Western Esotericism In Religious Studies

The study of occult worship and witchcraft has fascinated scholars for centuries. Many academic intellectuals have researched varying topics on this matter over time. Carolo Ginzburg is one such individual. He wrote The Night Battles to try and show the fundamental differences between witches of the middle ages and the agricultural based cult Benandante. He uses this text to provide readers with a better understanding of this cult.

The concept of religion has been debated a lot but still has not yet come to a conclusion though religion has appeared a long time ago. On the way to find a precise definition for the term religion, anthropologists has come up with many different ways, from looking backward the history for observing the entire process of religious history to go deep into every religion around the world hoping to grasp the true nature of religion. Finally, anthropologist has seen relatively common things with religious interpretations. This is shown clearly in the article Baseball Magic by George J. Gmelch. In the article, the author George has described about religion and magic in American professional baseball.

The document “Altered States of Consciousness in North American Indian Ceremonials” by Wolfgang G. Jilek, explores the theme of religion as a mode of knowledge by examining two rituals of the Native American Sioux and Salish Tribes, the Sun Dance, and the Spirit Dance. In this document, beginning with the Salish Spirit Dance, Jilek analyzes the significance of each dance, arguing that the Native Americans perform these dances to experience sensations from religious ecstasy, or from spirits, ancestors, or deities (Jilek, 326). Essentially, the Native Americans believed that by performing these dances, after undergoing several trials, they would receive a dream or message from these entities (335). One example of this is when Jilek examines

The human mind’s ability and innate desire to justify and explain the world and its phenomena has led to some of the most significant and world-altering discoveries and inventions, illustrated throughout the renaissance, enlightenment, scientific revolution, and industrial revolution. Logical pursuits comprise a significant capstone of human nature and progress. However, according to Rudolf Otto in The Idea of the Holy, these tendencies have created different dimensions of religion; the rational and non-rational, with the latter often times overlooked. The most significant difference between the rational and non-rational aspects of religion deal with their respective emphasis on reason and feeling. Rudolph Otto prioritizes the non-rational as offering a truer understanding of religion because he claims the core of all religious life revolves around experiences and feeling, not simply rational thought.

The principal beliefs and practises of religions influence the society in which they exist and provide answers to a search for a meaning. This is demonstrated in the principal beliefs, supernatural powers and deities and rituals of different religions of ancient origin. This essay will discuss the above points in reference to the Aztec and Ancient Egyptian religions and conclude that religions influence society and provide answers to a search meaning for their lives. This is demonstrated through the origins of the universe in the Aztec religion.

Durkheim possets that there exists a distinct division between the sanctity of religious life and the secularism of the profane (Durkheim 13). However, the “sacred” and the profane” become enmeshed together, completely entrenched in religious belief and social expression. Moreover, the individualistic nature of magical gift is utilized by shamans in a manifestation of what Durkheim refers to as the “communal character” of shared religion (Durkheim 12). Magical ability and ritual knowledge might be traits and abilities available to a select few enlightened individuals, but the rituals they perform affect and benefit the surrounding family and social circles directly.

Within the Hmong culture there is great emphasis on symmetry, balance, and complementary sections in bodies, society, and cosmos. Additionally, the soul must be kept in balance to maintain good health; sadly, the soul of Lia was not kept in good health which lead to severe, poorly-treated epilepsy. The medical mistakes and lack of precise communication ultimately lead to an untimely death of Lia; however, between both parties dealing with Lia’s epilepsy, the severity of her illness could have been prevented if both parties took Eliade’s perspective on sacred space into account during treatment. Sacred space, in terms of Eliade’s perspective, is one of the most critical, cherished topics that defines his paradigmatic model for religion. The

s.l.:The Continuum International Publishing Group. Gill, S. (1994). The Academic Study of Religion. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 62(4), 965-975.

Through partaking in interaction rituals, individuals become members of something greater than themselves. This feeling of being apart of something greater than oneself provides a moral community for the individuals, which then guides individuals in their beliefs and behaviors. It is similar to a never-ending circle; as individuals see the emotionally charged environment that this religion provides, they want to be a part of it, so they partake in unusual rituals, which furthers their engagement and emotional connectedness to their community. It almost reminds me a bit of an addiction. This community turns objects, such as poison and snakes as sacred, which in turn creates a sacred and profane world.

These experiences are concerned with three topics. 1) “Similarly between religious experiences and how do they support the existence of God? 2) What philosophical problems are there that these experiences can give us knowledge about God? 3) Is there alternative explanation for experience?” William James described religious experiences as the heart of every religion.

Book Review- Mircea Eliade: The Sacred & The Profane -Mahika Banerji -S153DSC23 -M.A. Sociology 3rd semester Eliade begins his text by making a distinctive divide between the “sacred” and the “profane” and thus grants them a definition. The sacred in order to maintain its sanctity is a separate, abstract entity.

Religion was created as the understanding of the totem changed. Durkheim states, “religious force is none other than the collective and anonymous force of the clan, the totemic emblem is so to speak the visible body of the god”. The overwhelming spiritual feeling surrounding the totem that is now understood as some form of religion. It becomes more complex over time and creates a hierarchy and order which results in knowledge, a way to organize and understand the world much like the sciences. Both science and religion are a way of knowing, but religion has a stronger emotional pull due to being created through the collective effervescent.

Jurak Una PS190 Argumentative analysis essay In the past few years, there has been much discussion on whether religious teaching should be part of the public school curriculum. Religion is a constant element shaping our political, economic and social lives. It pinpoints the set of beliefs, dogmas and practices defining the relation between human beings and the so called “divinity”. The notion of religion has always been a very important element of the world’s history.

He asserts that the determinability of the mind through abstract ideas is the essence of human nature. Religious attitude, as described in this lecture stems from a belief in an unseen order and attempting to adjust one’s life accordingly. Objects of thought, what the mind fixates on, shape religious attitude. These objects may not necessarily be concrete; often, “things of thought”, as James puts it ignite a reaction comparable to sensory things. He points asserts the claim that concrete, religious objects are known through ideas and draw their inherent meaning from the ideas which they represent.

There is considerable disagreement and inconsistency within the scientific community regarding definitions of this term [17,18]. Religiosity can be thought of as the formal, institutional, and outward expression of the sacred [18,19] and measured by variables such as importance of religion, belief in God, frequency of religious service attendance, frequency of prayer, and/or frequency of meditation. Pargament describes the distal/proximal framework of religion/spirituality. According to this framework the distal domains of religion/spirituality mainly depending individual behaviors (e.g., frequency of attendance at services, prayer, or meditation) and have often been referred to as ‘religiosity’, and proximal domains, which gauge the functions of religion/spirituality for the individual (e.g., spiritual support, religious coping, spiritual meaning) often referred to as ‘spirituality’ [21,22].