Divination

In comparison to the Christian New Testament, the references to demons in the Hebrew Bible are scarce. In fact, the word “demon” is never mentioned. However this may be, Rabbis and practicing Jews alike did not let this stop them from expanding on the supernatural in Jewish folklore. There are many beings under God’s control that are found in the Hebrew Bible and many that are not, found elsewhere in folklore or non-canonical texts. To have God in control of malevolent spirits is troublesome for…

Witchcraft Act in 1957, forbidding the use and creation of “witchcraft and traditional South African medicine, essentially made it illegal to ‘cry witch’”(https://blog.uvm.edu). The medicine in South African often involved the use of herbs with divination, curing diseases such as cancer and cholera. The South African Government had prevented the use of such important medical treatments and the way of life for midwives and herbalists; animals relied on the medicine and so did “60%-80% of the…

A way in which the indigenous people in colonies were subjugated was through land divination. Colonists, realising that the more land they controlled the higher the profits would be, increasingly sought ways to achieve this. Naturally, the European colonists of India and Africa were of a higher economic standing than their native counterparts, and used various methods to lay claim to large areas of land and the most fertile ground. Subsequently, it meant that any individual native enterprise was…

The Surma Tribe Have you ever thought to learn about a different religion and how they do things differently, yet similar to you? This paper will teach you things you may or may have not known about the Surma (Suri) Tribe. You will be introduced to who they are, their cultural beliefs (lip disc), their religious beliefs and practices as far as a God, marriage, how their households and society are run, Donga Stick Fighting, and what they the believe far as death and the afterlife. The Suri…

Fantastic Fates and Where to Find Them In writing One Hundred Year of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Márquez fuses political commentary, magic realism, and reflections on humanity through his creation of the fictional town Macondo. Despite killer ants, gorgeous women ascending to the heavens, and soothsayers, Márquez claims that “there’s not a single line in all [his] work that does not have a basis in reality” (Hamilton 1). If taken literally, Márquez may be referring to the inspiration overbearing…

Salem Witch Trials Salem Witch Trials Between the months of June to September of 1692 the infamous witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts resulted in the deaths of twenty men and women as a result of witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations and dozens were jailed for months during the process of the trials. There are a variety of explanations for the hysteria that overtook the population of Salem. A combination of religious, political, and…

Religious Experience of Native Americans The Native American religious experience from before the European presence to the 20th century underwent many transformations throughout its evolution. In the beginning, the Olmec and Mayan hierarchical civilizations believed their kings, who were also their religious leaders, were able to communicate with the Gods and ancestors. This demonstrated how the early Native Americans believed that supernatural forces existed. This belief in the supernatural…

African Religions Africa is the second largest continent in the world. Africa is the home of many different ethnic and linguistic groups. There are nearly 3,000 different groups. The population of Africa is 700 million. Because Africa was the continent of slaves many years ago, it gave African religions the opportunity to advance throughout the world. In fact, there are many ancient African religion sculptures that were found outside of Africa. A scholar and a book writer by the name of…

a sticky face involves hanging up treacle or syrup-coated scones by strings and they must be eaten without using hands while they remain attached to the string. A part of the traditional games that are played during Halloween are in the forms of divination. In All Hallows' Eve celebrations, these activities were considered to be "deadly serious" practices, and it only occurred in the countryside of medieval Europe and were only done by a "rare few" during the Middle Ages. In the traditional…

I. Origin and History Santería is an Afro-Caribbean syncretic religion that originated in the Yoruba tribe of West Africa. The development of Santería is the result of the African Diaspora. The Yoruba tribe was brought to Cuba because of the slave trade in approximately the 16th century. Enslaved Africans in the Caribbean mixed their Yoruba beliefs with the Roman Catholic beliefs of the Spanish. Although on the surface they were forced by their masters to convert to Catholicism, many still…