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The Structures of Religion

The Anthropology of Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion. The Structures of Religion. 13 categories of religious behavior. prayer music physiological exercises exhortation reciting the code simulation. mana taboo feasts sacrifice congregation inspiration symbolism.

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The Structures of Religion

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  1. The AnthropologyofMagic, Witchcraft,andReligion The Structures of Religion

  2. 13 categoriesof religious behavior • prayer • music • physiological exercises • exhortation • reciting the code • simulation • mana • taboo • feasts • sacrifice • congregation • inspiration • symbolism … the “smallest religious things” of a society

  3. rituals • composed of varying numbers and sequences of the 13 categories of religious behavior • two basic types • calendrical • non-calendrical

  4. calendrical rituals • occur on a regular schedule • related to an event in some natural cycle • day and night • lunar phases • solar cycles • positions of planets • almost always communal • attend to regularly occurring needs of the group

  5. non-calendrical rituals • usually performed on occasions of crisis • often follow a life cycle calendar • birth • circumcision • marriage • Death • may or may not be communal

  6. beliefs • provide the justification for the rituals • two components • cosmology • pantheon (list of supernatural beings) • myths (narratives which tell of events in the careers of supernatural beings) • substantive beliefs (about planes of existence and the relations of causes and effects) • values

  7. rituals, together with the beliefs that substantiate them, form cult institutions: “a set of rituals all having the same general goal, all explicitly rationalized by a set of similar or related beliefs, and all supported by the same social group.”

  8. the “religion” of a society • consists of multiple cult institutions • not all of these cult institutions are equal in importance • each cult institution is more or less autonomous with regard to its • beliefs • rituals • history • cult institutions may influence one another

  9. “American religion” • the organized denominations of an area • Christian • Jewish • Moslem • Hindu • Buddhist • Ba’hai • Sikh • etc.

  10. “American religion” • the “religio-political” cult • non-denominational • theistic • used to rationalize and sanction political, military, and other secular institutions • expressed in • Pledge of Allegiance (“One nation, under God”) • currency (“In God We Trust”) • has its own rituals and beliefs

  11. “American religion” • “superstitions” • good and bad luck • “what goes around comes around” • “justice will prevail” • “on a roll” • black cats, breaking mirrors, spilling salt, etc.

  12. “American religion” • children’s cult • sanctioned by parents • believed only by children • Christmas (Santa Claus) • Easter (Easter Bunny) • Halloween

  13. a society’s “religion” • NOT a • a summative notion • with one single unifying, coherent set of rituals and beliefs • which all members follow equally • but RATHER • a loosely related group of cult institutions • plus other, less well-organized special practices and beliefs

  14. types of cult institutions • individualistic • shamanic • communal • ecclesiastical • Olympian • monotheistic

  15. individualistic cult institutions • not performed by specialists • each person enters into his or her own relationship with supernatural entities • requires no intermediaries • examples: • vision quests • hunting magic • “luck” • “children’s cult

  16. shamanic cult institutions • involve part-time practitioners • involves simplest expression of religious division of labor • examples: • shamans proper • diviners • medicine men • palm readers • astrologers

  17. communal cult institutions • led by groups of laity • who only occasionally carry out their cult roles • are organized via a bureaucratic structure • are not full-time specialists in these duties • examples: • puberty rituals • ancestor ceremonies • political functions (U.S.)

  18. ecclesiastical cult institutions • most complex type • feature a professional clergy who are organized in a manner similar to the military, political, and economic institutions of the society • clergy undergo a formal training • clergy are formally elected or appointed

  19. ecclesiastical cult institutions • clergy are full-time religious specialists • clergy is exclusively responsible for performing certain rituals on behalf of individuals, groups, or the whole community • clergy may claim authority over laity

  20. ecclesiastical cult institutions Olympian Polytheistic a hierarchy of supernatural entities, each with a more or less independent character

  21. ecclesiastical cult institutions Monotheistic all supernatural entities are Either subordinate to, or simply manifestations of one Supreme Being

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