The document discusses the complexity of human communication through the use of symbols. It provides examples of religious symbols like the swastika, pentagram, and various Christian symbols. Symbols allow humans to discuss abstract concepts and events that are not physically present. The document also discusses how symbols are used to represent sacred time and space in different cultures. Religions use calendars, rituals, and myths connected to landmarks to establish supernatural worlds and meanings. Overall, the document examines how symbols facilitate complex human communication, especially in religious contexts, by representing ideas and concepts that cannot be directly observed.

1. Discussion: The complexity of human communication
Discussion: The complexity of human communicationDiscussion: The complexity of human
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Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft Rebecca L. Stein Philip L. Stein ©2011
PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Chapter 3
Religious Symbols ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River,
NJ 07458 Symbols The complexity of human communication is made possible through the
ability of humans to create and use symbols ? Symbols permit people to discuss abstract
topics and to talk about things in the past, future, or in a supernatural world ? The world of
religion is a symbolic world ? ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper
Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a Symbol? A symbol is something that stands for something
else ? Most have no direct connection with the thing they are referring to ? As long as there
is agreement within our community as to the meaning of the symbol, we can communicate
with one another using symbols rather than real objects ? ©2011 PRENTICE HALL |
Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a Symbol? • Displacement:
The ability to use symbols to refer to things and activities that are remote from the user •
Openness: When we discover a new thing, we can create a new symbol, such as a name, to
refer to it • Symbols can stand for emotions and complex philosophical concepts that exist
only in our minds • Symbols can create a supernatural world or create myths about the past
©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a
Symbol? Religious Symbols Religious rituals center on symbols and the manipulation of
symbols ? Not all symbols are physical things or artistic representations ? Words, both
written and spoken, are critical elements in religious behavior ? ©2011 PRENTICE HALL |
Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a Symbol? Religious
Symbols ? THE SWASTIKA: An example of a symbol that can stand for very complex ideas
and can carry great emotional resonance ? A religious symbol that is found in a great many
religious systems and occurs in many versions ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson

2. Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a Symbol? Religious Symbols ? THE
PENTAGRAM:Discussion: The complexity of human communicationA term that can refer to
any five-sided figure but is generally used to refer to a five-pointed star, also called a
pentacle ? Among the most widely used religious symbols, both historically and
crossculturally ? Misunderstandings of the meaning of both the pentagram and swastika
due to their various associations ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper
Saddle River, NJ 07458 What is a Symbol? Religious Symbols ? CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS: The
cross is the symbol most clearly associated with Christianity ? Types of cross symbols and
variation between different religions ? Fish symbol: Most important early Christian symbol
because the letters of the Greek word for fish, icthus, form an acrostic (a word that is
derived from the first letter of a series of words) ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson
Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Art ? Basic artistic representations of
religious symbols can be used as elements in more complex settings or works of art ?
Artistic representations are often used to illustrate and supplement religious texts ©2011
PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Art: The
Sarcophagus of Lord Pakal ? An archaeological example from the ancient Maya ? Visual
representation of the Mayan cosmos ? Symbolic representations can be used to create a
virtual supernatural world ? Psychoduct: A pipe made of brick along the side of the staircase
leading to his tomb, through which Pakal’s spirit moves from the tomb into the temple
sanctuary during rituals ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle
River, NJ 07458 Sacred Art: The Meaning of Color Colors have cultural meanings Color
terminology: English has eleven basic color terms ? A color term, a word such as blue, is a
symbol that refers to a particular segment of the color spectrum ? Symbols, including color
terminology, are arbitrary and learned; they are parts of cultural traditions ? YORBA COLOR
TERMINOLOGY: ? ? ? Funfun, pupa and dúdú ? Colors association with particular
temperatures and temperaments ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper
Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Time and Sacred Space: The Meaning of Time Symbols are
also used to create sacred realities: supernatural worlds, sacred spaces, and sacred
divisions of time ? Time is made up of recurring units that are based on observable physical
events, which can also be divided into phases ? Humans also create units of time that are not
based on real astronomical events such as the rotation of the earth ? Time is an important
element in religious rituals and often has important symbolic meaning ? ©2011 PRENTICE
HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Time and Sacred
Space: The Meaning of Time ? THE MAYAN VIEW OF TIME: ? The passage of time had a deep
religious significance for the ancient Maya of southern Mexico and Central America ? Two
calendar systems ran simultaneously ? Important events, especially those surrounding the
ruler, were scheduled to fall on days that were considered to be particularly auspicious
©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred
Time and Sacred Space: The Meaning of Time RITUALS & CALENDARS IN MODERN WORLD
RELIGIONS: ? Periodic Rituals: Rituals that are performed according to a temporal cycle
?Discussion: The complexity of human communicationOften commemorate the anniversary
of important events in the history of the religion ? Because of the importance of setting the
date of the celebration correctly, many religions continue to use calendars that are older

3. than the one most commonly used in the Western world ? For example, the Islamic and
Hebrew calendars are lunar calendars ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson Education, Inc. |
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Time and Sacred Space: Sacred Time and Space in
Australia The religious systems of the Australian Aborigines are focused on expressions of
sacred time and space ? Totem: A symbol or emblem of a social unit ? ? A special
relationship exists between a group or individual and its totem ? Frequently an animal ? For
example, mascots in athletics and logos in business ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson
Education, Inc. | Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Sacred Time and Sacred Space: Sacred Time
and Space in Australia ? TOTEMISM AND THE DREAM TIME: ? The totemic system has many
components, including totemic symbols, myths, and a sacred landscape ? The landscape in
which the Aborigines live is a canvas on which their mythology is written, and various
features of this landscape serve to define the nature of humanity ? Stories of the Dream
Time establish special relationships between humans and animals ? MURNGIN TOTEMISM:
? Discussion of the Murngin society, religion, and totems ©2011 PRENTICE HALL | Pearson
Education, Inc Discussion: The complexity of human communication