Cosmologies
Ancestor Worship / Veneration
Based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take an interest in the affairs of the world, and possess the ability to influence the fortune of the living
Animism
Belief in an animated universe; all things have a soul (Shinto, many indigenous belief systems)
Polytheism
Belief in many gods (ancient greek / roman religions, india, japan)
Monotheism
Belief in one god (Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
Magic
Belief in the power of humans to intervene in lives, to cause fortune/misfortune; explains WHY things happen
Cosmology 2
Can refer to the cosmos, to heaven, or to the world
Non-theistic religions
Do not believe in a god or gods (Buddhism)
Religious Specialists
Shaman, priest, rabbi, iman, guru, etc...
Shamanism
Similar to animism to a range of beliefs and practices that engage the spirit world.
Religion
belief in supernatural forces; a set of formal belief systems affiliated with a set of rituals, institutions, physical space, leaders and practitioners; the cultural means by which humans deal w/ the supernatural or how the supernatural deals w/ humans; explains why things happen
The supernatural
refers to forces and phenomena which are not observed in nature, and therefore beyond verifiable measurement
Sympathetic magic
"assumes that things act on each other at a distance through a secret sympathy, the impulse being transmitted from one to the other by means of what we may conceive as a kind of invisible ether"; homoepathic & contagious magic stem from this
What do religion, science, and magic have in common?
All are attempts by our species to classify their world, to break beliefs, behaviors, and things into categories (good vs sacred etc...); all assign meanings, all explain causation
Gods
An eternally existent spirit that exists apart from space and time; maybe considered the creator of the world; all-knowing and all-powerful
Why does religion exist?
Humans attempt to understand and at least influence or control through a belief in the supernatural what is otherwise uncontrollable and unexplainable
Homeopathic Magic / Law of Similarity
Like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause. I.E. ancient hindu (to destroy / eradicate jaundice. get rid of all the yellow stuff)
Religious Cosmology
Many world religions have origin beliefs that explain the beginnings of the Universe and life
Cosmology 1
The study of the universe in its totality and by extension humanity's place in it
Science
a rational interrogation of the natural world, based on empirical observations, testing hypotheses, and reproducing results; explains HOW things happen
Superstition
a widely held belief that normally ordinary events or phenomena in and of themselves, foretell a beneficial or a harmful effect on those observing the event/phenomena
Fetish
an object that receives respect or devotion; good luck charm, has supernatural power
Contagious magic / law of contact
parts "severed from a person" if in the hands of the wrong person will allow magic to be worked on the person through the body parts
Taboo
strong social prohibition to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred or forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society
Physical cosmology
the branch of physics and astrophysics that deals w/ the study of the physical origins of the universe and the nature of the universe on its very largest scale