Supernatural Beliefs

1
Chapter 14

• Supernatural Beliefs

2
What We Will Learn

• What is religion?
• What functions does religion perform for the
  individual and the society as a whole?
• What different forms does religion take among the
  societies of the world?
• What role does religion play in the process of
  culture change?

3
Defining Religion

• A set of beliefs in supernatural forces directed
  at helping people make sense of the world and
  solve problems.
• All forms of religion are founded on a belief in
  the supernatural.

4
Religion in Societies

• All societies have
• religious rituals that appease supernatural
  forces
• sets of beliefs concerning what we would call the
  soul
• notions about life after death.

5
Origins of Religion

• Tools, weapons, and artifacts found in
  Neanderthal graves led anthropologists to
  conclude that they believed in an afterlife.
• Paleolithic art includes religious symbols that
  may have appeared as early as 200,000 to 300,000
  years ago.

6
Religion and Magic

• Similarities
• Both are systems of supernatural belief and
  cannot be empirically demonstrated.
• Both must be accepted as a matter of faith.
• Both are practiced as a way of coping with the
  anxieties, ambiguities, and frustrations of
  everyday life.

7
Religion and Magic

• Differences
• Religion deals with the major issues of human
  existence the meaning of life, death, and ones
  spiritual relationship with deities.
• Magic is directed toward specific immediate
  problems curing an illness, bringing rain, or
  ensuring safety on a long journey.

8
Religion and Magic

• Differences
• Religion uses prayer and sacrifices to appeal to
  supernatural powers for assistance.
• Magic attempts to manipulate nature or other
  people by their own efforts.
• Religion tends to be a group activity magic is
  more individually oriented.

9
Religion and Magic

• Differences
• Religion is practiced at a specified time, magic
  is practiced in response to specific and
  immediate problems.
• Religion usually involves officially recognized
  functionaries such as priests.
• Magic may be performed by practitioners who may
  not be recognized as having supernatural powers.

10
Myths

• Sacred literature that states certain religious
  truths.
• Include stories of the gods, their origins, their
  activities, and the moral injunctions they teach.
• A cultures mythology is closely connected to its
  moral and social order.

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Social Functions of Religion

• Social control
• Conflict resolution
• Intensifying group solidarity

12
Psychological Functions of Religion

• Cognitive
• provides an intellectual framework for explaining
  parts of our world that we do not understand.
• Emotional
• helps reduce anxiety by prescribing
  straightforward ways of coping with stress.

13
Classifying Religions Anthony Wallace

• Based on level of specialization of the religious
  personnel who conduct rituals and ceremonies.
• Cult refers to forms of religion that have their
  own beliefs, rituals, and goals
• Individualistic cults
• Shamanistic Cults
• Communal Cults
• Ecclesiastical Cults

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Characteristics of Different Religious
Organizations
Role Specialization Role Specialization Subsistence Pattern Example
Individualistic No role specialization Food collector Crow vision quest
Shamanistic Part-time specialization Food collector Pastoralism Tungus shamanism
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Characteristics of Different Religious
Organizations
Role Specialization Role Specialization Subsistence Pattern Example
Communal Groups perform rites for community Horticulture Totemistic rituals
Ecclesiastical Full-time specialization in hierarchy Horticulture/Pastoralism Christianity and Buddhism
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Religion in the U.S.

• Roman Catholicism is the largest with 24 of the
  adult population.
• Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant
  comprising 220 denominations, represent 36 of
  the adult population.
• Approximately 1.5 of the population is Jewish.
• Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the U.S.
  with 1 of the adult population.

17
Religious Outlook for Americans

• 3 out of 4 Americans claim their general
  outlook is religious or somewhat religious.
• 16 claim to have a secular or somewhat secular
  outlook.
• Women (42) are more likely than men (31) to
  describe their outlook as religious.
• Older adults are more likely than younger adults
  to describe their outlook as religious.

18
Religion and Social Change

• When societies experience high stress, new
  religions may create social change.
• These include
• Nativistic movements, found among American
  Indians.
• Cargo cults, found in Melanesia.
• Millenarian movements found in Christian areas of
  the world.

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Revitalization Movements

• Aim to add new life and purpose into the society.
  
• Tend to occur during times of cultural stress
  brought about by
• rapid change
• foreign domination
• perceived deprivation

20
Revitalization Movements Process

• A society is pushed out of equilibrium by such
  forces as conquest and social domination.
• People become disillusioned, the culture becomes
  disorganized
• Revitalization movements promise an effort to
  bring about a more satisfying society.
• Some call for a return to the better days of the
  past others seek to establish a completely new
  social order.

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Quick Quiz
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• ______ is a set of beliefs in supernatural beings
  and forces directed at helping people make sense
  of the world and solve important problems.
• Belief
• Religion
• Ritual
• Superstition

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Answer b

• Religion is a set of beliefs in supernatural
  beings and forces directed at helping people make
  sense of the world and solve important problems.

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• 2. _______ involves the manipulation of
  supernatural forces for the purpose of
  intervening in a wide range of human activities
  and natural events.
• Magic
• Witchcraft
• Sorcery
• Religion

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Answer a

• Magic involves the manipulation of supernatural
  forces for the purpose of intervening in a wide
  range of human activities and natural events.

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• 3. Unlike magic or witchcraft, ________, stories
  of a culture's gods, their origins, and such,
  serve to explain the large questions surrounding
  human existence.
• legends
• myths
• religion
• tales

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Answer b

• Unlike magic or witchcraft, myths, stories of a
  culture's gods, their origins, and such, serve to
  explain the large questions surrounding human
  existence.

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• 4. By helping individuals cope with the
  anxieties often accompanying deaths, accidents,
  illnesses and other misfortunes, religion serves
  a/an
• group identity function.
• cognitive function.
• positive function.
• emotional function.

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correct d

• By helping individuals cope with the anxieties
  often accompanying deaths, accidents, illnesses
  and other misfortunes, religion serves a/an
  emotional function.

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• 5. The most complex form of religion is the
  ________, which is commonly found in societies
  with state systems of government.
• individual cult
• communal cult
• ecclesiastical cult
• shamanistic cult

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Answer c

• The most complex form of religion is the
  ecclesiastical cult, which is commonly found in
  societies with state systems of government.