Religion Veddah people Forest People Sri Lanka Horticulturalists Tribe Marriage - diya lanuva rope tying
Veddah religion Folk Hinduism Cult of the Dead (Nae Yakka) How did you answer the questions! Why am I here?! What is the meaning of life?! When you were! 10! 15! 20 (or now) Major Religions of the World Hinduism 14% Christianit y 33% Nonreligious 16% Islam 21% Other 4% Buddhism 6% Indigenou s 6%
Why do people believe something different from you? Religion Religion! belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces. The supernatural is outside of the observable world; it is nonempirical and inexplicable in ordinary terms! In many societies, people believe that can benefit from, become imbued with, or manipulate supernatural forces
or Religion is! A shared system where people regularly gather for worship, and where the congregants or adherents subscribe to and internalize a common system of meaning! In this definition, the collective nature of religion is stressed Tylor s Stages of Religion B/c religion originated to explain the world, Tylor believed that religion would be replaced by science Shared experiences! Effervescence the bubbling up of collective emotional intensity! Communitas an intense community spirit; a feeling of great solidarity, equality, and togetherness
Religion as Totems! Durkheim: Religious ceremonies & activities reproduce the conscience collective! Durkheim believed that all early religions started the same way - We try to identify ourselves (our family, our clan, our culture) with something sacred something bigger than ourselves.! We have religious ceremonies that involve many people so that we all feel a part of something and so that many separate people can be bonded.! For example, people today won t just say that they are Christian but rather they are Mormon, or Baptist, or Pentecostal. Sport as Totem! All faiths have symbols that are easily recognizable they immediately let others know who they are and indicate a shared relationship with others who use those symbols. Religious Symbols! Some religious symbols may have supernatural power in and of themselves, such as the masks used in African ceremonies.
Powers and Forces! In addition to animism, many societies believe in an impersonal power that can be controlled (a force yes, like that Force)! Melanesia! Mana a sacred force residing in all living things that can be harnessed and stored! Items can become imbued with Mana and then used to transmit it Religion Versus Magic 19 th century thinkers supported a cultural evolution model that said magic came first, replaced by religion, and religion replaced by science Magic defined as: people s attempts to compel supernatural forces and beings to act in certain ways, often to harm enemies Magic! Imitative magic in order to produce a desired effect, one must imitate the effect! E.g. That voodoo that you do so well! Hoodoo dolls (called pwen) are actually objects of power
! Contagious Magic magic conducted on an object that had contact with someone will spread to that person! E.g. using someone s hair or nails to harm or cure the person Juju charm meant to ward of enemies Magic and Religion Religion and magic do not just explain things They serve emotional needs Reduction of anxiety Helps to deal with death and crises Magic can dispel doubts Trobriand islanders turned to magic for dangerous activities like sailing Give sense of control over uncontrollable events There are no atheists in foxholes Malinowski argued that there will always be religion/ magic and science/reason due to psychological stress Sports metaphors! Magic is still common in contemporary society! Very common in baseball where magic can reduce physical stress Carlos Gomez kisses his bat (he also talks to it, threatens it, smells it, and rewards it
Functions of Religion! Provides meaning and order in people s lives.! Gives people a feeling of control over their destinies.! Makes people profoundly fearful and may be used to contest the status quo, catalyzing radical politics and sometimes even murderous violence. Shaman in Indonesia Reading Entrails Rituals! Formal, repetitive behaviors linked with religion and magic! Elements! Liturgical Orders sequences of words and actions invented prior to the current performance! Earnest Performance unlike a play, participants believe in what they say/do! Social act Some people will always be more committed to rituals than others, but merely being present symbolizes the acceptance of a common social and moral order
Ritual Practices! Pilgrimage Ritual Practices! Rituals-of-inversion Ritual Practices! Sacrifice
Rites of Passage Not all elements of religion REDUCE anxiety and fear Some rituals increase both in order to create solidarity Often conducted at transition to adulthood Phases of Rites of passage! Separation (leave society)! Liminality! Incorporation (reintroduced to society)! Characteristics of liminality! Ambiguous social position! Collective nature community of equals! Reversals of ordinary behavior! Not always over quickly Togo WHAT are you doing down there?
Navy SEALs Etoro No pictures of this one for you!
" Religious)fundamentalists) seek)order)based)on)strict) adherence)to)purportedly) traditional)standards)and) beliefs " In)September)1996,)the) Taliban)movement) imposed)an)extreme)form) of)social)control)over) Afghanistan " Strict)control)over) everybody)(not)just) women) " Destruction)of)religious) relics " Witchcraft)accusations! Often-directed-at-sociallymarginal-individuals! Among-the-Betsileo,-men- who-leave-their-(patrilocal)- village-may-be-accused! This-is-a-leveling+ mechanism " To)ensure)proper)behavior,) religions)offer)rewards)and) punishments! Ex.-D-Ancestor-may-takechildren " Religions)maintain) control)through! Code)of)ethics Are)ritualized)to)become) second)nature)(why)you)feel) guilty)when)driving)by)a) police)officer)! Stressing)the)temporary) nature)of)life More)common)among) religions)of)the)poor)or) dispossessed
ISLAM! Monotheistic There is no god except God and Mohammad is his Prophet (Shahadah)! Practitioners called Muslims! Holy Book: Qu ran Major Divisions of Islam Major Divisions of Islam Sunni! 70-95% of all Muslims! Belief in the first four caliphs (holy leaders after Mohammad) Shia! 17-20% of all Muslims! Believe that Mohammad s sonin-law was his rightful heir
Five Pillars of (Sunni )Islam! Shahadah -! Salat five daily prayers! Sawm fasting! Zakat charity to poor! Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca Hinduism! San tana Dharma the eternal law! Originates in the Indian subcontinent! Polytheistic many gods! Daily morality rather than a formal set of rules
Core beliefs! Dharma ethics and duties! Samsara Cycle of birth/death/rebirth! Karma actions and reactions! Moksha liberation from samsara Jainism! Religious tradition of non-violence to all living beings! No stealing! No lying! How do you eat if you cannot harm a living organism?
" Anthropologically:) Religions)that)focus)on) ritual)and)ceremony " Euphemistically:)Any) weird)religion,) generally)an)oppressive) or)authoritarian)one " Comparison:)Cargo) Cult)versus)People s) Temple)Agricultural) Project " Religious)responses)to) the)expansion)of)the) world)capitalist) economy " Take)their)name)from) cargo)shipped)from) European)countries)to) the)developing)world " Belief):)Europeans)are) powerful)therefore) they)must)have) powerful)magic
" Organization-started-inthe-1950s " Ostensibly-a-political- (socialist)-not-religiousorganization " The-PTAP-was-led-by-Jim- Jones,-a-wellDrespectedpolitical-leader " Decided-to-emigrate-to- Guyana-in-the-late-1970s " Conditions! Members-wererequired-to-give-up-allof-their-possessions- (to-jones)! No-outside-reading,- radio,-discussions! Frequent-chanting- and-practices-of- White-Nights! Severe-punishments " In-November-1978,-at-the-urging-of- concerned-family-members,-congressmen- Leo-Ryan-visited-the-compound " He-witnessed-an-elaborate-charade-then-leftbut-was-killed-by-Temple- soldiers -at-theairport " Afterwards,-all-but-3-members-of-the-Templecommitted-ritual-suicide-via-Grape-Flavorade
" Santeria- -West-African- (Yoruba)-&-Catholictraditions! Worship-of-Orishas/God! Ritual-Sacrifices- -generally-ofanimals! Possession- -rhythmic-soundsand-dancing-leads-topossession-of-host-by-orishas
English cemetery Japanese Cemetery Mayan cemetery
" When-is-someone-dead? " Modern-medicine-has-made-the-idea-of-deathvery-ambiguous " Consider:! -Is-someone-who-is-brainDdead-really-dead?! Is-someone-who-died-but-was-resuscitated-reallyalive?