Religion & Ritual Religion A Western concept like work/economy/politics/technology. In western society, Religion is mostly seen as a clearly delineated aspect of society, separate from the other terms above. Not the case within all cultures. Ex: Ancient Egypt ANTHROPOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION DEFINITION OF RELIGION: Any set of beliefs and practices involving the supernatural. Many cultures do not make a sharp distinction between the “natural” and the “supernatural.” ULURU, SACRED TO THE ABORIGINAL PEOPLES OF AUSTRALIA Uluru Religious Perspectives in Anthropology Religious perspectives vary among Western and “primitive” societies In Western societies: Nature was ordained by heaven to be dominated and exploited to human’s desires and needs. In “primitive” societies: “Religion is present in human’s view of his/her place in the universe” “Human’s relatedness to the universe, nonhuman nature, reality & circumstance” Religion is evident in daily life, agriculture, hunting, health measures, arts, and crafts. CULTURAL RELATIVISM There are no “universal” standards by which all social and cultural groups can be evaluated. No one religion is superior to another. People’s religious beliefs and practices must be studied within the framework of their own culture and history. All religions are equally meaningful to their adherents. This is in contrast to ETHNOCENTRISM: The concept that one’s own culture or religion is superior to others and should be judged from that perspective. ANTHROPOLOGY SEEKS TO UNDERSTAND • The range and diversity of human beliefs and practices. • What makes beliefs and practices meaningful to people. • What the roles religion plays in the organization of cultures and societies. Defining Religion within a Society 3 good basic questions to start with: 1. Functional: What function (or role) does religion have in society? – Does it provide a moral code? Explanations for natural events? 2. Analytic: How is religion manifested in society? – Through Narratives? Rituals? Ethics? 3. Essentialist: What is the relationship between society and the supernatural? INDIGENOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES • Many indigenous groups have distinct religious systems of beliefs and practices in the same way that they have their own languages and cultures. Syncretism Combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. RELIGIOUS SYNCRETISM Through time a culture’s religious beliefs and practices persist, but also change through incorporating new elements. Religions are adopted and transformed. FOR EXAMPLE: Early Christianity incorporated European paganism so that “Christ’s Mass” became integrated with pre Christian symbols and practices. The Native American Church Peyote as a sacrament Combines Christian symbolism with traditional Native American symbolism RELIGIONS FULFILL SOCIAL NEEDS They provide meaning in peoples’ lives. They help people manage anxiety and increase their sense of personal order. They reinforce the social order. They instigate social and cultural change. RELIGIONS PROVIDE A “COSMOLOGY” A COSMOLOGY is a set of principles and/or beliefs about: The nature of life and death. How the universe was created. The origin of society. The relationship of individuals and groups to one another. The relationship of humans to nature. CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION SACRED NARRATIVES SYMBOLS SPIRITS SACRED POWERS RITUALS ADDRESSING THE SUPERNATURAL SACRED NARRATIVES “Myths” that recount historical events, heroes, gods, spirits, and the origin of all things. Anthropology defines “myth” as realities lived and stories told. Sacred narratives are integral to a society’s rituals, moral code, and organization. RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS SPIRITS Most religions assert the world is filled with beings and powers that have life and consciousness separate from humans’, but whose existence cannot be scientifically validated. GOD: A spirit that is believed to have created the world, or who exerts control over the world. SACRED POWERS MANA: A special kind of sacred power or energy that infuses the universe. Mana can be concentrated in humans, other creatures, spirits, and objects. Integral to many different religions across cultures. Mana The idea of mana arises from the awe inspired by strange, unusual, and powerful things. Things filled with Mana x RITUALS Rituals are ceremonial acts with repeated, stylized gestures that manipulate religious symbols for specific purposes. People enact and reinforce their religious beliefs through these ritualized practices. Diversity of Rituals Symbols are Central to Rituals Dominant Symbols They are condensed, many different phenomena are given common expression Dominant symbol amounts to a fusion of divergent meanings Dominant ritual symbols entail a polarization of meaning COMMUNING WITH THE SUPERNATURAL • The majority of rituals are designed to commune with and/or control supernatural spirits and powers through a combination of: – PRAYER – SACRIFICE – MAGIC RELIGIOUS PRACTITIONERS SHAMAN: An average member of a community who is socially recognized as having the ability to mediate between humans and spirits. PRIEST: A person who is formally elected, appointed, or hired to a full-time religious office. Characteristics of Priests Training (by other priests) Hold authority of office Conservators of Tradition Hold scheduled ceremonies for congregations Role-Models for congregants Often full-time practitioners Perform scheduled rituals Organized into hierarchies WITCHCRAFT AND SORCERY Witchcraft and sorcery are very common elements of religious beliefs and practices in many cultures. Based in earlier anthropologists’ research among “non Western” cultures: WITCHCRAFT is The ability to harm others by harboring malevolent thoughts about them. SORCERY is the conscious and intentional use of magic. Witchcraft based in “Western” cultures is the intentional use of magic to aid or harm others, society, and the environment, and thus comparable to sorcery. AZANDE OF AFRICA Sorcery and Witchcraft Develop because of inadequacies and/or to support the legal system MAGIC Belief that supernatural powers can be influenced through the use of ritual formulas. Sympathetic magic uses representational objects, such as dolls. Contagious magic is a direct relationship between ritual and the body, such as use of the subject’s hair or fingernails. Frontline: The Last Medicine Woman http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2007/03/panama_the_last .html# Oral & Written Religions Written Religions Based on a sacred text ‘Religions of the Book’ Believers expected to have some knowledge of the texts Since text bound, these religions can be spread throughout the world Islam Nigeria, Java, Egypt, Iran Religions of Conversion One has to affirm one’s faith Oral Religions Locally confined and locally relevant Gods tend to be associated with revered places in the tribal areas Tend to be embedded in social practices of society Religion and the Human Capacity for Language Religion is made possible by our human ability to use language. No other animal has language or religion. Language: A System of Symbolic Communication Symbol: An object or event that stands for some other object or event, the relationship between them being determined solely by consensus. - Helen Keller’s insight that “everything has a name” Language and Culture Culture itself is made possible by language. Religion is the purest example of culture as a system of meaningful symbols. Religion provides a system of symbols which explain how humans are related to the world around them. In this, religion contrasts with science. Religion and Science Science and Religion are different approaches to understanding our place in nature. Science is concerned with finding mundane, practical solutions to problems. Scientific “truths” are always tentative and changeable. They are simply our currently most useful explanations of phenomena based on the information we have so far. Humans do more than solve practical problems. We are not simply robots. Rather, we live in a world that is rife with existential meaningfulness. In addition to thinking in practical terms, humans also “humanize” the world around them by projecting human qualities into the non-human world. This is common in: - Fantasy Play - Art - Courtship Love - Mental Disorders - Religion Fantasy Play Children are born without language. Their normal mental state is an “altered state of consciousness” in which they perceive the external world as an extension of their own egos. In fantasy play, children spontaneously “project” human qualities into the world around them. - A sheet becomes a ghost. - A broom becomes an embodiment of their concept of “horse.” Such fantasy play transforms an unknown and potentially hostile environment into an extension of their own egos, making it seem safer and more controllable. Engaging in fantasy play involves ritual-like behavior. Courtship Love In courtship love, we do not perceive our partner objectively either. - e.g., our beloved’s face becomes an embodiment of our concept of beauty. The rules of courtship also involve highly predictable patterns of behavior—i.e., “rituals.” Mental Disorders Mental Disorders also involve both trance states (states in which the normal boundary between self and not-self) is dissolved and ritual behavior (aka “symptoms”). Like the trance states and rituals of fantasy play, artistic reverie and performance, courtship love, and religion, they provide short-term relief from stress. Religious Anthropomorphism: Perceiving a Connection with the non-Human A chocolate Mary Religion: A Definition Religion is a socially shared system of anthropomorphic beliefs and attendant feelings, both of which are expressed in words and in rituals by means of which nonhuman parts of the universe are thought to be influenced. No other animal can be described as “religious.” Life Cycle Naming Ceremonies Life Cycle Adulthood Rituals Life Cycle Marriage Rituals Life Cycle Old Age: Hindu and Jain Ascetic Renunciates Life Cycle Funerals Theories of Religion Evolutionary Theory When/how religion began This theory was introduced in the 1800s and went hand in hand with Modernism and the Enlightenment. Logic, science and Monotheism were the pinnacles of human achievement Western Society represented this pinnacle Positivism The only real knowledge is scientific knowledge This approach generally carries a lot of negative baggage and is seen as outdated. All other societies were seen as “primitive” compared to Western Society. The quest for Religion’s origins is still ongoing and many elements of Evolutionary Theory are now combined under the Psychosocial Approach… SIR EDWARD B. TYLOR 1832-1917 A social evolutionist. He asserted that the development of religions from one stage to the next is universal throughout the world’s cultures: ANIMISM: Belief in souls, and that all things in the world are endowed with a soul. TOTEMISM: Religious practices centered around animals, plants, or other aspects of the natural world held to be ancestral or closely identified with a group and its individuals. POLYTHEISM: Belief in more than one, or many gods. MONOTHEISM: Belief in one god. Sir Edward Burnett Tylor (1871) Religion: the belief in spiritual beings Functions of religion: provides answers to perplexing questions about such phenomena as sleep, dreams, fainting, and death. Marxist Developed in the 1800s around same time as the Evolutionary Approach Karl Marx Religion as a construction of those in control of society Obey this religion & “us” and you will be happy A crutch for people too depressed by the miseries of capitalism. “Opiate of society” Religion functioned as a drug and diverted interest from the real political issues to silly fantasies about a happy afterlife and the pious and obedient. Functional What role does religion serve in society? Émile Durkheim Collective Conscious: Religion serves to hinder selfish tendencies of the individual and promote social cooperation. Symbols are a manifestation of the collective conscious and, when brought up during religious rituals, help to reinforce social cooperation. Durkheim, cont. The primary function of religion is to inspire respect for customs and institutions that must be respected if society is to survive. Thus, religion reinforces the unity and integrity of society. EARLY 20th CENTURY ANTHROPOLOGY Bronislaw Malinowski (1884-1942) and Franz Boas (1858-1942) developed the method of “participant observation,” and lived among other cultures for extended periods. They were both emphatically opposed to social evolution. Anthropology becomes more grounded in cultural relativism. Anthropologists stop focusing on the origins of religions to: How religions spread through DIFFUSION, the mixing of cultural elements from one society to another through contact over time. What FUNCTIONS religions serve in society. MALINOWSKI’S FUNCTIONALIST THEORY OF RELIGION He set out to prove that “savages” were rational and not the “living fossils” of a social evolutionary paradigm. The Trobrianders hunted and gardened with empirically-honed skills. They turned to magic when practical knowledge had reached its limits. Religion functions in conjunction with practicality. His model focuses on how social institutions serve the biological and psychological needs of individuals. Interpretive Developed in response to the Functional Approach. Clifford Geertz The goal of the anthropologist should be to discover meaning, not to look for origins and laws! Based on the work of Max Weber, who was the first to propose looking at culture through Emic Analysis. CLIFFORD GEERTZ (1926-2006) Geertz focused on interpreting the symbols that give meaning to peoples’ lives. He asserted that anthropologists must deeply analyze and thickly describe cultures and their symbols through the interpretive model in order to make difference understandable. He argued that religions are too particularistic with regard to events, individuals, and groups to be understood through functionalist theories. GEERTZ ON RELIGION AS A CULTURAL SYSTEM Geertz’s definition of culture: "a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms by means of which men communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about and attitudes toward life.” Geertz’s theory of religion as a cultural system: A symbolic system, religion is a social construct that--through social interaction-creates reality, and provides people with a blueprint for how to live. Generates powerful and lasting moods and motivations in people. The moods are in and of themselves, and the motivations are directed towards goals. Infuses these moods and motivations with the sense that they are uniquely real. Provides an overall ordering for existence that gives life meaning, and provides explanations for why problems and tragedies occur. Infuses the overall explanations and ordering for existence with the sense that it is factual. Together, these dynamics seem so powerful to believers that religion becomes the only sensible explanation for reality. Belief is fortified through ritual, and then taken into the world to transform it to conform with religion. POST-STRUCTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY Post-structuralism emerged as a critique of structuralism, and the array of post-structural theories are numerous and eclectic. The post-structural moment occurred when it was recognized that people participate in the creation of knowledge and power, and are not mere pawns of cultural and social structural practices and processes. Post-structuralism asserts that the study of underlying structures is itself a product of culture, and therefore subject to biases and misinterpretations. To understand culture, it is necessary to study the systems of knowledge which produce culture. THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES: Meaning is always shifting. Individuals’ perceptions of meaning is always shifting. Power attempts to fix meaning, but this is impossible. World Religions Basic Concepts Theism: Belief in the existence of God(s). Includes Mono and Poly. Atheism: Belief that God(s) does not exist. Agnosticism: View that nothing can be conclusively or definitively known about the existence or non-existence of God(s). Characteristics of Religion The French sociologist Emile Durkheim stated that religion involves “things that surpass the limits of our knowledge”. Beliefs Ideas, based upon faith, that people consider true The sacred and profane Sacred: that which has supernatural qualities Profane: that which is the ordinary Rituals Routines that reinforce the faith Moral communities People who share a religious belief Personal experience Grants meaning to life Sects and Cults Sects: Loosely organized religious group Non professional leadership Actively rejects social environment Breaks away from a larger religious group Deny beliefs of others Cults Non-conventional religious group Largely outside a society’s cultural traditions Social conditions demand separation Members required to withdraw from normal life Full-time communal obligation for members Many long standing religions – Judaism, Islam, Christianity – began as cults Charismatic leader is needed Word ‘cult’ is used by sociologists with no prejudice Religion in Pre-Industrial Societies Animism- the belief that elements of the natural world are conscious life forms that affect humans. Animistic people view forests, oceans, mountains, and even wind as spiritual forces. Many Native American and African societies are animistic. Hunters and gathers might have singled out someone to be the Shaman with special religious skills, but they have no full time religious leader. Among pastoral and horticultural people, there arose a belief in a single divine power responsible for creating the world. In agrarian societies, religion becomes more important, with a specialized priesthood in charge of religious organizations. Cargo Cult A cargo cult is a religious practice that has appeared in many traditional pre-industrial tribal societies in the wake of interaction with technologically advanced cultures. Cult focuses on obtaining the material wealth (the ‘cargo’) of the advanced culture through magic and religious rituals and practices. Cult members believe the wealth was intended for them by their deities and ancestors. Cargo cults developed primarily in remote parts of New Guinea and the southwest Pacific Ocean. Began with the first significant arrivals of Westerners in the 19th century. Cargo cult activity increased during and immediately after World War II, when residents of theses regions observed the Japanese and American combatants bringing in large amounts of material. When the war ended, the military bases were closed and the flow of goods and materials ceased. In an attempt to attract further deliveries of goods, followers of the cults engaged in ritualistic practices such as building crude imitation landing strips, aircraft and radio equipment, and mimicking behavior that they had observed of military personnel. John Frum Cargo Cult Ceremonial cross of John Frum Cargo Cult, 1967 Beliefs of John Frum Cargo Cult YouTube Origins of Faith – John Frum vs. Jesus 1/2 Religions that are not tied to a particular culture or location. Colonialism, trade, missionaries, migration, etc., have spread world religions throughout the globe. There are many localized variations of the world religions, and vernacular or folk beliefs and practices that are closely connected to a specific culture or location. Buddhism Hinduism Islam Judaism Christianity World Religions Christianity: 2 billion Judaism: 14 million Islam: 1.3 billion Baha'i: 6 million Hinduism: 900 million Jainism: 4 million Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/At Shinto: 4 million heist: 850 million Buddhism: 360 million Chinese traditional religion: 225 million Primal-indigenous: 150 million African Traditional & Diasporic: 95 million Sikhism: 23 million Juche: 19 million Spiritism: 14 million Cao Dai: 3 million Tenrikyo: 2.4 million Neo-Paganism: 1 million Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand Rastafarianism: 700 thousand Scientology: 600 thousand Zoroastrianism: 150 thousand Christianity World’s largest religion Three main branches Roman Catholic Protestant Luther breaks away from Roman Catholic Church in 16th century Orthodox Christian Division of Christianity in 10th century Serves eastern Europe Islam Second largest religion in world Significant beliefs and practices Only one god that all must recognize Daily prayer, share wealth, pilgrimage No centralized authority Local clerics rule often with close state ties Two major sects Sunni Shiite Judaism Numerically smallest of world religions Important beliefs: God’s chosen people Torah: first 5 books of the Bible; oldest truths from God Major divisions Orthodox: strictly traditional Reform: liberal and worldly Conservative: middle ground between Orthodox and Reform Hinduism Largest of the Eastern religions Concentrated largely in India Important beliefs Dharma: special force makes daily demands and sacred obligations Karma: spirit remains through life, death, rebirth Organization Caste membership Buddhism Large religion throughout Asia Includes southeast Asian countries and China Based upon teachings of the Buddha, the enlightened one Monks and lay people spread his teachings Important beliefs To relieve human suffering one must follow a path that ultimately leads to enlightenment “Right” thoughts and actions must be daily performed and evaluated through meditation Confucianism Originated with Confucius attempting to solve practical problems of daily living Wisdom summarized guides management of society Jen: human sympathy that binds people in 5 basic relationships Sovereign and subject Parent and child Older brother and younger brother Husband and wife Friend and friend Proper etiquette and ritual help these relationships Religions of the World American’s Religious Preferences Importance of Religion Around the World Religious Fundamentals Fundamentalism- a conservative religious doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly accommodation in favor of restoring traditional otherworldly religion. Religious Fundamentals Fundamentalists interpret sacred texts literally. Fundamentalists insist on a literal interpretation of the Bible and other sacred texts. Fundamentalists reject religious pluralism. They maintain that their religious beliefs are true and other beliefs are not. Fundamentalists pursue the personal experience of God’s presence. Fundamentalism opposes “secular humanism.” Secular humanism is a general term that refers to our society’s tendency to look to scientific experts rather than God for guidance about how to live. Many political fundamentalists endorse conservative political goals. Fundamentalists oppose the “liberal agenda” Religion and Functionalism Religion, as a major social institution, provides many important functions Cohesion Reduce social isolation Increase social solidarity Religion unites people through shared symbolism, values, and norms Social control Authority over significant events Social violations become moral offenses Religious ideas promote conformity Purpose Reduction of anxiety regarding the unknown Religious belief offers the comforting sense that our brief lives serve some greater purpose Secularization The declining influence of religion in daily life Transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions towards non-religious values and secular institutions. Combines with increasing influence of science The American Religious Economy More than 1,500 separate denominations exist in the United States. 22 American denominations enroll more than 1 million members each. In any given week, about 40% of Americans attend services. Some have questioned this number About 63% are official members of a local congregation or parish. American Denominations and Literal Faith in the Bible Percent who agree that “the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word” Unitarian-Universalist 7 United Church of Christ 12 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 22 Episcopal Church 22 United Presbyterian Church 25 United Methodist Church 31 Jehovah's Witnesses 51 Church of Christ 56 Southern Baptist Convention 57 American Denominations and Literal Faith in the Bible Percent who agree that “the Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word” Church of the Nazarene 58 Assemblies of God 68 United Pentecostal Church 69 Church of God 81 All Protestants 43 Roman Catholics 20 Declining American Denominations Members per 1,000 U.S. Population Denomination 1960 2000 % Change Christian Church (Disciples) 10.0 2.7 –71 United Church of Christ 12.4 5.0 –60 Episcopal Church 18.1 8.2 –55 United Methodist Church 58.9 29.8 –49 Presbyterian Church (USA) 23.0 12.7 –45 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 29.3 18.2 –39 Unitarian-Universalist 1.0 0.8 –20 233.0 221.7 –5 Roman Catholic Some Growing American Denominations Members per 1,000 U.S. Population Denomination 1960 2000 % Change Southern Baptist Convention 53.8 56.3 +5 Church of the Nazarene 1.7 2.2 +35 Seventh-day Adventist 1.8 3.1 +72 Foursquare Gospel 0.5 0.9 +80 Mormons 8.2 18.2 +122 Jehovah’s Witnesses 1.4 3.5 +150 Assemblies of God 2.8 9.1 +225 Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) 0.9 3.1 +244 Church of God in Christ 2.2 19.5 +786 Why are women more religious? Gender trends essentially universal Women socialized to care for family/religious needs of family Pascal’s wager: non-belief is risky behavior But belief does involve costs – deny oneself… look to rewards in heaven Men engage in more risky behavior, less willing to delay gratification Gender and Religiousness in Selected Nations Nation Women Men Percent who attend church at least monthly. United States 61 54 Canada 44 32 Mexico 70 57 Great Britain 30 17 Germany 36 23 Italy 62 42 Russia 9 3 Japan 16 11 Gender and Religiousness in Selected Nations Nation Women Men Percent who pray. United States 94 87 Canada 88 75 Mexico 95 89 Great Britain 78 54 Germany 74 59 Italy 90 74 Russia 50 21 Japan 90 85 China 28 17 Gender and Religiousness in Selected Nations Nation Women Men Percent who say they are “a religious person” United States 86 80 Canada 77 65 Mexico 80 71 Turkey 78 71 Great Britain 65 47 Germany 64 48 Italy 89 78 Russia 69 39 Japan 32 20 Inside a Cult http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/vid eos/inside-a-cult/ Haitian Voodoo Haitian Voodoo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpeLdXeIbwA& ob=av3e Birth of Voodoo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRt6CTb6riY New World Voodoo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM9ejsAUm-Y&feature=relmfu Mexican Witchcraft http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ucyH9_Yf9A Umbanda Religion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyrS7TQnoAo&f eature=relmfu Exorcism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoAdBREM5c&feature=relmfu Ghanaian Witches http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woZCA12zdmc&f eature=relmfu Wicca http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgC21V4hWU M&feature=relmfu