Religion vs. Spirituality

Our class discussion on whether the Wallace Stevens poetry was religious or not made me deeply consider the difference between religion and spirituality. I do not think that the poetry is religious. It does have strong religious undertones, but the words themselves suggest a more spiritual influence. Someone in class (I think Ted?) brought up the fact that since the poetry is individualistic, the group cohesion and identity aspect of religion is lost. This is excellent proof that the poetry is more spiritual than anything else because spirituality is a very personal thing that each individual has within themselves. The main difference between religion and spiritualism is that organized religion has more specifics. Spiritualism could have the same belief in an all-knowing higher being, but there are no set guidelines in which to follow. In the poem “Sunday Morning”, which we analyzed in class, Stevens describes a woman who is not using religion, but personal spiritualism as her overall frame. The woman is looking for something beyond herself, but instead of turning to religion, she creates her own “religious” themes to add to her spirituality, such as fraternity, worship of reality, a vision of paradise, etc. In addition, the abstract art that we looked at last week has these same semi-religious undertones. As we discussed in class, the art is not outright religious; however, many people agreed that there were some religious undertones throughout the paintings. Abstract art is very debatable, and there are many different ways of interpretation, but in my opinion, the Jackson Pollock art can also be interpreted as a representation of one’s individual spirituality. There are some definite differences between religion and spirituality; however, the driving forces between them remain the same. This is why they can act as replacements for one another and be the overall frame for a number of people.

Response to J.B.'s Post on Fraternity

As I was reading J.B.’s post on fraternity, I found myself agreeing with many of the points he made. However, there was one point with which I disagreed, and that was that fraternity alone does not set moral standards. I feel that being a part of a group causes individuals to set their own personal standards and makes those people strive to be better. Different groups such as sports teams, performance groups, sororities and fraternities, etc., emphasize the importance of striving for excellence. I am personally involved in a campus sorority (Delta Gamma), and our main goals in terms of personal achievement are character, education and scholarship, interests and talent, activities and honors, and personal development. By setting these fine standards, the sorority highlights the significance of personal achievement and accomplishment, and it is understood that as a group, we push each other to be better human beings. I feel that this happens in most organized non-religious groups. While there are no set rules stating what specifically is “sinful” and what is not, as there are in most organized religions, the assumption of the group is that each individual will use his or her own judgment to decipher between right and wrong.

Red

The movie “Red” had no apparent direct connection to religion. However, after thinking about it, and listening to our class discussion, I realized that the point of watching this movie for a religious studies class was to recognize the purpose of religion, and to identify what replaces religion in times when there is none. Religion’s main purposes, as we have discussed numerous times in class, are to set moral guidelines for both the group and the individual, to give identity and community, and to explain the unknown, along with many others. Because this movie does not incorporate religion into its plot, the viewers must infer some other source for these important criteria.
Coincidence is used most frequently in the movie to explain the unknown and the unnatural. In countless instances throughout the movie, the characters are faced with situations that seem surreal, such as the seemingly bizarre connections between the characters or the symbols that reoccur throughout the movie. Many people in real life would explain these circumstances through religion or a higher being, but the movie uses coincidence to rationalize them. In everyday life, people who do not use religion find other ways to explain things as well. Many people are superstitious and use their superstitions to dictate certain aspects of their lives. If something bad were to happen, these people might blame it on the fact that they saw a black cat earlier that day, rather than using a metaphysical or religious explanation. This is similar to the Hindu tradition of Karma. In this case, if something bad happens to a person, the cause is a negative thing that the person did earlier. While this is a religious way of explanation, the movie articulately illustrates the non-religious aspects of explanation.

Sports and Religion

In our most recent class discussion, Margaret’s blog concerning the Pistons vs the Bulls was brought up. After discusses this, I read the blog for myself and found it quite interesting. I completely agreed with her comments on how sports are similar to religion for the sports fans, but I also think that sports or other group activities can act as religion for the participants as well as the spectators. I am not involved with a basketball team, and I don’t pretend to have any sort of coordination for sports whatsoever, but I have been involved with many shows and performance groups, and the connections to religion still apply. Being a part of a group gives an obvious sense of identity. Christians can identify themselves as Catholic or Presbyterian, whereas performers and athletes identify themselves as opera singers or football players. While extracurriculars don’t define people, they are certainly influential in life, just as is religion. In addition, in class we discussed that extracurriculars could be used as a form of comfort, but only because they are used in memory of a person, not because of the activity itself. I would tend to disagree with that idea. I believe that feelings of sorrow can be taken out in many ways, and when tragedy strikes, each person handles their emotions differently. Some people immediately go to church or immerse themselves in prayer, while others go off and sing a song of mourning or go for a run to keep their minds occupied. Finally, another way that pastimes such as sports, etc. can act as religion for the participants is that the amount of time and effort put into the activity. For many people, religion is the reason for living. Extracurricular activities should not be anyone’s reason for living, but the participants put huge amounts of time and effort into these activities, which makes them extremely important to the life of each individual. The time and effort put into religion is what makes religion itself important to those who follow.

Deity and Jane Addams

While reading about Jane Addams, it was brought up several times that she held both her father and President Abraham Lincoln in extremely high regard. I feel that she could have held both of these men as Deity figures. She sited both of the men as primary influences in her life, and while she most likely did not worship either of them, it seems as though she did put them on some sort of pedestal. Addams had stated that the two men were significant in her wanting to do humanitarian work and her place in the social movement, which is comparable to religion being a central cause of other movements. Addams also was quoted as saying that the moral standards and the personal integrity of these men was the main reason for holding them in such high regard. In religion, the purpose of a Deity figure is to give a example of what standards the followers should live up to. In many religions, the Deity sets the moral code for the followers to help decipher between right and wrong. It seems as though Jane Addams uses her father and President Lincoln to do this job for her. Addams was raised Quaker, but religious factors were not the leading reason for her to pursue a life of service. I feel that her father and Lincoln had a greater power in her life than did her religion.

Religion in Poverty Conditions

Religion is a cohesive bond that ties communities together, especially in times of struggle. It could be argued that societies that live in terrible conditions and have few material possessions give up hope and have less conviction in religion in general due to such strong feelings of hopelessness. However, I think it is more likely that these strained conditions cause people to have a deepened faith in religion because it is all that they have to survive. I do believe that due to the seemingly grim circumstances, the practices of the religion of these people are probably very different from the traditions of religion today.

First, symbolism is most likely not as important to the people of these communities as it is today because most people could not afford to purchase elaborate crosses or stars of david to adorn their houses. As we observed in class from the Jacob Riis photographs, the majority of people were living in rundown houses or shacks and did not have the money for luxury items. Next, people living in these badly maintained areas probably did not have the money for education or even books. Therefore, many families in this time may not have owned a copy of their specific religious text. In these cases, these families more than likely practiced the religious traditions passed down from their families before, but they may not have understood fully the origins of these traditions. Finally, the traditions and customs of societies during this period were different from today’s because they were not a main priority. These people had to work so hard just to put food on the table and assure a place to sleep each night, that religion probably had to take a backseat. While thoughts of God (or other higher being) probably permeated the minds of these people, actual religious practices, other than perhaps personal prayer, may have taken up too much time, and therefore, were not as common as today.

Religion and Social Growth

Religion can both retard and enable social growth. Religion, as we discussed in our first few classes, brings people together and gives a sense of community. Major social change is rarely brought about by a single person, so a large group of individuals with similar, strong beliefs is extremely likely to have an influence on society and social growth. Religion plays a large role in society today, and in most cases, large-scale social change has a religious following or support from the religious groups themselves. In addition, as evidenced by Margaret Fell’s argument for more women’s rights, individuals can use religion as a whole to influence social change. Many activists use religious quotes, etc. to enhance their arguments, because religion is relatively universal, and most everyone can relate in some sense.

Religion can also hinder social change. With a great sense of community within religious groups, also comes a sense of exclusiveness. Some religious groups feel that they are the sole children of God, and that their personal beliefs are superior to all others. While many of these groups use their feelings of superiority to bring group unity in a positive way, others become stuck in their own opinions and close their minds to any other position. When this happens, it is difficult for social change to occur. Progressive issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, have trouble gaining unanimous support, because religious beliefs and social issues conflict. Religion can both facilitate and inhibit social growth in a society.

Fell's Argument

Chris Villa's most recent blog talks about the validity of Fell’s argument today; I would like to speak about the validity of her argument in her own time. In his blog post, The Validity of Fell’s Argument in Today’s Society, Chris asserts that Fell’s argument is enhanced by her personal interpretation of Biblical quotes. Chris mentions that Fell uses Biblical quotes to support her position; however, the same quotations could be manipulated to support the opposing view. Fell interprets specific sections figuratively, so that the Bible, which has extreme influence in this period in history, supports her attitude. However, she ignores the majority of sections where her viewpoint is opposed. While I certainly feel that women should have an equal place not only in the church, but also in all of society, I do feel that by picking and choosing the Biblical quotes that support her opinion, Fell’s argument is weakened. Chris mentions the effect that the Bible had on the society of the time, and he also brings up the fact that society at her time would have interpreted the Bible more literally than today. She does use Biblical quotes to support her argument; however, she is interpreting the Bible figuratively to further her cause, while most others interpreted literally. This may be too radical of a gesture at the time to alter the public opinion of women’s rights. In addition, while today, the majority of people believe that women should have equal rights, in Fell’s time, this belief was not as commonly thought. Therefore, even if her use of Biblical references caught attention, her argument would most likely still not be taken seriously due to the mindset of the time. Chris asserts that Fell’s argument would not take hold in today’s society, but I also believe that Fell’s argument probably did not sit well with the society of her own time either.

Music and Religion

While I was reading the Portuguese views of Ethiopia, I was struck by a section of the Weddings and Burials chapter. The specific Ethiopian traditions and customs of mourning reminded me greatly of the text of the Brahms Requiem (which I had the pleasure of just recently performing). The author of this article describes the mourning process on pages 66-67. He states, “The mourn their dead, lamenting loudly and for many days. They begin the lament long before dawn and it lasts until broad daylight, parents, children, relations and friends of the dead man assembling with many female mourners who lament to the sound of the drum, striking together the palms of their hands, beating their breasts and uttering heartbreaking lamentations in melancholy tones.” (66-67). This passage directly corresponds with the overall themes of the Brahms Requiem. Some of the more striking biblical passages that make up this piece include, “Blest are they who are sorrowful, for they shall have comfort.” (Matthew 5:4, Movement I), “Blessed are the dead who in the Lord die from henceforth: 
Yea, the Spirit speaks, that they rest from their labors; and their works follow after them.” (Revelation 14:13, Movement VII), and especially, “For mortal flesh is as the grass, and all the comeliness of man is as the grasses flower. 
The grass hath withered, and the flowers thereof hath fallen.” (I Peter 1:24, Movement II), which correlate to the “heartbreaking lamentations” practiced by the Ethiopians. The overall theme of the Requiem is peace for the dead and comfort for those who mourn. I see the Ethiopian mourning customs to emphasize the same ideas.

This concept of music relating to religion or religious beliefs or customs is also evident in the Rastafari Movement. The music of Reggae artists, such as Bob Marley, “re-energizes classic Rastafari issues such as social injustice, revolution and the honor and responsibility of parenthood” (Wikipedia) to promote their religious beliefs. Music is especially powerful and has a huge influence on society. Religion takes music and uses it to further belief systems, and individuals use music to help deal with personal religious issues.

Kebra Negast on Women

While reading the two excerpts from the Kebra Negast, a few passages jumped out at me. I was struck by the casual and indifferent manner in which women from this text were treated. In the first reading, the passages that most evidence this point are on pages 30 and 31 where it discusses Solomon’s 400 wives and 600 concubines. The text goes on to further illustrate this point by saying that Solomon didn’t believe that this was fornication, and his main purpose in having 1000 women was procreation to further his lineage. Even with this explanation, I feel that this is still an indifferent way of looking at women because although this was not technically forbidden, “no law had been laid down for him in respect of women, and no blame can be imputed to him in respect of marrying many wives” (31), this is still degrading and disrespectful to women because their only purpose is to serve for Solomon. Even the text, while not outright forbidding this practice, does state, “Those who marry many wives seek their own punishment. He who marrieth one wife hath no sin.” (31). In the second reading, the King is speaking to Menyelek and offering him women as prizes, “and I will make a marriage for thee, an I will give thee as many queens and concubines as thou desirest.” (50). I think that this casual regard to women, as evidenced in the Kebra Negast and many other religious texts, is directly related to Genesis in the Bible. In Genesis, God deliberately puts man higher than woman, and it is woman (Eve) who caused the fall and created the concept of sin. Because of this connection, I think that many other religious texts have adopted a similar attitude toward women that remains unchanged for many years after.

Kebra Negast and Wealth

Brad Hoh in his most recent blog discussed the concept of God granting wealth and monetary possessions to faithful followers. He references the Time Magazine article Does God Want You to Be Rich by David Van Biema and Jeff Chu, on which I also happened to write a paper. In my paper, I discussed the differences between the two ‘camps’ involved with this ideological debate. The more traditional religious groups felt that God wants all of his followers to be happy, but these people believe that happiness does not equate wealthy. The more Evangelical religious groups, or followers of the “Prosperity Lite” camp, believe that those who have the strongest faith in God will be rewarded monetarily. The believers of this less conventional camp use many Biblical quotes to strengthen their argument. Deuteronomy 8:17-18, for example, states, “Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ And you shall remember the Lord you God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Van Biema and Chu 52). This Biblical passage directly corresponds to the passage from the Kebra Negast that Brad used in his blog, “and his possessions became numerous, and his children were many; and God blessed him and he died in honor”. Both of these excerpts from their respective religious text illustrate the viewpoint of the Prosperity Lite groups and perhaps a portion of the Ethiopian Christian people. Brad, in his blog, disagrees with this way of thinking, and points out that it conflicts with the Catholic religion with which he was raised. I would agree with Brad and say that in my personal opinion, God (or any other higher being) would feel equally about all of his followers and not favor any one group over another by granting monetary possessions. I believe that good people who do good things will have good things done to them.

Metropolis

I found the silent film Metropolis to be very interesting, and several parts stood out to me as relating to religion. The first was that the upper class of the society had no real religion, but was more technologically advanced than the lower class. Earlier this term, we discussed the origins of the human belief process and discovered that religion evolved in more technologically advanced civilizations, not because of the technology, but because of the higher brain capacity that occurred in these types of societies. In the civilization from the film, the upper class was clearly more advanced; however, due to the social status, it appeared as though the lower class had the greater brain capacity for religion. There were several indications of religious symbolism above ground (upper class), but they were all broken down and abandoned. Oppositely, the catacombs below ground were alive with religious symbolism such as crosses and stars. While I am not saying that the upper classes did not have the brain capacity for religion overall, it appears as though social status and society in general have influenced where religion has taken hold in this civilization.

Another religious connection of this film was the connecting of the head and hands by the heart. I believe that this might represent God, the people, and Jesus. In the anecdote explaining this, Maria states that there were people who had great plans for the city, but they could not build it themselves. Then, there were people who had the strength to build the city, but they did not have the same vision as the others. They needed a mediator to help bridge the two together. Therefore, the visionaries could represent God (head), the workers could represent the people (hands), and the mediator, Freder, could represent Jesus (heart). Another proof for this comparison is the fact that Freder is the only son of the leader of the city, and he is acting as and working for the workers, just as, historically, Jesus did.

Finally, the last connection to religion that this film made is the many random Biblical allusions. One of them is the obvious allusion to the Tower of Babel. Another is the flood at the end of the film. I think that the flood could be alluding to the Biblical flood and the story of Noah. The characters were also representative of Biblical characters. Maria could represent Moses because she had heard the call of God and led the followers to freedom. The robot-Maria could represent Satan because she was tricking the citizens into a life of sin and lust. Previously mentioned, Freder and his father, Joh Fredersen probably represented Jesus and God because of their major roles in the city and the actions they performed throughout the film.

Sam Harris Response

I found that the most interesting point of Sam Harris’s commentary on Islam was how closely some of the examples he used related to any other monotheistic religion. The most obvious parallels were the idea of repentance or punishment for sins, the degree of extremism amongst the religion, and most importantly, the use of the religious text as justification for actions.

Harris discusses the internal and external jihad that devout Muslims are expected to go through. External refers to waging war against others in defense of Islam, while internal refers to the inner “war” against personal sin (111). While not specifically stated in the Bible as Jihad, followers of many other faiths are also expected to satisfy some sort of punishment or repentance for their sins. Whether it be confession, denying oneself of normal pleasures, or personal prayer for forgiveness, repentance from sin is a common bond between most monotheistic religions. Harris then discusses the differing degrees of intensity of the Islamic faith, which also appears in numerous other religions. In Judaism, there is the Orthodox sect which is the most conservative, strict, and traditional; followed by a more moderate sect and lastly, by the Jewish reform sect, which is the most liberal and progressive. In the Christian religion, there are many different sects which all range from extremely conservative to completely free-spirited. Harris talks about the differences between fundamentalist Muslims and moderate Muslims in terms of the degree to which they agree with violent action as an acceptable practice, if necessary, to their faith (110). This is comparable, to a much lesser degree, to the divide in the Christian faith between more traditional sects and more Evangelical sects over issues such as abortion, gay marriage, etc. The most important parallel that can be drawn between Sam Harris’s commentary on Islam and other monotheistic religions is the use of religious text as justification for actions. Harris lists some quotes from the Koran that are used by many of the extremist Muslim groups as validation for attacks and bombings, for example, “Jihad is your duty under any ruler, be he godly or wicked.” and “A single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah’s cause in the forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world and whatever is in it.” (112). These extremist Muslim groups look to these passages to rationalize their actions that most people see as inexcusable. Many other religious groups look to their religious texts for validation of their actions or beliefs. For instance, many Evangelical religious groups strongly oppose gay marriage, and they look to scriptures such as Leviticus to justify their beliefs.

Sam Harris’s commentary was clearly revealing his negative opinions on Muslims and the Islamic faith. I do not think negatively about any of the religions mentioned above, and I also don’t think that the similarities I pointed out are as radical as the ones discussed in the article. I do believe that between the monotheistic religions, there are many parallels in the way in which they live their lives.

Literal Interpretation as Subconscious Thought Process

In response to Carissa Keith’s most recent blog post referring to the article on conceptual blending.

In our class discussion, we talked about conceptual blending in terms of relating Biblical stories and concepts, but Carissa Keith, in her most recent blog, brings up an interesting point. Carissa’s main point from her blog is that if conceptual blending does occur subconsciously, then individual beliefs will be acknowledged as fact rather than as analogy. I agree with this point and would like to further it by relating it to modern day issues. I believe that many people tend to interpret their personal religious beliefs as complete truth rather than for their abstract value. If it occurs so naturally in human nature to blend together the personal beliefs with the analogies that explain them, it is understandable that many people do just this. The majority of religious followers understand that the basis of religion in general is to structure moral guidelines and to give a sense of community and higher being (all somewhat abstract); however, there are many who feel that religion needs to be taken absolutely literally, and this specific brain activity helps explain this.

The article by Augustine discusses when and how to interpret the Bible literally or figuratively. I feel that conceptual blending relates to this concept as well because some individuals are subconsciously interpreting their personal religious beliefs as concrete fact, while others take the Biblical stories for what they represent. Many Evangelical Christian groups or ultra conservative are religious groups that interpret the Bible as absolute truth, but It has never been discussed that this instinct to interpret literally is a brain function that only some people can separate. I think it is interesting that an action, such as reading and personally interpreting, could be a subconscious brain action.

Saint Augustine's Bible Interpretation

Saint Augustine has a very specific set of guidelines for interpreting the Bible. Augustine suggests looking at the bigger picture and using the correct reference frame as his two most important points, and uses the juxtaposed ideas of love vs. lust to differentiate when to interpret the Bible literally and when to interpret the Bible figuratively. This strict set of rules seems to leave very little room for exception. In my opinion, the Bible and all other religious texts should be interpreted loosely and on a personal level. This is not to say, however, that a personal interpretation can or should be used as an excuse for wrongdoings, but I believe that there should be some middle ground between the extremes of purely literal interpretation and radical figurative interpretation.

We discussed in class the issue of homosexuality and discovered that according to the method that Augustine provides, homosexuality would more than likely be considered lustful because its purpose is not procreation. However, polygamy, as discussed by Augustine, is considered acceptable because its main purpose is procreation. In today’s world, for many people, this situation seems reversed. I feel that Saint Augustine’s method for interpreting the Bible does not take progress into account.

In addition, Augustine’s method does not appear to be concrete because many different interpretations of the same scriptures can be taken. Augustine even simply states, “Sometimes not just one meaning but two or more meanings are perceived in the same words of scripture.” (86). He then states to look to the other passages for the correct interpretation, or secondly, to use “a process of reasoning” (87). This causes numerous different interpretations of the same writings, which seems to defeat the purpose of a strict set of guidelines.

I think that the notion of a set of guidelines is a good idea; however, I believe that there are some shortcomings in Augustine’s method. I personally think that the Bible or any other religious text should be used as a loose reference point for everyday life. I also think that while many of the parables outline basic moral structure, personal morals and current context are essential to keep in mind when interpreting.

Lamentations

Lamentations is a written work that is used as an explanation for hardship, specifically the destruction of Jerusalem (586 B.C.). As we discussed in class, the emotions described in this narrative are comparable to those associated with any sort of loss. I think that this relates to the universal purposes of religion.

A core purpose of religion is to explain the unknown and to give reasons for why hardships happen. This work tries to answer both of these questions. Lamentations depicts the series of emotions and events that occur when dealing with a tragedy: distress, realization, forgiveness, and finally, hope. In addition, religion was developed to bring people together, and unfortunately, tragedies tend to do just this. This work shows the progression of the previously listed emotions to the outcome of a strengthened belief in God. The last few lines of Lamentations describe the renewed sense of faith. The narrator states, “But you, O Lord, reign forever; your throne endures to all generations. Why have you forgotten us completely? Why have you forsaken us these many days? Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored; renew our days as of old—unless you have utterly rejected us, and are angry with us beyond measure.” This quote clearly reveals the immeasurable devotion to God, even after a terrible catastrophe. Lamentations closely relates to common day situations through the emotions discussed and the outcomes of tragedies.

Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell’s 13 years spent in the Alaskan wilderness seemed to have no religious purpose. However, the experience Treadwell had is somewhat comparable to other religious texts or traditions.

Treadwell’s experiences with Alaskan bears most closely relates to Native American or pre-historic animal worship. Both these religious groups and Treadwell live in harmony with the bears and have extreme respect for the creatures. Treadwell gave the animals human-like qualities, which is something that Native Americans and other animal-worshiping groups may have done. The main difference, however, is that the religious groups live separately from the animals and are dependent upon them for their basic needs. These groups live in harmony with the bears but do not cross the metaphoric line from human world into animal world. In addition, these groups do hunt the bears and use them for their basic everyday needs. Treadwell, oppositely, crosses this imaginary line and lives completely in the bears’ environment, but he would never dream of harming any of the bears, even for survival purposes.

Another religious parallel surrounding Timothy Treadwell’s experiences with bears is Genesis. In the Creation story, animals and humans were not equal. Man was given reign over all other creatures, and Treadwell challenges this. Treadwell was living completely with the bears, which puts man and animals on the same level. However, Treadwell still felt dominance over the bears (perhaps as though he were the Alpha bear). In the introduction of the film, Treadwell speaks about controlling his fear and acting superior to the bears so they respect him and be more comfortable around him. He even shouts out, “I will be master!”, which shows his superiority above the bears.

Timothy Treadwell’s experiences with Alaskan bears can be interpreted in many ways. From a religious standpoint, although Treadwell did not have religious motives, his experiences could be seen as spiritual because they closely relate to several other religious traditions and texts.

Neanderthal Blog from Week 1

Sorry, I forgot to add this post from the first week.

Steven Mithen discusses the capacity of Neanderthals for language and communication and asserts that although Neanderthals do not have the capacity for a spoken language, they can communicate by the use of 'hmmmmm'. Mithen believes that one purpose of this 'hmmmm' communication is to help further Neanderthal culture and way of life. I believe that if Neanderthals had such an immense stability of their culture, there is a possibility that they also had the capacity for some form of religion.

First, Mithen feels that there is an absence of symbolic artifacts in Neanderthal culture; however, there are several contentious artifacts that many believe could be considered symbolic, such as the piece of volcanic stone that resembles a female form or the incised fragment of bone that has marks resembling a symbolic code. The use of these artifacts could have been for a religious purpose, or the artifacts themselves could have been symbolic of some sort of higher power.

Another argument for Neanderthal religion is the possibility of rituals. There are large quantities of stone nodules containing mineral manganese dioxide, which is believed to have been used for body painting. It is possible that this could indicate proof of religious rituals. Another ritual could have been animal sacrifice. There are several examples of planned mass animal slaughter, such as at Mauran or Combe Grenal. A final ritual could have been the Neanderthal performances. Mithen discusses the possibility of singing and dancing performances that could have been put on because of the presence of large open "empty spaces" within the caves. It is possible that these performances were used as religious rituals.

Wisconsin Mound Builders

The article Indian Mounds of Wisconsin discusses a crucial aspect of religion, ritual burial. Burial suggests a belief in some sort of higher being or deity. More importantly, it suggests a belief in an afterlife. Both the Neanderthals and the Homo sapiens displayed evidence of burying their dead; however, Native Americans from Wisconsin created effigies and rituals for their dead to further their own beliefs and to give assurance of the sanctuary of their loved ones. These effigy mounds are also beautiful works of art, and the sheer size of them is astounding. It is interesting to me that although there is a large location change and a gap of time between Wisconsin mound builders and the prehistoric artists we already studied, all of the cultures still use art to further their spiritual purposes. The prehistoric cultures used certain cave art, totem designs, symbols, etc. to help explain symbolic stories and to aid ritualistic belief, while the Wisconsin Native Americans actually incorporated their art into their burials. Also, the pottery created by these people is similarly comparable to the art of the prehistoric species. All of these helped aid ritualistic belief by beginning to define the afterworld (upper/lowerworlds).

Group Identity and Religion

I am writing this blog in response to Caro Leach.

The type of religion that was discussed in the article featuring the Homo sapiens after the Holocene could be considered a foundation for modern religion of today. I believe that religion serves many purposes and comes from many different sources. The main purposes referenced in the article, The Nature of Paleolithic Art (part 2) are explanations for the unknown and group identity or community. Caro, in her most recent blog, also points to these as the most important purposes for religion; however, Caro states, “Identity was more defined with the use of religion; people would feel a sense of worth due to religion.”, and I would assert the opposite. I believe that religion emerged from a sense of group identity.

I do agree with Caro that with the creation of organized religion caused a stronger sense of identity; however, I think it is more likely that religion evolved due to an already present sense of group identity. A climate shift occurred following the Holocene that caused the evolution of a greater number of species and more importantly, better hunting conditions, which led to food surpluses. These food surpluses had both benefits and consequences for the groups. Food surpluses meant more food and a better diet for these people, and trade began at this point. With trade came a stronger sense of group identity (mine vs. yours; ours vs. theirs). This strong sense of identity ultimately led to increased warfare. These groups further involved themselves with their group identity by establishing customs and rituals, such as coordinating dress decoration, totem styles, artwork, etc. According to Guthrie, “these patterns carry symbolic meaning and their shared visual reading gives emphasis to group cohesion and order.” (412). In addition, with more wealth circulated throughout the groups, a sense of upper vs. lower began to occur, and a hierarchy developed. Those with more food were considered above those with less, and the upper classes had more free time to expand their newfound mythological beliefs. The tribal ruling class and their shamans began to create stories to explain the unknown, which eventually led to a more stable belief system within the group. Therefore, the original group identity greatly influenced the early development of religion.

Paleolithic Art

In my last blog, I asserted that Neanderthals had the capacity for religion, although all evidence pointed otherwise. After reading the last two articles The Nature of Paleolithic Art, I would like to adjust my opinion. To use our computer analogy from class, I now believe that Neanderthals had the software for religion, but not the hardware; while the Homo sapiens who created the Paleolithic art had the hardware, but not the software.

The Neanderthals had many of the cultural icons that are evident in early religions, such as symbols, burials, rituals, etc. Although these are present, the Neanderthals lacked the “cognitive fluidity” to invent symbolic meaning. They had the knowledge of how to make and create these things, but they did not have the capacity to connect them to some larger purpose. The Homo sapiens had just the opposite problem: they had the capability for metaphoric thinking, but the culture they lived in was not conducive to religious thought. The Homo sapiens mentioned in the first chapter of The Nature of Paleolithic Art were physiologically built just as humans today, which means they have the brain capacity for religion. However, Guthrie believes that many of the art forms of these people had no significant religious purpose. When discussing the presence of war scenes and human faces, Guthrie states, “These…may have little symbolic significance” (38). In addition, many would conclude that the location of much of the Paleolithic art (deep in the caves) would suggest some sort of religious or supernatural theme; however, Guthrie dissuades this by explaining that this conclusion can only be drawn if three important points are ignored. The first is that art in caves is more likely to survive that art in the open air. The second is that evidence proves that the caves were rarely used. The third is that significant amounts of Paleolithic art were also found in abri and open-air sites (40). Therefore, these people had the right mental equipment (hardware), but religious thought did not flourish because their culture was missing certain essential aspects, such as morals/ethics, a God/deity, reoccurring symbols, explanations, and a hierarchical system (software). The post-Holocene Homo sapiens were the first of the cultures studied so far in this class to exhibit both signs of hardware and software. They had both the mental capacity for symbolic thought and the cultural aspects to support religion.

Entry 1

Taylor's first post!