Religion

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Religion

• A social process which helps to order and to give
  coherence to society and which provides its
  members with meaning, unity, peace of mind and
  the degree of control over events they believe is
  possible.
• This social process is the instituted development
  of interaction among members of a society, and
  between them and the universe, as conceived in
  their cosmology.

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Types of Religion

• Monotheistic
• Polytheistic or Olympian
• Shamanic

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HOW CAN THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD BE ADDRESSED?
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• Prayer
• Sacrifices
• Magic
• Divination

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Prayer

• Any conversation held with spirits and gods.
• People believe that its results depend on the
  will of the spirit world rather than on actions
  humans perform.

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Sacrifice

• Offerings to the spirits to increase the efficacy
  of prayer. People may sacrifice lives, or burn
  incense.
• Western culture common to offer changes in
  behaviour.

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Magic

• A religious ritual believed to produce a
  mechanical effect by supernatural means. A set of
  beliefs and practices designed to accomplish
  specific aims.

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DEBATE

• Under this definition, can a blessing or a
  baptism be considered magic?
• Why? Why not?

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Divination

• A ritual practice directed toward obtaining
  useful information from a supernatural authority.

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Functions of Religion

• Validation of the social order.
• Explanation for existence.
• Reinforcement of our ability to cope.

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Malinowski

• Founder of the modern anthropological method
  fieldwork

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Fieldwork

• An anthropologists personal, long-term
  experience with a specific group of people and
  their way of life. Where possible,
  anthropologists try to live for a year or more
  with the people whose way of life is of concern
  to them.

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Synchronic

• Study of the here and now.

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Functionalism

• Form of explanation based on understanding the
  function of specific practices and institutions.
• Malinowski saw as the basic function of culture
  the satisfaction of individual needs, both
  material and psychological.

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• Malinowski saw as the basic function of culture
  the satisfaction of individual needs, both
  material (through livelihood, shelter, clothing,
  etc.) and psychological (through magic, religion,
  myths, ritual, etc.).

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Malinowski

• First anthropologist to pay close attention to
  how religion serves to reduce anxiety and
  establish some resemblance of control over the
  world for human beings (reinforcement).

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• At the same time, as a functionalist, he was also
  interested in the maintenance and reproduction of
  the social order (validation).

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Magic and Religion

• Reduce emotional stress

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• Malinowski saw magic and religion as practical
  and rational responses that were used only when
  empirical and scientific reason failed to provide
  reassurances for the facts of life.

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Magic

• A means to a particular end.

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Religion

• A response to the fear of annihilation through
  death.
• It includes other elements, such as the appeal to
  a higher power.

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Magic Science
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Magic

• A pseudo-science

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Science

• Empirical, rational knowledge.

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Magic

• Reasoning based on false premises.

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• Both, however, have instrumental purposes, as
  opposed to religion. Malinowski understood that
  of these forms, magic, science and religion,
  coexisted side by side in Trobriand society.

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Healing rituals

• Magic, because they are means to an end.

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Festivals

• Commemorations of society part of religion.
  They had propiciatory intent, but did not try to
  manipulate reality.

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Science

• A practice grounded on observed relationships.
  Science attempts to control natural chains of
  causation, and is based on experimentation, the
  validity of certain principles and theoretical
  speculation.

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Magic

• Involves the manipulation of a chain of causation
  by supernatural means.

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Religion

• Involves a cosmology and a set of practices that
  provides explanation, validation and
  reinforcement, and has as a main function the
  satisfaction of the physical, psychological and
  social needs of peoples, through an appeal to a
  higher power.

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Malinowskis understanding of the magical act

• The spell, or actual words used
• The ritual, a stereotyped sequence of symbolic
  acts
• The moral condition of the ritual performer