Religion

1 Pages 257 Words

Religion is part and parcel to every culture’s worldview. Religion serves to answer questions, which otherwise are beyond a group’s control. Whereas in most complex cultures religion has a certain time and place, amongst structurally simpler societies, religion is inextricably weaved in the fabric of their existence. The supernatural beings that are specific to a certain culture can be grouped into several categories. First, there are gods and goddesses. A pantheistic religion has several gods and goddesses. Goddesses are most prominent in societies where women play a significant role in the economy and in egalitarian economies. Second, ancestral spirits resemble humans in their appetites, feelings, emotions and behavior. Ancestral spirits reinforce social reality. Third, we have animism, a belief that nature is energized by distinct personalized spirits, separate from bodies. This belief is popular amongst people who view themselves as a part of nature rather than superior to it. Fourth, is animatism; a belief that nature is enlivened by a certain impersonal spiritual power. Religious specialists, also known as priest priestesses, and shamans serve to guide and supplement religious practices. All cultures have religious rituals that mark important events in the persons life. These rites of passage have three different cycles, including separation, transition, and incorporation. Witchcraft serves as a means for people to explain their personal misfortunes. It allows them to place blame on something or someone else rather than to take responsibility of their own actions. Religon serves many functions, some of them which include, building social solidarity, and providing guidelines of acceptable conduct....