Spirituality, Religion, and the Supernatural

1
Chapter 24

• Spirituality, Religion,and the Supernatural

2
Chapter Outline

• What is religion?
• What are religions identifying features?
• What functions does religion serve?

3
Religion

• Organized belief in the supernatural.
• Fulfill numerous social and psychological needs.
• No known group of people anywhere on the face of
  the earth, at any time over the past 100,000
  years, have been without religion.

4
Supernatural Beings

• Major deities (gods and goddesses)
• Ancestral spirits
• Other sorts of spirit beings

5
Animism

• A belief in spirit beings, other than ancestors,
  who are believed to animate all of nature.
• These spirit beings are closer to humans than
  gods and goddesses and are concerned with human
  activities.
• Animism is typical of peoples who see themselves
  as a part of nature rather than superior to it.

6
How A Belief in Supernatural Beings Is Perpetuated

• Through what are interpreted as manifestations of
  power.
• Supernatural beings possess attributes familiar
  to people.
• Myths serve to rationalize religious beliefs and
  practices.

7
Shamans

• Skilled at contacting and manipulating
  supernatural beings and powers through altered
  states of consciousness.
• Provides a focal point of attention for society
  and can help maintain social control.
• Benefits for the shaman are prestige, wealth, and
  an outlet for artistic self-expression.

8
Rites of Passage

• Arnold Van Gennep rites of passage into the
  following
• Rites of separation
• Rites of transition
• Rites of incorporation

9
Rites of Intensification

• Rituals to mark occasions of crisis in the life
  of the group.
• Functions
• Unite people.
• Allay fear of the crisis.
• Prompt collective action.

10
Functions of Witchcraft

• Effective way for people to explain away personal
  misfortune without having to shoulder any of the
  blame themselves.
• Provides an outlet for feelings of hostility and
  frustration without disturbing the norms of the
  larger group.

11
Functions of Religion

• Sanctions a wide range of conduct by providing
  notions of right and wrong.
• Sets standards for acceptable behavior and helps
  perpetuate an existing social order.
• Lifts burden of decision making from individuals
  and places responsibility with god.
• Plays a role in maintaining social solidarity.