ANTH 4751 Lecture 1: Anthroplogy and Religion
ANTHROPOLOGY AND RELIGION
ANTH 4751, SPRING 2019
SOURCE(S): TEXTBOOK CHAPTER 1, DUNSTAN ARTICLE
Why Should We Study Religion?
1. Humans tend to be Religious
a. Cultural universal
b. 84% of humans affiliated with a specific religion (much of remainder have supernatural
beliefs or practices)
2. Religion is Pervasive
a. Religion is a significant part of human life
b. Religion is lived out in, and a manifestation of, human life
c. Super/natural
3. Religion is Powerful
a. Religion is Powerful - but not All-powerful
4. Religion is Profound
a. What is a human? What is a family? What is the environment? Why does human suffering
occur?
5. Religion and Human Rights
a. Legal persecution; violence against religious minorities
b. Also more subtle forms of persecution; casual bigotry
Defining Religion
How would you define religion?
Set of beliefs, guide you
Other beliefs that guide you; cultural relativism
An explanation for life’s purpose
Science?
A way of life
Other things that are ways of life that are not religion. Diets, veganism
Belief or respect for deities or entities greater than self
Rival spiritual entities?
Moral guide and supernatural cycle
What do you mean supernatural? Many religions consider traditions to be natural
Ostrich/bat problem with deductive definitions
How to define religion - legal purposes (freedom of religion clause)
No definition is going to be perfect
Scholarly Definitions (see Ch 1)
1. Essentialist (ex. Taylor)
a. Based on the idea that every religion believes in one thing in common (the supernatural)
b. Simple and basic
c. Contradictory of definition of “supernatural,” “gods,” and “spirits”
d. What religion IS
Document Summary
Why does human suffering occur: religion and human rights, legal persecution; violence against religious minorities, also more subtle forms of persecution; casual bigotry. Other things that are ways of life that are not religion. Belief or respect for deities or entities greater than self. How to define religion - legal purposes (freedom of religion clause) Scholarly definitions (see ch 1: essentialist (ex. Taylor: based on the idea that every religion believes in one thing in common (the supernatural, simple and basic, contradictory of definition of supernatural, gods, and spirits , what religion is, functionalist (ex. Geertz: emotional and psychological reasons associated with religion; the purpose, examine quasi-religions; things that act like religions, contradictory as many other things elicit same emotions; sports, politics, what religion does, analytical (ex. Smart: observable features of a religion; public manifestations in culture, characteristics as basis, hard to define. What qualifies as characteristics: what religion looks like.
