Religion Monthly missive on sale At local community fair. Photo: J. Fortier

Religion What Is Religion? Origins, Functions, and Expressions of Religion Religion and Cultural Ecology Social Con t rol

What Is Religion?

Origins, Functions, and Expressions of Religion

Religion and Cultural Ecology

Social Con t rol

Definitions Religion is any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power, whether that power be forces, gods, spirits, ghosts, or demons Image of Hindu demon-deity ‘Bhairav’ Photo: J. Fortier

Religion is any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices pertaining to supernatural power, whether that power be forces, gods, spirits, ghosts, or demons

Definitions Magic Sorcery Witchcraft Greco-Roman magic figurine; Photo: Prof. E. Pollard, SDSU

Magic

Sorcery

Witchcraft

Universality of Religion Need to understand Reversion to childhood feelings Anxiety & uncertainty Need for community A Hindu astrologer; Photo J.Fortier

Need to understand

Reversion to childhood feelings

Anxiety & uncertainty

Need for community

Animism Animism is seen as basic tendency to dream of soul-others at night Belief in souls that derives from the first attempt to explain dreams and like phenomena Has come to be seen as a belief in soul-beings in others Tylor first studied religion anthropologically and developed a taxonomy of religions

Animism is seen as basic tendency to dream of soul-others at night

Belief in souls that derives from the first attempt to explain dreams and like phenomena

Has come to be seen as a belief in soul-beings in others

Tylor first studied religion anthropologically and developed a taxonomy of religions

Animism - A need to understand? E. B. Tylor Early humans believed in souls (false) Evolutionary progression: animism>polytheism> monotheism>science Nurit Bird-David Relational Ontology- belief that all beings are related

E. B. Tylor

Early humans believed in souls

(false) Evolutionary progression: animism>polytheism> monotheism>science

Nurit Bird-David

Relational Ontology- belief that all beings are related

Raji woman collects Yam ‘Mother’

Buddha attained enlightenment under Ficus religiosa • Adam & Eve ate from the Fig tree Courtesy Woody Moise at picasaweb.google.com

Buddha attained enlightenment under Ficus religiosa • Adam & Eve ate from the Fig tree

Animism of the Pleiades: “The 7 Sisters” Animation of star Formations is Common across cultures

Types of Supernatural Forces & Beings Supernatural forces Supernatural beings Folk form of Siva, Nepal. Photo: J. Fortier

Supernatural forces

Supernatural beings

Supernatural forces Inanimate Mana Taboo Winds Weather elements, Bad or good luck Hail storm. Photo: ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/.../ sheila_clouds2.htm

Inanimate

Mana

Taboo

Winds

Weather elements,

Bad or good luck

Mana and Taboo Polynesian mana and related concept of taboo related to the more hierarchical nature of Polynesian society Melanesian mana defined as sacred impersonal force that is much like the Western concept of luck Mana – belief in immanent supernatural domain or life-force, potentially subject to human manipulation

Polynesian mana and related concept of taboo related to the more hierarchical nature of Polynesian society

Melanesian mana defined as sacred impersonal force that is much like the Western concept of luck

Mana – belief in immanent supernatural domain or life-force, potentially subject to human manipulation

Weather as Supernatural Ban Raji call weather forces ‘Hawa’a” Batek of Malaysia call them ‘Hala’’ Thunder Windstorms Earthquake/’Big’ weather disasters Ban Raji woman struck by Hawa’a

Ban Raji call weather forces ‘Hawa’a”

Batek of Malaysia call them ‘Hala’’

Thunder

Windstorms

Earthquake/’Big’ weather disasters

Supernatural beings Animate Gods, goddesses Spirits, Fairies, sprites, ogres Ghosts Dead ancestors Totems

Animate

Gods, goddesses

Spirits,

Fairies, sprites, ogres

Ghosts

Dead ancestors

Totems

Totemism Totems are apical ancestor of clans Members of clan did not kill or eat their totem, except once a year when the members of the clan gathered for ceremonies dedicated to the totem In totemic societies, each descent group has an animal, plant, or geographical feature from which they claim descent

Totems are apical ancestor of clans

Members of clan did not kill or eat their totem, except once a year when the members of the clan gathered for ceremonies dedicated to the totem

In totemic societies, each descent group has an animal, plant, or geographical feature from which they claim descent

Religion and Cultural Ecology Sacred Cattle in India

Sacred Cattle in India

Religion and Cultural Ecology Cattle play important adaptive role in Indian ecosystem that evolved over thousands of years Hindus use cattle for transportation, traction, and manure Bigger cattle eat more, making them more expensive to keep Sacred Cattle in India Views of Western experts are ethnocentric and incorrect because:

Cattle play important adaptive role in Indian ecosystem that evolved over thousands of years

Hindus use cattle for transportation, traction, and manure

Bigger cattle eat more, making them more expensive to keep

Sacred Cattle in India

Views of Western experts are ethnocentric and incorrect because:

Religions & Social Correlations Deities mimic aspects of human society Child-rearing practices Complexity of the society Degree of societal/governmental control Greek Minotaur. Photo: www.historyforkids.org

Deities mimic aspects of human society

Child-rearing practices

Complexity of the society

Degree of societal/governmental control

Types of Religions Shamanic - shamans part-time religious intermediaries who may act as curers – these religions are characteristic of foragers but found in farming societies too Shaman Possessed; Photo: J. Fortier

Shamanic - shamans part-time religious intermediaries who may act as curers – these religions are characteristic of foragers but found in farming societies too

Kinds of Religion Olympian or Polytheistic religions –appeared with states, have full-time religious specialists and have potent anthropomorphic gods who may exist as a pantheon Monotheistic religions – have attributes of Olympian religions, except pantheon of gods subsumed under a single eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent being Communal religions – have shamans, community rituals, multiple nature gods

Olympian or Polytheistic religions –appeared with states, have full-time religious specialists and have potent anthropomorphic gods who may exist as a pantheon

Monotheistic religions – have attributes of Olympian religions, except pantheon of gods subsumed under a single eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent being

Communal religions – have shamans, community rituals, multiple nature gods

Major World Religions by Percentage of World Population 2005 Source: Adherents.com. 2005. http://www.adherents.com/Religions_by_adherents .html.

Source: Adherents.com. 2005. http://www.adherents.com/Religions_by_adherents .html.

Trends Monotheistic religions growing Found in highly stratified state societies Fundamentalism growing Source: www.class.uh.edu

Monotheistic religions growing

Found in highly stratified state societies

Fundamentalism growing

Religion and Change Religious leaders also may seek to alter or revitalize their society Nativistic or Revitalization Movements Social moments that occur in times of change The colonial-era Iroquois reformation led by Handsome Lake is example of revitalization movement Religion helps maintain social order

Religious leaders also may seek to alter or revitalize their society

Nativistic or Revitalization Movements

Social moments that occur in times of change

The colonial-era Iroquois reformation led by Handsome Lake is example of revitalization movement

Religion helps maintain social order

Syncretisms Voodoo, santeria Cargo cults of Melanesia and Papua New Guinea are syncretisms of Christian doctrine with aboriginal beliefs Often emerge when traditional, non-Western societies have regular contact with industrialized societies Cultural mix, including religious blends, that emerge when two or more cultural traditions come into contact

Voodoo, santeria

Cargo cults of Melanesia and Papua New Guinea are syncretisms of Christian doctrine with aboriginal beliefs

Often emerge when traditional, non-Western societies have regular contact with industrialized societies

Cultural mix, including religious blends, that emerge when two or more cultural traditions come into contact

Location of Melanesian Cargo Cults • Part of Revitalization Movements

Antimodernism and Fundamentalism Tribalism, Fundamentalism, Parochialism all opposed in some ways to Globalism Antimodernism – rejection of the modern in favor of what is perceived as an earlier, purer, and better way of life

Tribalism, Fundamentalism, Parochialism all opposed in some ways to Globalism

Antimodernism – rejection of the modern in favor of what is perceived as an earlier, purer, and better way of life

Antimodernism and Fundamentalism Assert an identity separate from the larger religious group from which they arose Seek to rescue religion from absorption into modern, Western culture Strive to protect distinctive doctrine and way of life and of salvations Many fundamentalists are politically aware citizens of nation-states Fundamentalism – antimodernist movements in various religions

Assert an identity separate from the larger religious group from which they arose

Seek to rescue religion from absorption into modern, Western culture

Strive to protect distinctive doctrine and way of life and of salvations

Many fundamentalists are politically aware citizens of nation-states

Fundamentalism – antimodernist movements in various religions

A New Age Number of Americans giving no religious preference grew from 7% to 13% between 1990 and 2001

A New Age Exemption from taxation on income and property Not all religions receive official recognition Scientology recognized as church in U.S. but not in Germany In U.S. official recognition of a religion entitles it to a modicum of respect

Exemption from taxation on income and property

Not all religions receive official recognition

Scientology recognized as church in U.S. but not in Germany

Secular Rituals Include formal, invariant, stereotyped, earnest, repetitive behavior and rites of passage that take place in nonreligious settings Many Americans seek in such apparently secular contexts as amusement parks, rock concerts, and sporting events what other people find in religious rites, beliefs, and ceremonies

Include formal, invariant, stereotyped, earnest, repetitive behavior and rites of passage that take place in nonreligious settings

Many Americans seek in such apparently secular contexts as amusement parks, rock concerts, and sporting events what other people find in religious rites, beliefs, and ceremonies

Religious Composition (in Percentages) of the Populations of the U.S., 1990 and 2001, and Canada, 1991 and 2001