Unit 11: Religion and the Supernatural

Question 1

Fundamentalism:

Answer 1

means returning to the fundamentals of a religion (it is a reaction to modernism and to religions loss of influence in society)

Question 2

Fundamentalists:

Answer 2

They resist change brought on by modernism and maintain that traditional beliefs and doctrine, moral codes, and patterns of behaviour still have a place

Question 3

Religion:

Answer 3

a set of rituals, rationalized by myth that mobilizes supernatural powers to achieve or prevent transformation of state in people and nature
-(A recognition that when people cannot fix serious problems that cause them anxiety, they turn to supernatural beings and powers for assistance)

Question 4

Polytheism:

Answer 4

belief in several gods and/or goddesses (as contrasted by monotheism- belief in one god)

Question 5

Pantheon

Answer 5

A collection of gods and goddesses (Greek mythology)

Question 6

Animism

Answer 6

• A belief in spirit beings thought to animate nature
• a belief that natural objects are animated by spirits; things in nature may all have within them different spirits- (these spirits have identifiable personalities and other characteristics such as gender— ‘mother nature’)

Question 7

Animatism:

Answer 7

A belief that the world is animated by impersonal supernatural powers
-Mana- a force in all objects (Melanesians)

Question 8

Myths

Answer 8

are explanatory narratives that rationalize religious beliefs and practices; they focus on human existence (they are sacred narratives explaining how the world came to be in its present form)

Question 9

Priest or Priestess:

Answer 9

a full-time religious specialist- they have undergone special training, and are socially initiated ceremonially inducted members of a recognized organization
-They may have certain personality traits that make them especially suited for the job

Question 10

Rituals

Answer 10

it is religion in action- the means through which people relate to the sacred

Question 11

Rights of passage

Answer 11

Separation/ Transition/ Incorporation

Question 12

Rights of intensification:

Answer 12

Religious rituals enacted during a groups real or potential crisis
-this unites people in a common effort so that fear and confusion yield to collective action and a degree of optimism)

Question 13

Imitative magic (sympathetic magic):

Answer 13

based on the principle that “like produces like”

-whatever happens to the image of someone will happen to them

Question 14

Contagious Magic:

Answer 14

based on the principle that beings once in contact can influence one another after separation
-Sir James George Frazer coined these terms

Question 15

Witchcraft:

Answer 15

an explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess and innate psychic power capable of causing harm, including sickness and death

Question 16

Ibibio Witchcraft

Answer 16

“black witches” are extremely evil and “white witches” are just a little

Question 17

Reconstructionist religions

Answer 17

modern-day revivals of ancient pagan religions

Question 18

Ancestral Spirits

Answer 18

a belief that humans have at least two parts – a physical body and some kind of non-physical spirit or soul

- Generally it is believed that the spirit portion separates from the body after death and continues to exist in some form 
- Some religions believe that the spirits are good and help the family after death (China) and others believe that the spirits are evil (Europeans)

Question 19

Gods and Goddesses:

Answer 19

(aka. Deities) they are extremely powerful supernatural beings
- The most supreme God is often an “otiose deity”

Question 20

Monotheism:

Answer 20

a belief that there is only one God – Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Question 21

Polytheism:

Answer 21

a belief in more than one god- Hinduism

Question 22

Minor supernatural beings

Answer 22

have supernatural capabilities: leprechauns, elves and pixies

Question 23

Priest:

Answer 23

these individuals are keepers of the sacred law and tradition (mostly found in large-scale societies) – different religions have different terms for these individuals; rabbis, ministers, etc.

Question 24

Shaman:

Answer 24

in direct contact with the spirit world- he intervenes on behalf of a human client t influence supernatural beings to perform some act such as curing an illness (mostly found in small-scale societies)

Question 25

Prophet:

Answer 25

an individual who receives divine revelation concerning a restructuring of religion and usually of society as well

Question 26

Divination

Answer 26

is a magical procedure by which the cause of a particular event or the future is determined

Question 27

Cult:

Answer 27

a devoted religious group, often living together in a community with a charismatic prophet leader

Question 28

Secular:

Answer 28

relating to worldly rather than religious things

Question 29

The Practice of Religion

Answer 29

• Religion is performative and is acted out through ritual, ceremony, and observances
• Participation may bring a sense of transcendence, security, reassurance and even ecstasy

Question 30

Separation:

Answer 30

The ritual removal of the individual from society

Question 31

Transition:

Answer 31

A stage where the individual is isolated following separation and prior to incorporation back into society

Question 32

Incorporation:

Answer 32

Reincorporation of the individual into society in his or her new status

Question 33

Taboo:

Answer 33

a socially restricted behaviour

Question 34

Witchcraft:

Answer 34

an explanation of events based on the belief that certain individuals possess an innate psychic power capable of causing harm or things to occur

Question 35

Wicca:

Answer 35

a neo-pagan belief system involving magic- they believe their power comes from the inner self rather than the supernatural- they are not concerned with doing harm or causing evil

Question 36

Wiccan three fundamental beliefs or laws:

Answer 36

1. Wiccan Rede: An ye harm none, do what ye will (harm no one)
2. Threefold Law: a persons deeds will return to the doer three times over
3. Involves reincarnation

Question 37

Missionism:

Answer 37

social movements, often of a religious nature, with the purpose of totally reforming a society