Chapter 2: The Provision Of Meaning And Belonging

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Religion as

Back 1

- Basis of association

- Expression of shared meanings

- creation of community

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Process of Meaning Making

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Acceptance of Worldviews (Peter Berger)

- comprehensive meaning systems used by believers who interpret life experiences/ events

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Meaning Systems are:

1. Explanatory

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- explain WHY things are the way they are

- offer explanations for facts of existence

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2. Normative

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- How things should be and should remain

- religious institutions typically conservative- they don't embrace much change

conservative nature in religion

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Legitimation

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- Religions offer a legitimation of social order or a challenge to it

EG. power, authority, hierarchy, gender roles etc.

EG. divine right of kings- King James Bible- Widespread and accessible to everyone because of colonization which increased legitimation

-> they have a sanction of God, Monarch is appointed by the King

-> to question God is to question the monarch

- legitimation of British God and colonization- tools of oppression

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Suggestions of Human design masked/ de-emphasized

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- References to tradition become absolute truths

EG/ christian marriage- 'family values' traditional marriage- Queen victoria prince albert had the 1st white wedding 1840

-no church weddings unless aristocracy- upper class go married at church, lower class got married at home

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Cosmologies

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- teachings that explain the origins of the world as well as its ultimate fate

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Eschatology

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(form of cosmology)

-> FINAL EVENTS

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Theodicies

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- Explanations that provide meaning for meaning- threatening experiences eg. suffering, death and pain for sins

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Acceptance of divine order behind events

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- understanding not necessary

- questioning sometimes not tolerated- Eg. black plague punished people for their sins, just something we don't understand it's God's doing

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.. But Challenge can emerge within tradition

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EG. Carleton Pearson's gospel of inclusion. Evangelical Rob Bell- also along with Pearson said there is no hell, hell doesn't exist

- Heaven/ Hell as human constructs that do not objectively exist

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Theorizing Meaning Making

Attribution Theory

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- ways in which people explain events and the behaviour of others

ReligiousEG. she is sick because of her immoral behaviour (i.e. god is punishing her)- let daughter die because she was sinning, reading books were not allowed

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Behavioural and emotional consequences of explainations

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- affirm own beliefs

-judgement of self and others

-self control increases reinforces

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internal/external causes

Religion: patterns of attributions

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-attribute meaningful events to supernatural realm

- maintains belief system/group adherence

- critically events that seem inexplicable or unusual become religiously meaningful EG. 'miracles' anomalies'

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Millenarianism

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- belief in a coming major transformation of society

- often includes images of an apocalypse and/or utopian eternity of paradise (EG. jehovah's witnesses paradise on earth) 144,000 places in paradise and if you didn't prostetize you weren't going to get one

- new purified world emerges following violence--> and only dedicated followers survive

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Mill cont;d

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- complete upheaval of current political, social order- everything is going to change

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Maintenance of this view maintained via...

Dualistic Worldview

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- fuels millenarianism

- regard reality as consisting of two insurmountable modes of existence--

GOOD vs. EVIL- the two can never co exist

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Historical overview of Millenarianism

origins in ancien Judism

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- Maccabean revolt

- Antiochus IV epiphares (Greek leader) who prosecuted jews- Forced Greek Idolatry- to worship greek gods.

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Book of Daniel (written 165 BCE)

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- vision of messiah from supernatural realm to save humanity

- central theme: world dominated by boundless demonic evil

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Christian Tradition

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- Theme of returning Messiah continues in Book of Revelation (critical book in millenarianism perspectives)

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MILLENIALISM

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- christian form of millenarianism

- christ to reign for 1000 years prior to final battle (apocalypse/ armageddon) with satan and the final judgement

- four horsemen of the apocalypse: Death, Famine, War, Conquest

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Joachim de Fiore (1135-1202)

Identified 3 periods of history

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1. Age of the father (old testement)

2. Age of the son (Gospels- new testament)

3. Age of the holy spirit (Upcoming period of history- no particular date for the armageddon)

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Future apocalyptic thinking

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-reinforced the concept of returning saviour

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The Crusades

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- go to the hold land and take jerusalem from muslim control

-power switch between christianity and islam

- if christians had control of holy land they could "facilitate" the end times

- Jews have to be in the hold land- conditions for Christs return and the armageddon

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Today... there are a variety of beliefs

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- often active moves taken to bring about end times

EG. US evangelical christian- support for israel

- safe homeland for Jewish Free from persecution

- take Palestinian territory

-arab-isreali war took over Palestine land and boundaries

- so the jews stay in isreal for the "end"

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Islamic Tradition

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- the prophet Muhammed (died 632)

- Sunni and Sh'ia branches emerged

- question of leadership

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Sunni

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- any muslim MALE in good standing with leadership abilities and legal knowledge can lead

- appropriate religious education can lead within the tradition

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SH'ia

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-only direct descendants of the prophet may rule

- concept of returning messiah becomes important

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Mahdi

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- bringer of justice to the world

Sunni-- yet to come has not arrived already

Sh'ia- went to occultation (concealment) and will return to bring peace

- various specific interpretations

-various claims made

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occultation

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-disappearing and will come back

- concealment

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More recent history

Imminent Ends

EG. Early Puritans, Evangelists ( the Great Awakening) 18th/ 19th century

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- Eg. Jehovah's witnesses millerites- seventh day adventists nation of islam

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Generally..

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- millenarian beliefs may foster isolation from mainstream society

- disregard conventional norms and violence may occur- sometimes outwardly

- EG. AUM Sarn gas attack on tokyo subway- 1995

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Antinomianism

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- no obligation to obey laws, this or morality of traditional religions/ civil society

eg. children of god- explicitly subverts motifs of mainstream religion

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Norman Cohn

The Pursuit of Millennium- 1957

religious salvation is... (recurring features/ themes of religious salvation)

CIMTT

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1. Collective- to be enjoyed by the faithful together

2. Terrestrial- realized on this earth (not in some other worldly realm)

3. Imminent- will come both soon and suddenly

4.Total- utter transformation of life on earth. Perfection itself

5. Miraculous- accomplished by or with the help of supernatural agencies

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Branch Davidians 1930's

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- millenarian eg

- Break off group of seventh day adventists

- David Koresh becomes leader via armed take over- 1993 standoff/siege at Waco Texas 80 died

- he left with 7 followers then 1990 assumed leadership

- highly charismatic individual- believed he was a rockstar

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Branch Davidians

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- millenarian mvmt

- worldview

-eschatology

-theodicies

-cosmology

-identity

-community

-commitment

-ideology

etcetc

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Early warning signs for Active Millenarianism

1. IOIA

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Intensification of illegal activities

- weapon accumulation

- preparation for cosmic battles

eg. BD's

-Aum Shinrikyo

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2. HC

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Humiliating Circumstances

- discrediting of leader, group or prophesies

-may try to counter defamation by violently forcing its vision (you will pay attention to us because this is what we can do)

eg. BD' humiliated by music industry

aum shinrikyo

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3. Rto RA

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Relocation to Rural Area

- physical and psychological withdrawal from the rest of society

- strengthens group solidarity/increased social control over members

eg. church universal triumphant (bomb shelter in montana moved their to enact control for final battle)

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4. IVR

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Increasingly violent rhetoric

- indication of level of critical fervour

- move towards actualizing apocalyptic scenario

EG. BD- 12 hour sermons

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Salvational Status

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-key motivator in your life, it will have a positive outcome, and increase your commitment to those behaviours and actions

- why people follow charismatic leader and endure hardship

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Messianism

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- belief in a messiah, saviour, redeemer

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Messiah

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- from ancient hebrew word meaning "anointed one"

- 'christ' ancient Greek word for messiah

-applied to Jesus in the New Testament

- not always essential to have messiah in millenarianism that 99% do have messiah at the core

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4 Patterns of messianic expectation

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1. Belief Messiah will come

eg. Judaism- expectations have varied in intensity

eg. Shi'a Islam- expectation messiah will come out of oultation

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2

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2. Belief that the Messiah has already come

eg. mainstream Christianity

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3.

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3. Belief the Messiah is here now

-eg. Michael Jacksonites- dissidents from the Jehovah Witness's in ALBERTA in the 1980's

-Branch Davidians- David Koresh

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4.

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4. Belief the messiah will return again

eg. Evangelical Christians

BD's

JW's

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Responses to Failed Prophecy

( Religious leaders will put a specific date to end times or times for return)

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eg. JW predicted Jesus' return in 1874,1914,1918

predicted armageddon in

1920, 1925, 1940, 1975

1975-- most damaging prediction the previous years hadn't effected membership but after 1975 became disenchanted, turned away from their religion

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1. Miscalculation

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- error in the calculation

-refocus on the correct date

-re-interpretation

- rationalizing the miscalculation

EG. millerites to adventists (Hiram Edson)

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2. Acknowledge Disconfirmation

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- blame others, you haven't been committed/ sure enough

internal blame-- members not faithful enough, purging/punishments may occur

External blame-- blame others in society

- hostile or violent actions

- or increased attempts to recruit and convert others

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3. Claim that the prophecy was more or less fulfilled

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-heavens gate- perhaps not quite as planned but a little

TELAH- another dimension

-we need to lose our bodies which are vehicles

- plan mass suicide to get their SOULS to TELAH

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4. Acknowledge failed prophecy and disband (least common response to failed prophecy)

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EG. shrine of the Fundamental truth (Japan)

- proposed apocalypse would come at particular day and time, when it didn't happen he took his own life

-rest of the followers believed it was a true failed prophecy and they disbanded