exam1-ch. 1 Flashcards
little is known about early religions because the written word has only been around for about
5,000-6,000 years
all contemporary societies have
long and complex histories
the two primary sources of information about religions are contemporary religious people themselves and
the historical record
according to Sir Edward Tylor, humans first developed religion because
they envisioned the world as being alive with souls or spirits
viewed in the context of the study of religion, what is a myth?
a poetic way of telling a great truth
what kind of ritual has to do with the prediction of the future
divination
one of the principle functions of religious rituals is to make something happen. when a religious ritual leads almost inevitable to given results, it is sometimes referred to as
magic
one of the most universal religious taboos revolves around
menstruating women
why have scholars struggled to fully understand some ancient religions
the religions often predated written records
the most useful source of information about modern religion is
contemporary religious people themselves
understanding the historical record is important in the study of contemporary religions because
it provides their context
what feature do most religions have in common
stories and scripture
a modern example of a nature-based spiritual expression is
the hindus bathing in the sacred Ganges River
one common thread among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is that
they all generally consider their religious texts to have been revealed by God
Siberian Shaman can see the future because they
are possesses by spirits
