ANTH 100A Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Belief, Liminality, Voting Age
Document Summary
Audacious attempt to conceive of the entire universe as being humanly significant. Differentiated from other culturally constituted institutions by virtue only of its reference to superhuman beings. Religion was a way to explain that we couldn"t in the past. However, more people consider themselves religious now than in the 1960"s. Religion as a theory to make sense of the cosmos; Explanatory logic to communicate with ourselves and others about why we are here and how we should behave. Would you think about communism and baseball as religious systems. Our thoughts: is a ritual, and is deeply embedded in american culture, but is not a belief in or worship of a superhuman or super controlling power. By magic, anthropologists refer to practices, notably the use of rituals, taboos, and fetishes (good luck charms), designed to gain control over the super natural . Ethical and moral codes, elevation of political figures to almost superhuman figures, rituals and practices involved.
