Spirituality, Religion, and the Supernatural

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Chapter 24

• Spirituality, Religion, and the Supernatural

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Chapter Preview

• What Are Religion and Spirituality?
• What Are the Identifying Features of Religion and
  Spirituality?
• What Functions Do Religion and Spirituality Serve?

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Religion Spirituality

• Both spirituality and religion are considered to
  be apart of a cultures superstructure.
• A cultures religion and spirituality can be
  examined in light of their worldview- the
  collective body of ideas that members of a
  culture generally share concerning the ultimate
  shape and substance of their reality.

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Religion

• It is important to begin with a solid definition
  of religion and spirituality.
• Religion is best defined in anthropology as an
• Organized system of ideas about the spiritual
  sphere or the supernatural.
• Often has associated ceremonial practices by
  which people try to interpret or influence
  aspects of their universe.

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Spirituality

• Similar to religion, spirituality is concerned
  with the supernatural as well.
• It is distinguished from material matters.
• Often individual as opposed to religion which is
  collective in nature.
• Does not require organization.

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Purpose of Religion and Spirituality

• The most recognized purpose of religion and/or
  spiritual practices are to fulfill numerous
  social and psychological needs.
• Its importance is held by the fact that no known
  group of people anywhere on the earth, at any
  time over the past 100,000 years, have been
  without religion.

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Major Religions of the World
Do any of these statistics surprise you? Why or
Why not?
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Supernatural Beings and Powers

• Common to all religions is the belief in some
  supernatural being or force.
• Gods and Goddesses
• Ancestral spirits
• Sacred Places
• Animism
• Animatism

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Polytheism

• Polytheism, the oldest known religious belief
  pattern is the belief in several gods and/or
  goddesses. This is opposed to monotheism or the
  belief in one god or goddess.
• The best example of polytheism is the Greek
  Mythological Pantheon
• Pantheon
• The several gods and goddesses of a people.

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Ancestral Spirits

• A belief in spirits brings about a deeper belief
  in the flesh body actually consisting of two
  entities.
• This might often be referred to as a soul.
• The belief in ancestral spirits is commonly found
  around the world most often with unilineal
  descent patterns.
• Ancestors might be worshipped, be thought to
  bring good or poor fortune, and make major
  decisions in the lives of the living.

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Animism

• A belief that nature is animated (energized) by a
  distinct personalized spirit beings separable
  from bodies.
• Thought to be the first form of religion.
• 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.

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Animatism

• Animatism is a belief that the world is animated
  by impersonal supernatural powers.
• Not to be confused with animism, here the form of
  power is ambiguous it does not take a particular
  shape, emotion, etc.
• Often found in similar cultures where animism is
  found.

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Sacred Places

• Not only can entities be worshipped but also
  places in the natural world.
• Thousands of people make pilgrimage to sights for
  religious purposes. One of the largest being
  Mecca of the Islamic faith.
• Geographical places usually hold significant
  meaning in the religion as an ancestral sight
  where an important event took place.

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Religious Specialists

• All human societies include individuals who guide
  and supplement the religious practices of others.
  
• Religious specialists hold specific rights to
  contact and influence supernatural beings and
  manipulate supernatural forces.
• They will have undergone special training and may
  display certain distinctive personality traits
  that make them particularly well suited to
  perform these tasks as determined by other group
  members.

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Priests and Priestesses

• These are full-time specialists who have been
  formally recognized for their role in the guiding
  of religious practices for others.
• He or she is the socially initiated, ceremonially
  inducted member of a religious organization.
• Examples include priest, minister, imam, lama,
  rabbi, etc.3

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Shamans

• This is a part-time specialist who may enter into
  an altered state of consciousness at will.
• 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.

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Rites of Purification

• In many societies people follow certain
  culturally prescribed rules about what they can
  or cannot eat or drink, touch, or talk about. The
  violation of such a taboo is looked down upon.
• Taboos or a prohibition, which, if not observed,
  leads to a penalty inflicted by magic, spiritual
  force, or religion.
• When a taboo is violated, believers expect
  supernatural punishment will follow.

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Rites of Passage

• Among all human groups worldwide are rites of
  passage that individuals may enter at differing
  times in their lives. These ritual stages mark
  important periods in ones life such as birth,
  marriage, and death.
• Important to note that men and women may have
  differing rites of passages.
• It is useful to examine rites of passage by
  breaking them down into three stages.
• Separation
• Transition
• Incorporation

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Rites of Passage

• Separation- the ritual removal of the individual
  from society.
• Transition- isolation of the individual following
  separation and prior to incorporation into
  society.
• Incorporation- reincorporation of the individual
  into society in his or her new status.

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Rites of Intensification

• Unlike rites of passage there are also rites of
  intensification which is a ritual that takes
  place during a crisis in the life of the group
  and serves to bind individuals together.
• An example could be a funeral among the
  Melanesians. They would eat the flesh of the
  deceased - this depicts an ambiguous attitude
  towards death, while also maintaining the desire
  to hold onto the lost loved one.

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Magic

• Magic is the belief that supernatural powers can
  be compelled to act in certain ways for good or
  evil purposes by recourse to certain specified
  formulas.
• A possible way to gain control over
  uncontrollable situations weather, love,
  fertility, animals, and illness to name a few.

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Magic

• Imitative magic
• Magic based on the principle that like produces
  like. Sometimes called sympathetic magic.
• The use of voodoo dolls would be an example of
  this.
• Contagious magic
• Magic based on the principle that things or
  persons once in contact can influence each other
  after the contact is broken.
• The usage of fingernail clippings or hair would
  be examples of this.

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Witchcraft

• An explanation of events based on the belief that
  certain individuals possess an innate psychic
  power capable of causing harm, including sickness
  and death.
• Certainly found worldwide but used to varying
  degrees.
• Divination- a magical procedure for determining
  the cause of a particular event, such as illness,
  or foretelling the future.

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Functions of Witchcraft

• Serves to offer an explanation for events that
  can not otherwise be explained by the logic of
  the group.
• 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.

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Functions of Religion

• Sets guidelines for acceptable individual
  behavior.
• Lifts burden of responsibility of societal
  members and put to god.
• Serves as a social function to educate members of
  society.
• Above all, helps individuals reach a specific
  personal goal.

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Revitalization Movements

• Although religions may appear long standing and
  unchanging this is far from the truth. Religions
  as reflections of culture, or vise versa, can
  change and do so- albeit slowly.
• Revitalization movements are great examples of
  religious change. They are characterized by
  social movements, often of a religious nature,
  with the purpose of totally reforming a society.

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Revitalization Movements

• These movements can be in response to a
  widespread social disruption.
• Often radical in nature they collect the
  societies feelings of stress and despair.
• Surprisingly can be quite effective in the
  drastic change of the religion and the culture.

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Cargo Cult

• One type of revitalization movement is a cargo
  cult- spiritual movements in reaction to
  disruptive contact with Western capitalism
  promising resurrection of deceased relatives,
  destruction or enslavement of white foreigners,
  and the magical coming of utopian riches.
• Common to indigenous areas where the explanation
  of western (white) power is not easily understood.