ANTHROP 1AB3 Study Guide - Prince Philip Movement, Mount Yasur, Zande People
Document Summary
Minimalist definition of religion: belief in the existence of spiritual or supernatural powers, as well as the thoughts, actions, and feelings based on said belief. Story about these beliefs are myths (stories/accounts) ex: the creation myth does not mean that it is false or untrue. Beliefs about nature, character of supernatural power, consequences of sin, spiritual animation of objects/beings, beliefs in spirit/souls/separation of body and soul etc. Can be written in the form of sacred texts (have supernatural powers, cultural heroes) To direct people to supernatural powers of the group, based on power of speech and movement, christian ritual is practised within a mass, employ symbols, have symbolic aspects, have expectations of what you should do. Some anthropologists argue that ritual is what makes religion (beliefs are peripheral) Atheism is considered a non-religion (debatable) it doesn"t contain any belief in the sacred. Theory: explanation for something, something that makes a set of phenomena intelligible to us, how something works.