This document outlines some basic elements of religion including myths/doctrines, rituals, and religious specialists. Myths and doctrines provide frameworks for religious beliefs and practices through narratives explaining concepts like creation and the origin of humans. Rituals are patterned sequences of events including life cycle rituals and periodic rituals like pilgrimages. Religious specialists vary depending on social complexity from shamans in small societies to priests in large states who perform rituals and reinforce belief systems.

1. Basic Elements of Religion
Sufi initiates—known as “Whirling Dervishes”—performing the Sema ceremony

2. Basic Elements of Religion
• Myths/Doctrines
• Rituals
• Religious Specialists

3. Myths/Doctrine
• Myths/Doctrine
– Religious narratives/stories providing a
framework for religious beliefs/practices
– Codify worldviews by providing:
• understanding of how the world works
• template for reality
• understanding the origin of humans

4. Myths
• Myths
– Usually oral tradition, often indirect messages
• Can change through time
• Recited or performed
– Common myths:
• Origin/creation
• Heroes
• Apocalypse
• Tricksters

5. Doctrine
• Direct statements about religious beliefs,
formalized and written
• Associated with state-level religions
– May be subject to analysis
– May be more stable through time
– Translations a source of change
– Many have roots in oral traditions
– Bible: many translations
– Qur’an: no translations
• Literal meaning: “the recitation”

6. Rituals
Ritual: a patterned, recurring sequence of
events
Situational Ritual
• Life-cycle rituals (Rites of Passage)
– E.g. birth, coming of age, marriage, death
• Three phases:
– Separation, Transition, Reintegration

7. Rituals
Periodic Ritual
• Pilgrimage
– E.g. the annual Hajj to Mecca
– Many others: Christian, Hindu, Buddhism,
Judaism, etc.
• Daily Prayers (Islam)

8. Religious Specialists
• Degree of religious specialization linked
with degree of social complexity
– Small-scale society: rituals performed by many
or all adults
– Large-scale society: rituals performed by
specialists
• Main types: Shaman vs. Priest
• Other types: Prophet, Diviner, Religious
Healers, etc.

9. Shaman
• Religious specialist with direct association with
supernaturals
– Receives power directly from the spirit world
• communication through altered states of consciousness
– Most associated with non-state societies, part-time
– “Called” to the profession

10. Priest
• Associated with states, full-time religious
specialists
• Formal training, given authority by formal
groups
– May come from priestly lineage
– Perform wider range of rituals
– Rituals reinforce belief systems, ethical codes
– Often associated with dedicated spaces

11. Diviners
• Answer questions or communicate with
supernatural using rituals
• Ancient practice
• Many forms:
– Astrology
– Taromancy
– Extispicy
– Auspicy
– Scapulamancy
– Tasseography

12. Prophets
• Prophets
– A living mouthpiece of the gods
• communicate the will of the gods
• an intermediary between the community and the
gods
• often have visions/dreams
• charismatic
• begin new religions