Anthropology and religion Rituals in religion

A ritual , to be considered a ritual, must fit into four categories. These four categories are that it must be a repetitive social practice, it must be set off from the routines of day to day life, it must follow a ritual schema, and it must be encoded in myth. Ritual often has its roots in myth and religion, tying itself to ancient practices between the divine and humans. However, a ritual does not have to be religious in nature; graduation ceremonies and birthday parties are rituals as well. Religion is a type of worldview, a picture of reality created by members of a society, and exists in many forms as this society desires. As time passes and cultures change, religions evolve and change as well. Some popular present day religions include Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, , Judaism and Islam. An example for rituals, is the fact that American Christians pray before meal with all members of the family , standing up . In the Sierra Madre Occidentals, where the Huichol Indians live, there is a sacred place called Wirikuta. The Huichol Indians make a pilgrimage to this sacred land to collect the peyote cactus. The sacred peyote cactus, which can induce hallucinogenic visions, is eaten by the Huichol as a way to connect their three key symbols of life. These symbols are maize, deer and peyote. An example of an old ritual that is encoded in myth and religious symbolism can be found in the catacombs of Sicily where dead bodies are kept. Most of these bodies have been embalmed or mummified and dressed in the attire that suited their profession, many of them being nobles, professionals, and merchants. The oldest body dates from 1599, while the freshest have been dated to the 19th century. The truth of the reasons for mummifying of some of Sicilys most important people is still surrounded by myth. Found on the outer limits of the city, the Capuchin catacombs hold the remains of over 8000 souls, their disembodied shells propped up against the walls or resting in open caskets. Down in the cold, dry basement of the monastery, the relentless march of decomposition it takes time. Its a gruesome display. Though some bodies have been reduced to skulls and bones, the majority of corpses are still rotting, and their half-decomposed husks are good material of nightmares.

Another example of Ritual can be seen in the Sinhalese Buddhists of Sri Lanka. To cure people of illness the Sinhalese perform an elaborate exorcism ritual that involves all night dancing, singing, and role playing. The ceremony traditionally lasts from Midnight until 6 AM. At Midnight, actors appear to portray the afflicting demons. As time passes, these figures are turned into comedic figures of ridicule. At 3 AM actors dressed as Sinhalese gods appear and reassert their dominance. The final performance, done around 6 AM, the absurdity of the demons if confirmed and the ritual ends.

Origins of religion
James Frazer claims that human belief progressed through three stages: primitive magic, which was displaced by religion, which in turn was replaced by science. Anthropologists have suggested that religion was created because magic couldnt give satisfying answers to the 'big questions'. Initially, the term religion was used to describe a belief in the supernatural. The definition of religion has been disputed among anthropologists because some would define the 'supernatural' as something that does not exist, and some define it as something that is simply 'beyond sensed'. Recently, evolutionary biologist and psychologists have begun to look at religion in terms of it being a natural evolution of human culture over time. Much like the idea of culture itself, they believe that religion was replicated, adapted and evolved from generation to generation in much the same way that human genes do.

From anthropological standpoint, religion serves many functions in society. First, it is believed that religion serves to explain the physical world. In this sense, religion offers to answer questions like: How was the Universe created? How were the Earth and Sun created? How did plants and animals come to be? Because people need this answers in absence of science . Religion can help humans to figure out who they are or what they want in life , because giving them answers can help them stop worrying about these big problems and concentrate to day to day life. So , religion can reduce uncertainty and thats a good thing. But humans in general are not sure that religion is a positive or a negative thing , and anthropologist try to figure out. While Dante wrote about the virtues of religion , Nietzsche wrote about the power of religion to limit human thinking . According to Clifford James Geertz , an American anthropologist, religion attempts to offer a structure of meaning to life. He believed that religion purpose is to be a model of how life should be. Overall, it is important to note from an anthropological point of view, religion does not serve a singular purpose, in fact serves many purposes in society.. Most importantly religions add to and define cultures. Therefore, by studying a cultures religion, the culture itself can be better understood, because religion is influenced by environment, and environment also influence people and their thinking. To conclude , I strongly believe that religion is a very important part of anthropological knowledge ,and giving it the right importance can help improving skills in research and knowledge of human beings.