The REALM of the SUPERNATURAL: RELIGION and MAGIC

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The REALM of the SUPERNATURAL RELIGION and MAGIC
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• Anthropologists define religion as any set of
  attitudes, beliefs and practices pertaining to
  supernatural power, whether that power is forces,
  gods, spirits, ghosts or demons.

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• The supernatural is considered to be those
  powers not believed to be human or not subject to
  the laws of nature or logic.

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• For much of human history the division between
  religion and other aspects of culture were not
  strictly made. For example, the realm of illness
  and healing was widely considered part of a
  cultures religion.

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• Thus, illness was conceived as the result of
  violations of spiritual beliefs or societal
  norms.

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• Such supernaturally caused illnesses are commonly
  thought to have only supernatural cures.

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• Religious beliefs and practices are found in all
  cultures and also seem to have a deep history.

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• From as long ago as 60,000 years we find evidence
  of spiritual beliefs such as
• (1) burial goods that seem to indicate a concern
  for life after death
• (2) clay female figures that may have been
  created to insure fertility
• (3) cave paintings of animal figures that may
  have been drawn to aid in hunting

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• Why is religious beliefs found in all cultures?

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• Most social scientists would say that religious
  beliefs are a response to certain universal human
  needs or conditions.

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• In particular these are
• (1) the need for humans to understand and explain
  the world that we inhabit

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• (2) reversion to childhood feelings i.e. that in
  the face of helplessness and dependency humans
  revert to those same feelings they had as
  helpless and dependent children to rely on
  seemingly more powerful parents and by
  abstraction supernatural forces

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• (3) the need to allay anxiety and uncertainty
• (4) the need for belongingness or sense of
  community

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• To understand the origins of human religious
  beliefs it is important to understand the
  following terms

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• Animism is the belief in souls.

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• Animatism is the belief in impersonal
  supernatural forces, for example, good luck as
  coming for certain objects or numbers bad luck
  coming from certain others.

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• Anthropomorphic is to attribute human
  characteristics and motivations to supernatural
  figures or forces. The ancient Greek gods and
  goddesses are an example. They behaved as humans
  but with supernatural powers and eternal life.

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• A monotheistic religion is one built upon the
  belief in a central god or supernatural being.

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• A polytheistic religion is one built on many
  important gods none of whom is supreme.

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• Some kinds of supernatural forces and beings
• mana, (a term arising from cultures in Polynesia)
  is a belief in a supernatural, impersonal force
  whose presence brings power and whose absence
  brings powerlessness.

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• taboo is a belief in the polluting or harmful
  power of certain objects, places, practices or
  people.

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• Spirits who are somewhat vague supernatural
  figures who may be mischievous or helpful as in
  guardian spirits but not as powerful as gods

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• ghosts are supernatural beings who were once
  human ancestor spirits are the ghosts of dead
  relatives.

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• Ways to interact with the supernatural

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• prayer, the act of honoring the supernatural
  often accompanied by requests or thanks for
  requests granted

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• (2) altered states of consciousness induced by
  drugs, alcohol, social isolation, sensory
  deprivation or repetitive sound or activity

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• use of imitation such as voodoo

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• divination, the use of a ritual to determine
  answers to problems or predict the future.

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• sacrifice, to surrender something or someone
  valued to appease the supernatural or attract
  supernatural goodwill.

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• MAGIC is the belief that human action can compel
  the supernatural to act in some particular and
  intended way. MAGIC seeks to control and
  manipulate the supernatural through human action.

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• Some common kinds of practitioners of magic thus
  defined are

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• (1) Shamans are usually part-time spiritual
  practitioners, more often male than female, who
  attempt to heal the sick, bring good fortune,
  guard against evil and ill fortune and predict
  the future by seeking to control supernatural
  forces.

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• They are often respected and valued members of
  their societies. They often also have a deep
  knowledge of plant cures or some kinds of
  practical, empirically based healing knowledge.

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• (2) Sorcerers or witches, however, are those
  generally thought to bring harm to people in
  their society.

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• (3) Mediums are part-time spiritual practitioners
  who seek supernatural intervention in healing or
  prophecy while in a trance state.