Indigenous Religions Flashcards
Study of Religion vs. Theology
Study of Religion- the academic or scholarly application of the social scientific method to religion
Theology- way of rationally/philosophically discussing religious truths.
Theology, which literally means “study of God,” is pursued within a confessional tradition or from a confessional tradition (e.g. Catholic theology or Muslim theology). In this regard, theology is less concerned with a sort of scientific objectivity (if such a thing even exists) than students of religious studies.
Since theology is about God or gods, it is not, properly speaking, applicable or necessary for the study of all religions, some of which (e.g. some forms of Buddhism, some forms of Quakerism, etc.) do not believe in any god or do not believe in a theistic god. In this regard, theology is a part of religion and, thus, religious studies but it does not exhaust the study of religion
Characteristics of Religions
Sacred places Belief in spirits or spirituality Afterlife Ritual professional or religious professionals Democratic spirituality Realms/Layers of reality tradition
Definition of Tradition
corpus of beliefs, practices, institutions passed from one generation to another
Shamanism
Shaman - ritual specialist who acts as intermediary between the community and the spirit world, which is filled will both benevolent and malevolent spirits
Energy God
Non-theistic conception of God as an impersonal force that simple exists or underlies everything that exists
There is a hidden essence present in the world
ex: Chinese Taoism, Upanishadic Hinduism, pre-Socratic philosophy
Purity and Monasticism
emerges in India. rejects hereditary priesthood and asserts, in the vein of democratic spirituality, that anyone could choose to lead the life of a holy person and that the true priest is not someone born into the priestly caste, but who lives a holy life that is characterized by asceticism (e.g. celibacy, poverty, non-harm, etc).
Indigenous Community
an indigenous community is one that is defined both by its members genealogical relations to one another and by its connection to a particular place
Indigenous religion
beliefs, experience, and practices concerning non-falsifiable realities of peoples who a) identify themselves as indigenous and/or b) rely (at least in part) on kinship and location to define their place in their mind.
Syncretism
the merging of elements from different cultures, religions
eg - the blending of Catholicism and indigenous African religions (esp. Yoruba) to create Voodou or the blending of traditional Iroquois religion with Christianity that results in the replacement of complimentary dualism with competitive dualism and the association of the good force (represented by the good twin in the Iroquois creation myth) with Jesus.
Non-falsifiable realities
Religious truths or truth claims which, by their very nature, fall outside of the realm material, empirical reality and, thereby, fall outside the possibility of scientific falsification In short, that is to say that a non-falsifiable reality is that which cannot be proved or disproved in a material or empirical way. Examples of non-falsifiable realities would include the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the indigenous belief in complimentary dualism, Iroquois Creation Myth
Common Elements of Indigenous Religions
orality
connection to specific places
emphasis on community and relationship
complementary dualism
Difference between “myth” in popular usage and “myth” within the context of religious studies
As popularly used in discourse and writing, the term “myth” applies to beliefs or stories that are widely held to be true but are, in fact, false. Often, it implies that the beliefs or stories are mere fabrications. Hence, it might be said that the story that there was once hippopotamus in the Potomac River is a myth.
Likewise, when people want to attack the truth or truthfulness of the Bible, for example, they will (like Christopher Hitchens) charge that it is just a load bronze age myths. In this regard, the popular connotation of “myth” differs significantly from the connotation of “myth” used in religious studies. Hence, while scholars of religious studies probably would agree with Hitchens that the Bible is filled with myths, they would mean, not that the Bible is a bunch of hocus pocus, but that the Bible is a narrative that a religious tradition uses to convey ultimate meaning or truth.
Trickster Character
Tricker characters are popular within the myths of indigenous religions. In contrast to, for example, Satan, trickster characters are not necessarily bad. Instead, they violate patterns and, in doing so, effectively show what the patterns are, what the value of the patters are, and what happens to those who violate patterns. Out of violating these patters something positive emerges. In this regard, trickster characters are best understood within the context of complimentary dualism, which asserts that there must be balanced opposites (i.e. positive and negative) in order for the cosmos to function. One example of complimentary dualism in a trickster story may be seen in the story of the Red Willows, wherein the trickster character (who is clearly not “bad,” insofar as he cares for his mother) shows no restraint when it comes to eating and, as a result, defecates blood. Yet, out of this gluttonous transgression emerges the red willow.
Complimentary Dualism
Complimentary dualism is the belief, characteristic of indigenous religions, that the universe is characterized by balanced opposites that must be present for the cosmos to function.
Rituals
Rituals are symbol components in action and in relationship. Rituals identify and remind us of what is important to the community we live in. Within the context of religion, their purpose is also to communicate in some way with gods or ancestors or spirits. In this regard, rituals, carefully, cross the border from one state of being to another.
Ex: Anishinaubae vision quest; Sun Dance as both personal and communal re-presentation of the myth of creation. Dancers in particular, but community as a whole, sacrifice and, in doing so, bring themselves into the Creator’s self-sacrifice in creating the cosmos.
