Religion Flashcards
Religion
A set of belifs and patterned behaviors concerned with supernatural beings and forces
Magic
Magic involves the manipution of supernatural forces for the purpose of intervening into human activities and natural events
Common features of Religion and magic
- Both are systems of supernatural belifs
- Both are non-rational and not susceptible to scientific verification
- Both used as a way to cope with anxieties, ambiguities, and frustrations
Differences between religion and magic
- Religion deals with major issues of human existence, magic directed towards specific immediate problems
- Religion uses prayer and sacrifices to appeal to petition supernatural , magic is the attempt to control or manipulate nature of other people through effort
- Religion is, by and large, group activity, magic is more indiviually oriented
- Religion usually involves officially recognized functionaries, magic perfomed by a wide variety of practitioners
- Witchcraft is an inborn, involuntary, often unconscious capacity to cause harm to other people
- Sorcery involves material, potions, medicines, deliberate use of supernatural powers to bring about harm
Myths
Stories that transmit culturally meaningful messages about the uivers, the natural and supernatural worlds, and a person’s place within it.
Functions of religion
- Psychological functions
- Social Functions
Social functions of religion
- Social control
- conflict resolution
- Group solidarity
Pyschological functions of religion
- Cognitive functions
- Emotional functions
Supernatural power
- Gods and goddesses
- Ancestral spirits
- Animism
- Animatism
Gods and Goddesses
- The great and more remote supernatural beings
- Usually seen as controlling the uiverse, or if several recognized, each has charge of a particular part of the universe
Ancestral Sprits
- Belief that spirit continues to exist in the world after death
- Resembe the living in their emotions, behaviors, and appetites
- Ancestral spirits often belived to retain an active interst in the society
Animism
The belief that spirit beings that animate nature
Animatism
The belife that the world is animated byimpersonal supernatural powers
Types of religious organization
- Individualistic cults
- Shamanistic cults
- Communal cults
- Ecclesiastic cults
Shamans
A part-time religious specialist who has unique power acquired through his or her initiative; such individuals are thought to possess exceptional abilities for dealing with supernatural beings and powers