Essential Characteristics of Religion PDF

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Essential Characteristics of Religion...

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Essential Characteristics of Religion Concept 2: Durkheim defined religion as a system of shared rituals and beliefs about the sacred that bind together a community of worshippers Essential characteristics: 1) Beliefs of sacred and profane 2) Rituals 3) Community of worshippers Sacred – includes everything that is regarded as extraordinary and inspires deep sentiments in believers (awe, respect, mystery, reverence) -

Beliefs about sacred motivate people to safeguard what is sacred (can motivate conflict) Sacred is symbolic and socially constructed – can make people feel as if they are part of something greater than themselves. (Sacred can include objects (scriptures/statues), living creatures (cows), elements of nature (rocks, mountains), places (churches, mosques), holy days, key figures, states of consciousness (blissful states), past events.)

Profane – everything that is not sacred (including things opposed to sacred and things neutral but still not sacred) Classifying religions according to what is sacred (1) Sacramental, (2) prophetic, and (3) mystical religions all hold different things as sacred: 1) Sacramental religions – sacred is sought in places, objects, and actions believed to house a god or spirit (example = Native American spirituality) 2) Prophetic religions – sacred revolves around great people, items that symbolize historical events around the lives, teachings, and writings of those great people 3) Mystical religions – sacred sought in states of being (e.g. blissful states of consciousness – jhanas in Buddhism, at their peak these states can exclude all awareness of one’s existence, sensations, and thoughts). Rituals – Rules that govern how people behave in the presence of the sacred (praying, fasting). o Some rituals are also codes of conduct aimed at governing everyday activities (sleeping, dealing with members of opposite sex, eating etc.)...