Unit 11: Religion and the Supernatural Flashcards
Fundamentalism:
means returning to the fundamentals of a religion (it is a reaction to modernism and to religions loss of influence in society)
Fundamentalists:
They resist change brought on by modernism and maintain that traditional beliefs and doctrine, moral codes, and patterns of behaviour still have a place
Religion:
a set of rituals, rationalized by myth that mobilizes supernatural powers to achieve or prevent transformation of state in people and nature
-(A recognition that when people cannot fix serious problems that cause them anxiety, they turn to supernatural beings and powers for assistance)
Polytheism:
belief in several gods and/or goddesses (as contrasted by monotheism- belief in one god)
Pantheon
A collection of gods and goddesses (Greek mythology)
Animism
- A belief in spirit beings thought to animate nature
- a belief that natural objects are animated by spirits; things in nature may all have within them different spirits- (these spirits have identifiable personalities and other characteristics such as gender— ‘mother nature’)
Animatism:
A belief that the world is animated by impersonal supernatural powers
-Mana- a force in all objects (Melanesians)
Myths
are explanatory narratives that rationalize religious beliefs and practices; they focus on human existence (they are sacred narratives explaining how the world came to be in its present form)
Priest or Priestess:
a full-time religious specialist- they have undergone special training, and are socially initiated ceremonially inducted members of a recognized organization
-They may have certain personality traits that make them especially suited for the job
Rituals
it is religion in action- the means through which people relate to the sacred
Rights of passage
Separation/ Transition/ Incorporation
Rights of intensification:
Religious rituals enacted during a groups real or potential crisis
-this unites people in a common effort so that fear and confusion yield to collective action and a degree of optimism)
Imitative magic (sympathetic magic):
based on the principle that “like produces like”
-whatever happens to the image of someone will happen to them
Contagious Magic:
based on the principle that beings once in contact can influence one another after separation
-Sir James George Frazer coined these terms
Witchcraft:
an explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess and innate psychic power capable of causing harm, including sickness and death
Ibibio Witchcraft
“black witches” are extremely evil and “white witches” are just a little
Reconstructionist religions
modern-day revivals of ancient pagan religions
Ancestral Spirits
a belief that humans have at least two parts – a physical body and some kind of non-physical spirit or soul
- Generally it is believed that the spirit portion separates from the body after death and continues to exist in some form - Some religions believe that the spirits are good and help the family after death (China) and others believe that the spirits are evil (Europeans)
Gods and Goddesses:
(aka. Deities) they are extremely powerful supernatural beings
- The most supreme God is often an “otiose deity”
Monotheism:
a belief that there is only one God – Judaism, Christianity, Islam
Polytheism:
a belief in more than one god- Hinduism
Minor supernatural beings
have supernatural capabilities: leprechauns, elves and pixies
Priest:
these individuals are keepers of the sacred law and tradition (mostly found in large-scale societies) – different religions have different terms for these individuals; rabbis, ministers, etc.
Shaman:
in direct contact with the spirit world- he intervenes on behalf of a human client t influence supernatural beings to perform some act such as curing an illness (mostly found in small-scale societies)
Prophet:
an individual who receives divine revelation concerning a restructuring of religion and usually of society as well
Divination
is a magical procedure by which the cause of a particular event or the future is determined
Cult:
a devoted religious group, often living together in a community with a charismatic prophet leader
Secular:
relating to worldly rather than religious things
The Practice of Religion
- Religion is performative and is acted out through ritual, ceremony, and observances
- Participation may bring a sense of transcendence, security, reassurance and even ecstasy
Separation:
The ritual removal of the individual from society
Transition:
A stage where the individual is isolated following separation and prior to incorporation back into society
Incorporation:
Reincorporation of the individual into society in his or her new status
Taboo:
a socially restricted behaviour
Witchcraft:
an explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess an innate psychic power capable of causing harm or things to occur
Wicca:
a neo-pagan belief system involving magic- they believe their power comes from the inner self rather than the supernatural- they are not concerned with doing harm or causing evil
Wiccan three fundamental beliefs or laws:
- Wiccan Rede: An ye harm none, do what ye will (harm no one)
- Threefold Law: a persons deeds will return to the doer three times over
- Involves reincarnation
Missionism:
social movements, often of a religious nature, with the purpose of totally reforming a society
