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