can define it in terms of a set of characteristics, and to declare that wherever enough of these characteristics are found. This is called a polythetic definition. It means that there is no single trait that all religions share (and that no nonreligions, like hockey or golf, possess). Instead, there is a set of beliefs, values, institutions, and behaviours that together indicate that something can be categoriezed as a religion. symbols (eg. cross), ideas about the afterlife (eg. reincarnation, heaven/hell) rites of passage (eg. Bar Mitzvah), practices/rituals (eg. mediation), scripture (eg. Bible), Center of belief (eg. Mecca), leader (eg. Rabbi) However, all of these can be placed into three major categories: the theoretical, the practical, and the sociological. 7 8
Category 1: The Theoretical Religions are generally concerned about theology, philosophy, and ethics; by their effort to proved a coherent explanation of the nature of the universe, God, and human beings. You find these explanations in books (scriptures) that practitioners believe to be sacred; They may be told in myths and stories; or they may be propounded by a specific religious institution in the form of specific doctrines. Myth Among the various aspect of religion we might categorize under the theoretical, myth deserves special mention. In common usage, myth is usually understood to mean not true. This is not what scholars mean when they talk about the myths told by various religions. Myths are sacred stories that are believed to carry deeps and important meanings about who people understand themselves to be and how they stand in relationship to the divine. 9 10 Category 2: Practical The practical aspect of religion has to do with behaviour. In every religious tradition, certain acts are considered religious: to perform them is to practice religion. Examples: worshiping, praying, chanting, dress, pilgrimage, meditation, If one term can sum up religious behaviours in general, it would be ritual. Ritual The English word ritual can refer to any act that is performed repetitively and precisely, whatever the meaning attached to it. For example, you may have a ritual of brushing your teeth every night. In the realm of religion, ritual refers to actions whose purpose is to interact with the divine or to bring its practitioners to a deeper understanding of God or their traditions. Typically, ritual involves people s bodies, whether they are simply bowing their heads or eating certain foods, lighting candles or walking in a procession. 11 12
These are some of the many forms ritual may take: Category 3: The Sociological the re-enactment of sacred myths or stories worship of deities in chant or song celebrating periodic holidays considered sacred to God or the community recognizing changes in an individual s status through ceremonies like weddings or ordinations (called rites of passage ) solitary prayer or meditation drumming and dancing to induce trance or spirit possession The way that people form themselves into groups and other organizations around shared beliefs and/or practices. The social unit for a religion may be the family or tribe (that is, a social unit that already exists for reasons other than the practice of a religion). Or it may be a community church or temple toward which those of similar beliefs gravitate. Those who share religious beliefs and practices over the internet. 13 14 Religious Specialists Another aspect of the sociological expression of religion is what is called most generally a religious specialist. These are people who fill special functions within a religion: ministers, spirit mediums, priests, diviners, imams, monks, nuns, deacons, etc. The role of religious specialists differ from religion to religion, but some common patterns are helpful for comparative purposes. Religious Specialists - examples The shaman a religious specialist who is able to move back and forth between seen and unseen worlds either by entering a spirit trance or becoming possessed by a spirit. A priest is typically one who officiates in religious ceremonies, transmits religious practices and beliefs to ordinary practitioners, and cares for a temple or shrine. A monk is one who removes himself from ordinary life to pursue spiritual matters full-time. These specialists may be either male or female, depending on the religion (though a female monk is usually called a nun). 15 16
Religious Syncretism! Religious Syncretism Why? The religion of a society usually combines the beliefs, practices, holidays, ceremonies, and so on from many different sources. Said another way- religions can be influenced and religions change over time Pluralism: In Canada, this is especially true because of our multiculturalism. Example: a group of methodists may meet in their church basement to practice buddhist meditation, This isn t a new phenomenon. When ancient peoples traveled, they customarily made offerings to the gods of the people they visited, and sometimes brought the worship of these gods back to their homelands. 17 18 Religious Syncretism Religious syncretism is also the result of the way religions develop. Example: Christianity was born out of Judaism, and Buddhism out of Hinduism. The daughter religions share much in common with their parent religions. Other forms of religious syncretism are the result of a religion spreading to a new land. For example, in many ways Japanese Buddhism is as Japanese as it is Buddhist; African Christianity is as African as it is Christian. Summary Not all languages have a word comparable to the English word religion. Though the overall concept of religion was developed in the West, all peoples we know of have something we would call religion, whether or not this includes worship of or belief in a God or gods. It is difficult to find any one thing that all religions have in common, so it is best to define religions polythetically: in terms of a set of features that most religions share. 19 20
Summary! Different religions conceptualize God or the sacred quite differently, but religions are typically expressed through three modes: the theoretical, the practical, and the sociological. Religions are generally built up through cultural syncretism, by borrowing cultural and religious elements from other societies and religions. 21