Religion

• A social process which helps to order and to give coherence to society and which provides its members with meaning, unity, peace of mind and the degree of control over events they believe is possible.

• This social process is the instituted development of interaction among members of a society, and between them and the universe, as conceived in their cosmology.

Types of Religion

• Monotheistic

• Polytheistic or Olympian

• Shamanic

HOW CAN THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD BE

ADDRESSED?

• Prayer

• Sacrifices

• Magic

• Divination

Prayer

• Any conversation held with spirits and gods.

• People believe that its results depend on the will of the spirit world rather than on actions humans perform.

Sacrifice

• Offerings to the spirits to increase the efficacy of prayer. People may sacrifice lives, or burn incense.

• Western culture: common to offer changes in behaviour.

Magic

• A religious ritual believed to produce a mechanical effect by supernatural means. A set of beliefs and practices designed to accomplish specific aims.

DEBATE:

• Under this definition, can a blessing or a baptism be considered magic?

• Why? Why not?

Divination

• A ritual practice directed toward obtaining useful information from a supernatural authority.

Functions of Religion

1) Validation of the social order.

2) Explanation for existence.

1) Reinforcement of our ability to cope.

Malinowski

• Founder of the modern anthropological method: fieldwork

Fieldwork

• An anthropologist’s personal, long-term experience with a specific group of people and their way of life. Where possible, anthropologists try to live for a year or more with the people whose way of life is of concern to them.

Synchronic

• Study of the here and now.

Functionalism

• Form of explanation based on understanding the function of specific practices and institutions.

• Malinowski saw as the basic function of culture the satisfaction of individual needs, both material and psychological.

• Malinowski saw as the basic function of culture the satisfaction of individual needs, both material (through livelihood, shelter, clothing, etc.) and psychological (through magic, religion, myths, ritual, etc.).

Malinowski

• First anthropologist to pay close attention to how religion serves to reduce anxiety and establish some resemblance of control over the world for human beings (reinforcement).

• At the same time, as a functionalist, he was also interested in the maintenance and reproduction of the social order (validation).

Magic and Religion

• Reduce emotional stress

• Malinowski saw magic and religion as practical and rational responses that were used only when empirical and scientific reason failed to provide reassurances for the facts of life.

Magic

• A means to a particular end.

Religion

• A response to the fear of annihilation through death.

• It includes other elements, such as the appeal to a higher power.

Magic # Science

Magic

• A pseudo-science

Science

• Empirical, rational knowledge.

Magic

• Reasoning based on false premises.

• Both, however, have instrumental purposes, as opposed to religion. Malinowski understood that of these forms, magic, science and religion, coexisted side by side in Trobriand society.

Healing rituals

• Magic, because they are means to an end.

Festivals

• Commemorations of society = part of religion. They had propiciatory intent, but did not try to manipulate reality.

Science

• A practice grounded on observed relationships. Science attempts to control natural chains of causation, and is based on experimentation, the validity of certain principles and theoretical speculation.

Magic

• Involves the manipulation of a chain of causation by supernatural means.

Religion

• Involves a cosmology and a set of practices that provides explanation, validation and reinforcement, and has as a main function the satisfaction of the physical, psychological and social needs of peoples, through an appeal to a higher power.

Malinowski’s understanding of the magical act:

• The spell, or actual words used

• The ritual, a stereotyped sequence of symbolic acts

• The moral condition of the ritual performer