Anthropology Final: Religion & Worldview

Front 1

Religion

Back 1

the belief in the supernatural and behavior for dealing with it; whether that power be forces, gods, spirits, ghosts, or demons.

Front 2

Religion is a cultural

Back 2

universal

Front 3

Supernatural

Back 3

- power believed to be not human or not subject to the laws of nature.

Front 4

What defines supernatural depends on

Back 4

how you define natural.

Front 5

Religion originates in people’s speculation about

Back 5

dreams, trances, and death

Front 6

Animism -

Back 6

belief that there is a physical body separate from a soul

Front 7

Tylor’s student argued instead for animatism.

Back 7

the belief in impersonal, supernatural forces (not in soul or spirit distinct from the body)

Front 8

Reversion to Childhood Feelings

Back 8

We look to religion to fulfill the role that our parents filled when we were children
(Parents were all knowing and all powerful)
(As adults we become insecure and look to religion to take parents role)

Front 9

Anxiety and Uncertainty

Back 9

We turn to religion during times of anxiety and uncertainty
Many things lead to our anxiety and uncertainty
(Religion fills this role-answers them)

Front 10

The Need for Community

Back 10

Focus is on social needs
Religious beliefs and practices affirm a person’s place in society and enhance feelings of community
(Certain pulls and pushes in human group-religion affirms our place in society and explains rules)

Front 11

Mana is a

Back 11

supernatural force that is impersonal and is thought to inhabit some objects, people, or animals but not others.

Front 12

Examples of Mana

Back 12

Polynesian farmer places rocks around field-good crop-mana, bad crop next year-mana has left
Star Wars-use the force
Mana in bubble gum for baseball players

Front 13

4 theories of origin of religion

Back 13

Need to understand
Reversion to childhood feelings
anxiety & uncertainty
need for community

Front 14

Taboo

Back 14

- persons, objects, animals, or places that are not to be touched because their power can cause harm.
(Universal incest taboo)

Front 15

Gods

Back 15

- supernatural beings with a nonhuman origin and are named personalities
Often are anthropomorphic(human form)

Front 16

Ghosts and Ancestor Spirits

Back 16

These are supernatural beings that may act in a guardian way doing good deeds
Others act in mischief
They were once human

Front 17

Monotheistic religions

Back 17

- have one supreme (or high) god with other lesser supernatural beings

Front 18

Polytheistic Religions-

Back 18

recognize many important gods with no one supreme god
Examples are Ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian, and Mayan Religions

Front 19

Why Do We See These Two Types Where We Do?

Back 19

The religion of a given sociocultural system reflects its political system
How does this explain the Mbuti’s religion and political system?
How might (can?) this account for our own religious beliefs?

Front 20

Tenets of Non-Western Worldviews

Back 20

Natural and supernatural not separated
Equality between humans and their environment
Personalized relationship between spirits, nature, and humans
Power is manipulated through ritual
Nothing happens by chance
Time is cyclical
Based on origin narratives

Front 21

Prayer

Back 21

Asking for supernatural help.
Can take many forms
(Must be spoken, forbidden to be spoken outloud, either/or, memorized, spontaneous,group, individual)

Front 22

Altering the Mind or Body

Back 22

Examples:
Yanomamo use of ebene
Native Americans and peyote
Native Americans and vision quests
Kung San drumming and dancing
Social isolation, sense depravation

Front 23

Trance

Back 23

Common altered state
Can be possession trances
(Personality temporarily displaced by spirit-ex. Voodoo)
(To give guidance, make self known, give info)
(Trance is a real state of mind-not faked-can clearly detect, similar state as rem sleep)

Front 24

Simulation

Back 24

Use likeness to have an affect-voodoo doll

Front 25

Divination

Back 25

This is getting the supernatural to provide guidance.
(Fortune telling, palm reading, ouija board, split horns,tarot cards)

Front 26

Example of Sacred meal

Back 26

Holy communion

Front 27

Sacrifice

Back 27

This is where something of value is given up to the gods, whether it be food or animals or people.
(Agriculture-best of grains,
Human in places where people are valued more)

Front 28

Magic

Back 28

-ability to compel
Can be used for good or evil

Front 29

Sorcery

Back 29

- may include the use of materials, objects and medicines to invoke the supernatural malevolence

Front 30

Witchcraft

Back 30

- accomplishes the same ills as sorcery but by means of thought and emotion alone.

Front 31

Sorcery and Witchcraft
In which types of societies may we be most likely to see these?

Back 31

-not us culture
Societies that lack official social system of laws

Front 32

Shaman

Back 32

Part-time male religious practitioner and healer with relatively high status
(One of most common)
(Often male but not always)
(Same days job as rest of the group)

Front 33

Do Shaman Really Cure?

Back 33

The Naming Process
(Need to know what is wrong in order to fix it)
Personality of the doctor
(Doctors are warm who help patient get better)
Patient’s expectations
(Placebo & nocebo effect)
Curing techniques
(varied)
(Yes & no-main way is through psychological healing)

Front 34

Sorcerers and Witches

Back 34

Usually are part-time and have low status
They are feared and thought to cause harm

Front 35

Mediums

Back 35

Usually are female, part-time practitioners that heal while in a possession trance
(Offer advice, give people reason for sickness)
(Mediums do not travel to celestial realm and possessed by spirits)
(Communicate with one spirit)

Front 36

Priests

Back 36

Usually are male, full-time practitioners who have high status and obtain their position often by political appointment.
(Not just catholic, wide variety)
(Political appointment or inheritance)

Front 37

Two Types of Disease Causation in Nonwestern Worldviews

Back 37

Intrusive Object Theory
Soul Loss Theory

Front 38

Intrusive Object Theory

Back 38

-a sorceror has shot you illness, your shaman can see the illness arrows and ritually remove them. Cannot be seen by normal people

Front 39

Soul Loss Theory

Back 39

-souls are lost and shaman must call soul back

Front 40

Functions of Religion

Back 40

Explanatory (The “X” Factor)
Validating -belief system
Integrating -integrates people, makes us feel as one, family that prays together stays together

Front 41

The “X” Factor and Integrative Ritual

Back 41

We use ritual behavior to neutralize the “X” factors
This is particularly important in high-risk situations
E.g. Pic of Katrina

Front 42

We use ritual behavior to neutralize

Back 42

the “X” factors

Front 43

Ritual

Back 43

- a repetitive social practice composed of a sequence of symbolic activities in the form of dance, song, speech, gestures, or the manipulation of objects, adhering to a culturally defined ritual schema and closely connected to a specific set of ideas that are often encoded in myth.

Front 44

Examples of ritual

Back 44

Ex: child’s b-day party, ritual order important, living out values &expectations,
Invites sent out, child comes with wrapped gift, put in pile for later, kids play games, cake, name & candles for age of child, blow candles out, open presents, parents pick up kids, party favors
Not consciencely aware of values we are learning-get gifts, patterns of sociability, focusing on individual

Front 45

Four Elements to Ritual

Back 45

Repetitive
Set off from everyday life
Adheres to culturally defined ritual schema
Connected to ideas encoded in myth

Front 46

Rite of passage

Back 46

- a ritual that serves to mark the movement and transformation of an individual from one social position to another.

Front 47

Three Stages of Rites of Passage

Back 47

(One example is that of military recruits.)
Separation
Transition-liminal
Reaggregation
(Boy to soldier)

Front 48

Import of the Liminal Period

Back 48

Victor Turner –says most important time,essential to function of society because it generates a sense of community
Liminality
Communitas

Front 49

Liminality

Back 49

- an ambiguous transition state in a rite of passage in which the person or persons undergoing the ritual are outside their ordinary social positions

Front 50

Communitas

Back 50

- unstructured or minimally structured community of equal individuals found in rites or passages.