Religion and Healing I April 13, 2005

Religion Set of beliefs, customs, symbols and rituals that deal with the supernatural and its relationship to humans Human universal All are syncretic

Conceptualizations of God Monotheism (God, Allah, Yaweh, Ra) Polytheism (Hinduism) Communal, Shamanistic Pantheistic (Greeks, Zeus et al) Animistic (Shinto; Native American)

How does religion function in society? Political Power Governance/Adjudication Social organization/cohesion Rights of Passage Community Events Gender Identity

Witchcraft, Magic, Sorcery Magic: action, often ritualized, that calls on the supernatural to achieve a goal Witchcraft: using magic to cause harm Sorcery: use of magic objects to cause harm Witchdoctor: uses power to undo spells and restore order

That is like so random Random-ness is a product of enlightenment thinking-reason “Without a governing design, method, or purpose; unsystematic” Witchcraft is a common way to explain the unexplainable

Proximate & Ultimate Causality Azande Granary Proximate: termites damaged supports, gravity caused it to fall (scientific explanation) Ultimate: witchcraft (why then? Why there?)

How does witchcraft function? Expresses social tensions Social control mechanism Contrasts modernist discourse, i.e. randomness (randomness is also a statement of faith) Functional explanation doesn’t tell us about belief

Traditional Social Science Focus on symbolic, structural and social features of religion “Explain away” issues of belief Reason creates “hierarchy of truth” Creates a difference between belief and knowledge

“Radical Objectivity” Recognize that disbelief is itself a form of belief Randomness is a statement of faith Science is a worldview, analogous to religion Seek to understand, but not judge

Vernacular Religion Not theory, doctrine or dogma, but religion as it is lived and experienced Guiding Questions: What is the source of power? How is it accessed?

Direct Engagement No distance/mediation between self and supernatural Testimony Extend conversion to everyday life Speaking in tongues Charismatic, evangelical protestants

Sacramental Engagement Individuals or artifacts mediate between mortals and the divine; accessing God through a mediator Catholicism (Priests, sacraments) Fire talkers

Magical Engagement Manipulate words and objects to alter fate Fate can be affected by human action Root work Vodou

Ritual “Social Cement” experience fortified by collective, symbolic representations Collective representations are sacred because they are the basis of group life Rituals symbolically separate the sacred from the profane