Chapter 14: Religion Flashcards
religious speech
Invocations, prayers, prophecies, songs of praise, and curses that are powerful means of transmitting messages about the world and also creating the world
cosmology
religious worldview of a people, including beliefs about the origin of the world, the pantheon of deities that exist, and their relationships to the spirit realm
animism
belief in the existence of souls.
animatism
belief that objects and natural processes are imbued with power.
polytheism
belief in the existence of numerous deities that have specific attributes, powers and functions
monotheistic religions
belief systems that hold to the existence of one supreme deity who has powers and knowledge that effect all aspects of life
ancestor worship
belief in the importance of ancestors as they affect the lives of their survivors, protecting thei descendants in return for rituals of honor
mana
a force, power. or essence that endows people, animals. other living things, and possibly inanimate objects with special qualities or powers
totemism
beilief system in which people believe they are descendants of spirit beings
secret societies
organization that control use of special objects used in religious rituals
mediums
people having special gifts to make contact with the spirit world, often in a state of trance
diviners
people with he power to predict the future through messages and omens from the spirit world
healers
Religious practicioners who acquire spirit power to diagnose the spirit cause of illness and effect cures
shamans
part-time religious practitioners who make contact with the spirit world through prayer, ritual and trance
priests
full time religious practitioners who lead a religious organization and officiate at rituals but are not expected to be able to communicate directly with the spiritual world
rituals
activities, including religious speech, ceremonies and behaviors that are demonstrations of beliefs
sacred rituals
activities, places, or objects that are connected to the spirit realm and are imbued with power
rites of renewal
rituals performed with the goal of renewing the bounty of the earth
prayer
religious speech or thought through which believers transmit message to the spirit beings
sacrifice
offerings made to spirit beings to show gratitude and honor
puberty rites
rituals performed to mark the passage of an individual from childhood to adulthood; also called initiation rites
funerary rites
rituals performed to mark a person’s death and passage to the afterworld
spirit possession
belief that spirits can enter a body and take over a person’s thoughts and actions
imitative magic
magic that operates on the principle of like causes lik
contagious magic
magic that operates on the principle that positive and negative qualities can be transferred
calendric rituals
ceremonies performed at specific times during the year, for example, agricultural rituals performed for planting, growing, and harvesting crops.
prophets
religious leaders who receive diving inspiration, often in a vision or trance
nativistic movements
revitilization movements attempting to rid society of foreign elements and return to what is conceived to be a prior state of cultural purity
revivalistic movements
revitalization movements focused on bringing back cultural and religious practices that express core values that have been largely abandoned.
millenarian movements
revitalization movements incoporating apocalyptic themes, prophesying an abrupt end to the world as we know it, leading to the establishment of a new way of life or form of existence
messianic movements
revitalization movements stressing the role of a prophet or messiah as a savior for the people
cargo cults
revitalization movements arising in melanesia in the early 20th century with the aim of obtaining material wealth through magical means.
proselytism
the attempt to convert a person or group from one religion to another
fundamentalism
a term coined in the united states in the 1920s meaning a commitment to do battle to defend traditional religious beliefs
