Religion

Question 1

religion definition

Answer 1

system of beliefs and practices usually involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings that functions to provide meaning, peace of mind and a sense of control over the unexplainable parts of life.

Question 2

problems with “the supernatural”

Answer 2

ethnocentrism, dichotomy(not all societies make supernatural/natural distinction), identity the supernatural (what is supernatural to you is not supernatural to me)

Question 3

societies don’t have a separate word for religion

Answer 3

in many societies things have a combined religious and social function and anthropologists cant easily separate the two, religious functions double as economic and social functions

Question 4

Materiality

Answer 4

relationship between things and people, and how it shapes our actions, religious symbols

Question 5

spirituality

Answer 5

being concerned with the human spirit apart from the physical, spirituality is a definition being spiritual

Question 6

how we study religion

Answer 6

fuctional vs interpretive

Question 7

Pioneer of religious studies in anthro.

Answer 7

E.B tylor

Question 8

animism

Answer 8

belief in spiritual beings

Question 9

Problem with E.B Tylor intellectual approach

Answer 9

he looked a missionary records, to make his conclusions but these records were biased because writers had religious backgrounds themselves

Question 10

Animism vs. animatism

Answer 10

Animatism: world is filled with souls or spirits, it can think feel and interact with the rest of the world
Animatism: a type of religious belief in which impersonal spiritual forces exist in the world and affect human behaviour, but separate from human beings

Question 11

Psychological approach

Answer 11

cognitive (intellectual function): to give explanations for the unexplainable
emotional (psychological function): to give solace about the tragedies in life

Question 12

sociological approach

Answer 12

outside perspective of the role religion has in greater scope in society: provides for societal needs, sustains the moral and social order, important for conflict resolution, intensifies group solidarity

Question 13

interpretive approach

Answer 13

sees religion as a set of symbols and stresses the meaning of those symbols as referents and creators of meaningful life

Question 14

Magic

Answer 14

Nature is understood to be controlled by forces which can be manipulated

Question 15

Contagious magic

Answer 15

the belief and practice that objects that come in contact with each other have a supernatural connection with each other.

Question 16

sympathetic or imitative magic

Answer 16

the belief and practice that object objects that have some sort of commonness with each other have a supernatural bond.

Question 17

witchcraft vs socrecry

Answer 17

witchcraft- people use their inherent powers to harm others,
sorcery- you use other objects to do harm to others

Question 18

4 typologies of religion

Answer 18

individualists, shamanistic, communal, Ecclesiastical

Question 19

Individualistic cults

Answer 19

most basic type of religious movement, common in smaller societies, every one has a relationship with a deity

Question 20

2 types of communal cults

Answer 20

rights of passage- landmarks that guide people through the cycle of life , rights of solidarity

Question 21

Arnold Gennep 4 steps of right of passage

Answer 21

separation, purification, transition, incorporation

Question 22

Characteristics of rituals

Answer 22

• involve the supernatural
• formalized and structured pattern of behaviour
• ordinary actions
• belief in action
• symbolic
• functional
• give a sense of solidarity

Question 23

revitalization movement (ghost dance)

Answer 23

first nations ritual- dance that connected people with their ancestors to help them defeat European colonizism and bring back their traditions

Question 24

syncretism

Answer 24

blending of religions through globalization

Question 25

Divination

Answer 25

practice of foreseeing future events or getting hidden knowledge through supernatural means

Question 26

Shamanistic cults

Answer 26

religious organization in which religious specialists intervene with diets on behalf of their clients

Question 27

communal cults

Answer 27

religious community in which ordinary people take part in rituals on behalf of the health of the whole community

Question 28

ecclesiastical cults

Answer 28

complex religious organizations with hierarchy/bureaucracy in which full-time clergy are employed

Question 29

ritual

Answer 29

Victor Turner- sequence of activities that include actions, objects, that are supposed to influence the magical realm in the interests of the participant

Question 30

types of rituals

Answer 30

• calendrical rites (seasonal rituals)
• rites of transition/passage (social concerns, life cycle)
• critical/life crisis rites

Question 31

tasks of a priest, oracle

Answer 31

• healing
• communicating with spiritual realm
• leading rituals

Question 32

Cargo cults

Answer 32

Melanesian religious organization that believe in a prosperous future/utopia by a sending of goods to them, arose after world war 2

Question 33

interpretations of cargo cult

Answer 33

irrational thinking
covert form of revolutionary consciousness- resisting against colonialists by wanting to return to traditional ways
- situational analysis: it is a rational assessment of their situation from their perspective
-post modern view: providing what the people want
- creating a new picture of reality

Question 34

religious nationalism

Answer 34

combining religion with workings of the government