Abstract This paper examines the views of Tylor and how he regarded animism as the most primitive stage in the evolution of religion. He thought all religions, from the most primitive to the most complex, shared some sort of animistic belief. Tylor suggested that the experience of primitive people lead them to believe in the human spirit.
From the Paper "Primitive people lived close to nature in a way modern people could scarcely imagine. They were bombarded with phenomena they couldn"t explain or predict"animal attacks, floods, disease. They must have had an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. It would seem natural that primitive people would have made some attempt to explain the phenomena of their world. Tylor suggested that the concept of an eternal soul or spirit arose from an attempt of primitive people to explain their experience of sleeping, dreaming, and death. Tylor suggested that primitive people decided that, during these times, a spirit, a force separate from the physical body, leaves. In sleep or in a dream, the spirit may journey and interact with other spirits, then return. In death it leaves for good. Sickness, too, could then be explained as the spirit's departure, either to subsequently return, or leave for good. (Tylor)"
Abstract An examination of these figurines which have become symbolic representation of art form of the Paleolithic period. The paper shows that these figurines are also the portrayal of mother goddesses and a symbol of sexuality. The main conclusion archaeologists came to was that they represent the animistic or shaministic symbol of fertility and fecundity. It also has the function of depicting the ideology of the female form and their influence on the society.
From the Paper "When the ice age figurines were first discovered, archaeologists speculated its existence something that represent the transition period between the Neanderthals of the Middle Paleolithic and the Homo sapiens of the Upper Paleolithic period. The differences are quite marked in the expression of the figurines. For instance the first time in human archaeology the image of the sculpture are used as a means of communication."
Tags: Paleolithic, Neanderthals, archaeology, female, fertility, imagery, ice, age
Abstract Shamanism continues as the 'animist' religion of Korea and has influenced other religions to have arrived in the region. Shamanism continues as an everyday presence in Korean culture and, in turn, has drawn from other religions. It offers an interesting example of religious syncretism and the continuing presence of the past in a very modern and progressive Korean present.
Abstract Santeria originates from West Africa in the region of Benin and what is now Nigeria. This paper explains that the principal god in Santeria is Olorun, also known as Olodumare, who is considered the source of all things. He is the spirit of all spirits and the essence of beingm according to those that practice Santeria. It also explains thatm under Olorun's guidance, Orishas, or emissariesm govern the forces of nature and different aspects of human life from death to birth to marriage and child-rearing; they are the ones who ensure that Olorun's bidding is done.
From the Paper "Santeria is often considered one of the many animistic religions found around the world. Animism itself is the religious belief that spirits inherently have a place in the physical world, and in religions like Santeria, spirit is found in everything from plants to inanimate objects like coffee tables and chairs. The basis of animistic religious are those primal religions that were long in practice before the more structured religions like Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism came into being. They are the religions that are still found in rural and island communities in Asia and the Caribbean and have roots in some areas of the Americas and Africa."
Abstract This paper evaluates Robert Monk's book "Exploring Religious Meaning" as being a succinct appraisal of how other religions assess suffering, glossing over most philosophical or religious thought prior to 300 B.C., totally ignoring the majority of the eastern religions and jumping immediately to Christianity to illustrate his world-view of suffering. The author points out that Monk writes that many Christians who struggle with the logical problem of how evil can exist when everything has been created by a good and all powerful God, have accepted the position that evil comes from a real but inferior source of power created by God. The paper concludes that the greatest philosophers and theologians from every culture, religion and belief system cannot agree on the causation or the meaning of the concepts of good and evil.
From the Paper "The earliest animistic religions (prehistory or ancient history) had a theology based on the movement of the sun, the moon and the planets. Early Norse, Greek and Roman, Mid Eastern (Babylon, Mesopotamia and Chaldea) as well as Egyptian and the Celtic and Druidic religions of the British Isles based their beliefs on their observations of the passing of the seasons and the movement of the lights. Human characteristics with super human powers were projected on these celestial beings. Thus were formed the earliest pantheons of gods and goddesses. Because these godlets were more human than godlike in character, they were portrayed as either indifferent (as privileged humans are often indifferent to those of the lower classes), or malicious (demonstrating how the worst of human behavior is magnified when given godlike powers.) In either case, the people who worshipped them felt they had to propitiate these gods with various sacrifices in order to beg them to end various personal or universal disasters or to grant them luck in day to day living."
A review of the sociology text "When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away: Marriage, Sexuality, and Power in New Mexico, 1500 - 1846" by Ramon Gutierrez.
Abstract The paper reviews the text with emphasis on the gender roles in Pueblo Indian society. The writer explains and describes the tension caused by the other major themes of the book such as the belief in one God by the Franciscan missionaries versus the natives' animistic views and the sexual freedom of the Puebloans compared to the sexual self-denial of the monks. The paper shows how Gutierrez brings the reader to the middle of the nineteenth century in New Mexico. In conclusion, the writer feels that Gutierrez resists the temptation to try to make up for the inequities of past accounts written by others, and instead presents a balanced, objective analysis of a complex and intriguing set of cultural phenomena.
From the Paper "With regard to cultural significance, sexual intercourse was considered a powerful force for women in the Pueblo society as well. With none of the inhibitions or restrictions that members of supposedly more advanced cultures struggle with, Puebloans enjoyed a wide range of sexual activity. The women had total power of partner discernment which, when used well, enabled them to control a great deal of the social and political dynamics for the family. Reciprocal gift-giving was a major organizational and social force within the Pueblo society. A woman was obligated to have intercourse with her husband in exchange for the gifts given at the marriage and because he provided for her mother. But she was free to offer her hospitality by having sex with others as well. By so doing, she essentially accumulated guarantees of assistance, service, and possibly even goods from these sexual partners. Though a difficult conceptualization for this reader, it almost seems as though she was ensuring her family's future resources by giving the gift of her body to someone other than her spouse.
"With this complex cultural backdrop in place, enter the Franciscan missionaries--how shocked they must have been! Prior mission efforts may have prepared them for much of what they saw, but individual records still reported repulsion, especially at the apparent nexus between sexuality and the sacred among the Puebloans. The Franciscans order had especially severe ideals regarding self-discipline and sexual self-denial. Surely any pleasure derived from witnessing the "wicked" scenes among the Puebloans occasioned harsh flagellation among the friars."
Abstract This paper explains that religion in Japan is an amalgamation of various historical influences that has evolved over the last approximate 2000 years. The paper states that the major religions are Shinto, Daoism, Buddhism and more recently Christianity. The author points out that the historical relationship between Japan's imperial symbol and the Shinto faith is causing an ongoing international disturbance in contemporary foreign relations between Japan and its war-time victims. The paper relates that Buddhism, which has been predominant in Japan's culture because of its very early association with Confucianism, was never complicated by any connection with the divinity of the Emperor; thus, for Japan's neighbors, Buddhism is largely viewed as a common cultural thread.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Shinto
Buddhism
From the Paper "Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has taken it upon himself to visit the Yasukuni Shinto Shrine in Japan on several occasions. Ostensibly, Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine are to pay respects to Japan's war dead, which is a fairly innocuous act in itself but because of the religious, national, and historical combination of Shinto and the Japanese state, this act is viewed as disrespectful by Japan's war-time victims. Although Shinto had been associated with the state and the imperial throne since the 4th century A.D., in 1868 Shinto was made the official religion during the Meiji Restoration and in 1869 the Yasukuni Shrine was erected."
Abstract This paper explains that Jean Piaget argued that, until the age of eleven or twelve, children were fundamentally animistic, the incapacity to be able to clearly differentiate between animate and inanimate objects. The paper presents a complete meta-research analysis into this theory, which reveals that the wide body of literature on the subject undermines Piaget's claims. The paper's findings illustrate that the development of this psychological concept occurs much earlier in the developmental process, even as early as age three or four. The paper concludes that, whatever Piaget's contributions to developmental studies, his conclusions on animacy must be abandoned in favor of the weight of academic discourse on the subject.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Method
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "Dewart's (1979) research into language and animacy highlights the important point that Piaget's late development of a concept of animacy is incorrect. Similarly Schwartz (1980) found that a child's ability to judge a sentence anomalous was based on the preexisting knowledge of animacy. Working with young children and combined with Dewart, this study impressively pushes the development of a conception of animacy to at least preschool ages. Dewart found that children as young as five were able to determine animacy based on sentence structure."
