ANTHRCUL 101 Lecture 20: Religion Lecture

• School: U of M
• Department: Anthropology, Cultural
• Course: ANTHRCUL 101
• Professor: Holly Peters- Golden

Document Summary

Science and religion- they both want to find order behind the disorder relationship of people and nature: emotional functions. Allay fears and reduce anxiety (often about mortality) Magic: supernatural techniques used to accomplish specific goals. Most employed in situations of greatest uncertainty. Felix felicis placebo effect: social functions. Maintain social order: powerful force for conformity. Provides people with a sense of belonging and positive identity/sense of self. Substance abuse recovery employs religion to instill a sense of self-worth and group solidarity. Catalysts for social change revitalization movements: reaction to oppression or rapid culture change. Prophets usually place blame on an outside or foreign cultural influence and a dire consequence (alcohol and the apocalypse) there is a solution: heed this prophecy and reject these foreign influences. Syncretism: blending of cultural influences emerging from ongoing contact. Cargo cults: melanasia: western culture reached melanasia in the form of cargo and christianity.